The Emerging Leaders program, sponsored by New Student & Family Programs, is an exciting and engaging leadership development program designed for first-year students and others seeking to enhance their leadership skills.

This eight-week leadership series aims to build and develop students’ leadership skills, team building abilities, leadership knowledge base, and self-awareness. Students commit one and a half hours a week to this highly interactive series, which uses experiential learning to explore the Social Change Model, originated by Helen and Alexander Astin through the Higher Education Research Institute in 1993.

The Social Change Model of Leadership Development defines leadership as collaborative, process oriented, and values-based. This model of leadership is structured around three dimensions of values—the individual, the group, and the society—and challenges students to view leadership from a different perspective while gaining skills that will lead to positive effective change in their communities.

During Emerging Leaders sessions, students worked with positive change agents-ranging from their peers to staff and graduate students who have held leadership roles. Participants worked in small groups and participated in a “Pay It Forward” service project that demonstrated what they learned and how they could make a difference at the University of Arkansas.

Two sessions of the program were offered for student participants. For the fall 2013 semester, sixty-eight students completed the Emerging Leaders program. Fall graduates include:

• Kimberly Alfaro, supply chain management major, Panama
• John Allard, communication disorders major, Kansas City, Mo.
• Selina Baner, biology and German major, St. Louis, Mo.
• Nick Barnes, biology major, Little Rock
• Claire Beach, international business major, Bixby, Okla.
• Kevin Billings, recreation and sport management major, Strong
• Mackinzie Bishop, animal science major, Mount Pleasant, Texas
• Salma Boudhoum, industrial engineering major, Agadir, Morocco
• Kristin Branson, undecided major, St. Louis, Mo.
• Elizabeth Bridgforth, nursing major, White Hall
• Carol Calderon, kinesiology, Springdale
• Peyton Cashion, biology major, McGehee
• Owen Clinton, international business major, Rogers
• Amanda Collins, engineering major, Frisco, Texas
• Christopher Cowan, international studies major, Overland Park, Kan.
• Brandon Cristal, finance major, Little Rock
• Sarah Cunningham, nursing major, Hope
• Chloe Dale, sociology major, Kansas City, Mo.
• Alyssa Davis, biochemistry major, Conway
• Lyndsey Dickson, civil engineering major, Joplin, Mo.
• Monisa Dobbins, pre-dental hygiene major, Nashville, Ark.
• Mason Doyne, supply chain management major, Little Rock
• Hung Duong, information systems major, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Ben Figueroa, English major, Bentonville
• Nathan Gairhan, business major, Rogers
• Brenda Gomez, biology major, Farmington
• Daedrian Gore, business management major, Little Rock
• Blake Griffin, biology and pre-med major, Mountain Home
• Brittanee Halford, finance major, Pine Bluff
• Libby Hiller, nursing major, St. Louis, Mo.
• Sierra Howard, business major, Pine Bluff
• Morgan Hurley, accounting major, Farmington
• Antonio Igbokidi, biology and pre-med major, Little Rock
• Augie Irons, chemistry major, Austin, Texas
• Alexis Jacobs, chemistry and pre-med major, Dallas, Texas
• YaKeshia Jenkins, computer engineering major, Little Rock
• Indran Kamalanathan, chemical engineering major, Bentonville
• Madison Kemper, French major, Nixa, Mo.
• Breanna Kirk, apparel studies major, Carson, Calif.
• Collin Kutner, criminal justice major, San Antonio, Texas
• Cathleen Lowe, economics major, Fayetteville
• Christopher Matthews, engineering major, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
• Benjamin Maxwell, computer science major, Katy, Texas
• Anita Maya, international business major, De Queen
• Ardraya McCoy, industrial engineering major, Forrest City
• Georgia Melson, political science major, Magnolia, Miss.
• Bri’Ana Meriweather, biology major, West Helena
• Ryann Mitchell, marketing major, Little Rock
• Savannah Morgan, business management, Claremore, Okla.
• Niyah Phillips, kinesiology major, Arlington, Texas
• Lillie Pitts, biology major, Jonesboro
• Kyndra Reed, biology major, West Helena
• TeAna Rosales, international business and music major, Tulsa, Okla.
• Daisy Sandoval, marketing major, Springdale
• Russell Sharp, biochemistry major, Gravette
• Jazminne Sifontes, accounting major, Batesville
• America Sotero, biomedical engineering major, Bentonville
• Dwight Stephenson, mechanical engineering major, Rosseau, Dominica
• Sean Stott, communications major, Shreveport, La.
• Austin Synoground, criminal justice major, Greenwood
• Abby Terlouw, biomedical engineering major, Bentonville
• Bryton Thompson, business and marketing major, Bentonville
• Kendall Tooker, accounting major, Memphis, Tenn.
• Hallie Wallis, accounting major, Plano, Texas
• Janelle Weiss, nursing major, Frisco, Texas
• Amber Wheeler, nursing major, Keller, Texas
• Caitlin Williams, business management major, Joplin, Mo.
• Austin Zimmerman, mechanical engineering major, Fayetteville

For more information about the Emerging Leaders program or to register for the spring cohort, please contact Jameel Braddock in New Student & Family Programs at braddock@uark.edu or by phone at 575-5002.  Information can also be found at leadership.uark.edu.