A student, faculty member, staff member and alumnus of University of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana were honored Tuesday at the annual Arkansas Community Colleges Conference in Little Rock.
Xavier McDonald of Hope, Ark., received the UAHT Academic All-Star Award. The program recognizes scholarly and service achievements of two-year college students in the state. Recipients get $500 scholarships for their final college semesters and a full-tuition transfer scholarship to any public four-year university in Arkansas.
While at UA-Hope, Xavier has been named Outstanding Concurrent High School Student, selected for the Quality Care Pediatrics Scholarship and named to the Chancellor's Honor Roll. He is an active member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Fine Arts Club and volunteers for the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities. He also participated in the UAHT Supports the Troops fundraiser, donating items and packing boxes.
McDonald is "one of my smartest students" and "truly wise beyond his years and is constantly respectful," said Chelsea Slack, UAHT instructor.
He plans to transfer to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and major in biology, then attend the University of Houston College of Optometry. He wants to open an optometry office, give back to his hometown and travel to third-world countries to provide free eye care to those who cannot afford it.
Christopher Smith was named 2017 UAHT Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. Chris is a 2006 graduate of Hope High School and a 2008 graduate of the UA-Hope, where he obtained an Associate of Arts degree.
In the summer of 2008, he ventured to Washington D.C. to serve as a summer congressional intern. He then transferred to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 2010. received a Master of Public Administration from Arkansas State University in 2014.
As the UALR student body president, Chris' major contribution was the creation of the university's "Reach 12,000," a nonperishable food drive.
Smith volunteered with various organizations such as Upward Basketball and eventually founded nonprofit organization "The Uplifting Journey" to help people develop a more optimistic viewpoint of life.
Chris is pursuing a Doctor of Education in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California and serves as a commissioner on the Little Rock Board of Adjustment. He works for Philander Smith College as the program coordinator for special programs and special assistant to the president.
Bernice McDonald was named Outstanding Staff Member of the Year. She is the administrative specialist for the Office of Admissions and has served the college for 15 years. In addition to daily duties, she takes the time to help with the annual UAHT Fish Fry scholarship fundraiser, the watermelon festival and graduation. She has even provided transportation to students who were unable to make it to campus.
The nomination letter for McDonald stated, "She is a hard worker who helps students with a variety of needs. Despite always being tied up with other duties, she is always there to help. She is always up to completing any task that is asked of her, and she keeps everything and everyone in line, even on the craziest of days."
Mark Wilcox was named Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. Mark has been with the college since 2004 as an adjunct and full-time Emergency Medical Services instructor. He serves as UAHT Faculty Senate president and Education Committee chairman for the Southwest Arkansas Regional Trauma Advisory Committee.
"Mark is someone who always helps with recruitment and convinces prospective students that UAHT is the best college around. Most of all, he is an incredibly talented instructor who can teach without a book, PowerPoint or notes. He always captivates the audience, and the lessons are never forgotten," his nomination letter stated.