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Tracie Walden, managing director for deposit operations, Bank OZK, stands in front of the Ozark, Arkansas, Bank OZK operations center
AlumniBusiness and Industry

Cashing in Education for Career Success

When Tracie Walden, '96, left the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½, then Westark College, she never intended to return to banking. Little did she know that her education at Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ would play a pivotal role in her career back in banking.

August 07, 2024
A woman decorating a cake with a child
AlumniBell Tower

Former Nurse Followed Winding Road to Current Happiness

Angela Perkins describes the route from Westark Community College in the 1970s to her current life as a rollercoaster. It’s that and more.

July 30, 2024
young woman in a car
AlumniBusiness and Industry

Longtime Classroom Veteran Moves Easily into Administrative Role

LaDena Nsabimana is pretty sure her years in classrooms in western Arkansas prepared her for the job she has today as associate director of special education at KVC Academy.

July 30, 2024
Jami Davis, '10, is the owner and operator of Grunge House, a Fort Smith boutique
AlumniCommunity

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Alumna Brings Urban Flair to Community

Jami Davis, a 2010 graduate of the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½, brings what she learned in the classroom and from her travels to the city through her boutique, Grunge House. As owner and operator, Davis has carefully curated a shop to meet...

May 31, 2024
Dr. Charles
AlumniArts and SciencesLion Voices

A Feather in His Cap: The Life and Career of Dr. Charles Preston

Dr. Charles "Chuck" Preston traces his roots in biology to growing up in Fort Smith and attending the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ when the university was still known as Westark Community College. Today, he is one of the world's foremost researchers...

May 31, 2024
New Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ alum, Joshua MerrittJoshua Merritt (right) and his dad Jason, a senior instructor in the College of Business and Industry, at the 2024 Spring Commencement
AlumniArts and SciencesBusiness and IndustryNews

Double Dose of Graduation

Joshua Merritt, a recent University of Arkansas—Fort Smith graduate, celebrated the completion of not one but two degrees during his time at Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½. After starting at the university at just 13 years old, Merritt graduated with a bachelor's degree...

May 31, 2024
Paper with the words
AlumniClass Notes

Class Notes, May 2024

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ alumni shared life events and happenings.

May 30, 2024
Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ mascot, Numa, dressed as a mail carrier stands atop a pile of letters
AlumniFeaturedË®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Mailbag

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Mailbag: Happy Birthday, Numa!

In this back-to-back edition of the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Mailbag, we celebrate our favorite mascot's birthday. Numa takes another trip around the sun and invites everyone to enjoy his big day with him.

April 19, 2024
Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ graduate smiles for the camera holding his diploma and a
AlumniArts and SciencesBusiness and IndustryEventsFeaturedFirst GenerationHealth Education and Human SciencesNewsStudents

What's the 4-1-1 on Graduation?

Spring commencement at the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ is one month away. Graduating students should know what they need to do before the ceremony and what they can access as Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ alums.

April 11, 2024
Patricia Hurtado Perez, Coordinator for Upward Bound Math and Science
AlumniArts and SciencesFirst Generation

First-Generation Staff Spotlight: Patricia Hurtado Perez

As a Hispanic first-generation student, Patricia Hurtado Perez, coordinator for the Upward Bound Math and Science program at the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½, struggled with unique challenges. However, she was undeterred along her path to...

April 02, 2024
Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Cheer at the 2023 NCA Competitions
AlumniAthleticsFeatured

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Cheer Builds Up Champions

With college nationals just a few weeks away, the all-star Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Cheer team is ready to take Daytona by storm. The Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ cheer team has won 4 NCA Nationals Championships in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022, and has reached the collegiate tournament 14 seasons...

March 29, 2024
Dr. April Evans, center, surrounded by her husband, Shane, and their five grandchildren
AlumniHealth Education and Human SciencesLion Voices

Building Foundations with Dr. April Evans

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ School of Education Interim Executive Director Dr. April Evans leaned on her love of education and literacy, her passion for making a difference, and the relationships she built along the way in her return to Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½...

March 25, 2024
Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ mascot Numa, dressed as a mailcarrier
AlumniEventsStudentsË®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Mailbag

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Mailbag: Where Memories Roar

The Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Mailbag returns with a recap of Homecoming 2024: Where Memories Roar. From competitions, reunions, awards, and games, homecoming week was full of excitement, and the campus was buzzing.

February 23, 2024
students hold 1928 balloons
AlumniCommunityFeatured

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Honors Alumni Award Winners

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Alumni Advisory Council honored five Lions at the Alumni Brunch today as part of 2024 homecoming events. Dr. Daniel Fudge, ‘12, and Jaime Vargas, ’18 and ‘23, received the Young Alumni Award, Sara Putman...

February 17, 2024
Cody Holt poses for Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ eSports media day
AlumniBusiness and IndustryLion Voices

Readying Player One and the Gamer, Cody Holt

Follow the evolution of Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ senior instructor Cody Holt. From gamer to Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ educator and eSports coach, uncover his gaming passion and commitment to student achievement along the way.

February 16, 2024
Yosey Cardenas during graduation, May 2023
AlumniFirst GenerationHealth Education and Human SciencesLion Voices

Coming Full Circle with Yosey Cardenas

At the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½, education and social work academic advisor for the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences, Yosey Cardenas, shares her story as a first-generation student and how she now uses that experience to...

February 09, 2024
Logan Aguilera, class of '23, coaches a player at Sallisaw during a football game. Aguilera is a geography teacher at Sallisaw Middle School.
AlumniArts and SciencesLion Voices

Some Things Are Worth Waiting For

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ College of Arts and Sciences 2023 alum Logan Aguilera encourages students to practice patience. Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ helped prepare him to be a middle school teacher in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and become a coach of six different teams....

February 08, 2024
Quynh Nguyen, 2016 graduate of Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½
AlumniBusiness and Industry

Achieving her Dreams

Quynh Nguyen, a 2016 Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ graduate, immigrated from Vietnam with her family when she was 12. As a non-English speaking student, the language barrier was an obstacle she overcame her entire life. Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ was a place that...

January 08, 2024
Sarah Murrah, left, with her husband and two daughters
AlumniBusiness and IndustryLion Voices

Life and Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½: How Sarah Murrah Balanced the Twists and Turns to Success

Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Campus and Community Engagement Administrative Assistant Sarah Murrah describes the twists and turns of life on her journey to obtaining her degree and giving back to the university that made it happen.

November 13, 2023
Lynette Thrower
AlumniArts and SciencesCommunityLion Voices

Staff Voices: Lynette Thrower

Lynette Thrower has worked at the Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ since 2021, following her time as a student two years prior. However, it is the life she lived before getting to Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ that made her the perfect hire for the university.

October 27, 2023

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The Ë®¶à¶àµ¼º½ Office of Communications fields all media inquiries for the university. Email Rachel.Putman@uafs.edu for more information.

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Rachel Rodemann Putman

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