Rachel Hancock has been hired as the new academic adviser and scholarship coordinator in the Walton Honors program.

Before joining the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Hancock worked for a year at Crystal Bridges Museum as the executive assistant to Deputy Director Sandy Edwards. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with bachelor's and master's degrees in English.

Hancock, a native of El Dorado, also has been an academic adviser in the U of A Department of Curriculum and Instruction, working with students pursuing teaching licenses in elementary education. In February of this year, she received a text with news that two of those students had been accepted into the teaching program. "As their adviser (and tutor for the English and writing portions of the Praxis), I knew how hard these two worked to prepare for the application process and was so proud of them," she said. "That's when I knew I needed to come back to a student-focused role at the U of A."

As academic adviser and scholarship coordinator, Hancock will work closely with Jason Adams, associate director for the Walton Honors program, to advise more than 600 students. She also will coordinate Walton College scholarships. That involves coordinating scholarship office processes and acting as liaison between the scholarship office and departmental and college scholarship committees, among many other duties.

Hancock says she has "already gotten a glimpse into how incredible these students are." She said her first days on the job have consisted of responding to Walton Honor students who emailed messages of welcome and congratulations. "I have never felt such warmth from so many students at one time," she said. "I can already tell these are special students and can't wait to get to know them."