More than 200 students, donors and friends of the College of Education and Health Professions recently gathered at Walton Arts Center for the annual Scholarship Recipients and Benefactors Luncheon.

The signature event allows the college to recognize determined and dedicated students while also celebrating the benefactors who have provided them with access and opportunities.

Benefactors who could attend received the children's book Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed. Dean Kate Mamiseishvili explained that the story illustrates how each act of kindness and generosity from an ordinary person triggers a chain reaction of goodwill and leads to a series of other good deeds that ultimately bring extraordinary transformation and change the world.

"The decision of our benefactors to invest in our students' college education has that same profound, long-lasting and exponential impact," she told attendees, which included multiple U of A leaders. "You have invested in their training to become educators and healthcare professionals. Whether they become teachers, nurses, therapists, coaches, principals or counselors, they have the power to change the world, one person, one patient, one child at a time."

The college has 127 unique scholarships. This academic year, the college awarded $877,170 in scholarship support to 158 accomplished students who have chosen careers in the caring professions. The college's oldest scholarship, the Laura J. Yeater Scholarship, was established in 1945 and has been awarded to 500 students preparing to be teachers. This year, seven scholarships were awarded for the first time.

The Robyn and Tommy Van Zandt Scholarship for Nursing will be awarded for the first time next fall to support nursing students working with home healthcare. Sisters-in-law Robyn Van Zandt and Vicki Saviers, guest speakers at the luncheon, shared the "tragic, faith-filled and eye-opening" story behind this scholarship and why it's so meaningful for their family. Robyn Van Zandt's husband, Tommy, was sawing limbs off a tree in his backyard after the Fayetteville ice storm in February 2009. Suddenly, one of the limbs swung down and hit the ladder he was standing on, and he fell to the ground headfirst. He was paralyzed from the neck down. For the next 15 years, Tommy needed around-the-clock assistance, and the family had at least one and often two caregivers for each 24-hour shift. His caregivers became part of the family, traveling on vacation with them, settling Tommy into his chair at work and helping ensure he lived a full, significant life. Tommy's friend group started an event to raise funds for his care called Tommy's Nite Out. Many of those same friends and family helped fund the nursing scholarship in his name.

"Tommy would be so very proud to know that a deserving student, and perhaps a caregiver, will have the opportunity to attend the nursing school at the university he loved so much," Robyn Van Zandt said.

Master of Public Health student Laura Hansen also spoke at the event on behalf of scholarship recipients. She thanked benefactors, noting that their generosity has profoundly shaped her educational journey. She shared how her scholarship meant she could stop working nights at a restaurant and shift toward more accommodating on-campus jobs with fewer hours. It also inspired her to continue her education.

"Without the help of this scholarship, I would not have been motivated to complete an honors thesis, keep my grades up and join an accelerated master's program," she said, adding, "Currently, I am in the midst of doctoral applications as I pursue a Ph.D. researching public health policy. Never, as a freshman, would I have believed I would say those words. It would have been inconceivable to me that the generosity of members of my community would allow me to pursue my passions to this extent."

She also spoke directly to the other scholarship recipients, expressing her awe at being in a room with so many driven students who excelled despite all the obstacles. "Your unique experiences and your resilience through hardships will make you a stronger and more informed professional in your field," she said. "I look around this room and see future healthcare professionals who empathize and understand their patients, teachers who advocate for their students, coaches who make everyone feel included and public health leaders who challenge injustice. Your contributions build up our community and inspire future generations."

Benefactors who attended the event included Bob and Becky Alexander; Jamie and Michael Banks; John and Eileen Donaldson; Alice Fletcher; G. David Gearhart; Al and Marsha Gordon: Reed Greenwood; Tina and Scott Howlett; Kandy and Steve Johnson; Lyndy Lindsey and son Jack; Max Mahler and his mother, Lori Mahler; Larry and Sandy Mahoney; Caitlin Mahoney Spears; Patrick Millwee; Kathy and Dudley Swann; Lance Taylor; Robyn Van Zandt and Vicki and Mark Saviers; Inza Fort and Ruth Cahoon representing Betty Wallace; Sheroll Walker; Ann Marie Ziegler; Gamma Iota Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International Society members Jennifer Bowman and Sandy Weishaar; and Iota Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma members Margaret Clark, Valerie Harp, Carolyn Brooks, Kathy Simmons and Joye Ryan Jones.

Visit the college's Facebook page @uacoehp to see more photos from the event.

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About the College of Education and Health Professions: The College of Education and Health Professions prepares students for a wide range of careers in education and health. The college comprises approximately 360 faculty and staff members, serving more than 6,000 students and supporting six departments and over 25 research and service units. Driven by the WE CARE strategic plan, the college strives to advance impactful research, foster a caring culture, and expand service to Arkansas through transformative educational opportunities and meaningful partnerships. The college boasts an extensive research portfolio that is accompanied by multiple large-scale, prestigious grants secured by faculty and staff. Over the past five years, the college has received over $115 million in external funding.