As a non-traditional student from the small east Arkansas town of Marvell, Danterrion Swanigan’s path to Senior Walk began at the Phillips County Community College in West Helena.

After attending Phillips County Community College (part of the larger U of A System) for a couple of years, he heard about the Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship. The ATA is awarded to eligible Arkansas students who have earned certain associate degrees from participating two-year institutions in the UA System and who want to transfer to the U of A Fayetteville to enroll in an on-campus degree program.

Danterrion says the scholarship has been a great help in taking that next step: “I'm not sure I would have even thought of coming to Fayetteville if it wasn't there,” he says.

When he first transferred to the U of A, he had a major in mind: communications. “It's the study of how people communicate, and that's largely it, but there's so much more to it than that,” he says. “It's how people communicate, why they communicate the way they do, what the communication can mean in certain situations, the outcomes it can lead to, or the reasons behind it.”

But coming to a city nearly 10 times as large as Marvell – population 1,186 – was a bit of a challenge. “I was a little lost,” he says. “So I just, like, wandered around until I adjusted. And I met a lot of people. I made some good friends.”

“I've been lucky to have a lot of great professors to really guide me throughout this,” he says, specifically mentioning the University Perspectives for transfer students course taught by Dr. Deborah Korth. “I'm so lucky to have had her. I thought it might help me adjust to the university and being in a bigger place a little easier. I'm glad I made that decision, because she has just been amazing.”

“She's someone who always has her door open,” he says.

He also found that the U of A had plenty of opportunities to get involved and make friends – maybe too many! “I wanted to do so many group activities that I didn't get a chance to,” he says, mentioning examples like mock trial and chess club.

The groups he did find time for included Ballroom Dance (which boasts an award-winning team) and Cardinal Taekwondo, which he credits with helping him be a better, more disciplined person “because you’ve got to practice every day to really get the moves down, memorize them, get stronger, get faster and smoother with how you move.”

In addition to participating in Ad Club, he’s also the outgoing president of PRSSA – the Public Relations Student Society of America. “I think anybody that's in Ad/PR should join,” he says. “If you can do well, I think you should [join], because PRSSA really sets you up with a lot of connections. And when you get an officer position, you learn a lot by doing.”

This weekend, Danterrion will walk in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences’ Commencement Ceremony. But having his name on Senior Walk isn’t the last step on his path. While he says he wants to work in the PR or communications fields, he hasn’t ruled out grad school. “It's definitely an option for the future, which it never was before,” he says.

Looking back over his time at the U of A, he says, “I think I've had a great experience. There are so many things I want to do that I didn't get to do, but I'm so happy with what I got to experience.”

“I've had so many great professors and so many people who have molded and guided me, just by being there, that it made me want to become a better person,” he says.

“Honestly, as crazy as it is, I feel like the journey still isn't over,” he says. “I feel like there's still so much more for me to learn and so much more for me to do.”

For more student success stories like Danterrion's, check out some of our previous #MyPathToSeniorWalk features: Erick Soto, Kennedy Hicks, Rachell Sanchez-Smith, Gary Jackson, Ismael Salgado, Angel Williams, Michaela Parks, Mishek Musa, Kathryn Richardson, Jordan Lackey and others at our #MyPathToSeniorWalk website. If you'd like to be featured in the #MyPathToSeniorWalk series, please fill out the nomination form.