By Quincy Carpenter
Throughout my education, I have been around people who look like me. I went to a predominantly African American high school in the peninsula of Virginia. Ironically, I was an IB [International Baccalaureate] scholar which meant I was in classes with mainly white and Asian students who came strictly for the program. When I graduated high school, I went to a historically black college by attending Hampton University. It felt surreal to be around successful black men and women who were pursuing undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees. There is a lack of stories in the media that cover the success of historically black colleges which propagates the misconception about what African Americans can achieve in higher education.
I applied for the Attracting Intelligent Minds (AIM) conference which takes place each fall and introduces prospective graduate students to programs offered at the University of Arkansas. I was persuaded by my professor who knew about the U of A graduate program in Recreation and Sport Management. Personally, on my plane ride to Arkansas, I thought about how hard it would be to fit into a public white university. I was so used to my people and our culture, and way of doing things.
Things changed for me on the first day of the AIM conference. The University of Arkansas faculty make you feel like family as soon you touch down at the airport. The support and genuine care they showed for me changed many perceptions about Arkansas that I had. I knew after meeting with my faculty and the graduate school staff that this was going to be my home. I was so excited that I came back that summer to start classes and have already made an impact here in the graduate program as an Ambassador of two programs.
AIM Panel Discussion in Vol Walker Hall
One common misconception about Arkansas is that you will be alone on your graduate journey. I can say that is completely false. The U of A has programs such as the RISE Bridge Program that help graduate students transition into their master’s and doctoral degree programs. The U of A also provides graduate student support and resources to make your journey as stress-free as possible. They are here to help you; you just have to reach out and say you need a hand!
One Hog Call event
The second misconception is that the University of Arkansas doesn’t want to diversify their population on campus. This is false as well, as the University of Arkansas is working hard to diversify the campus in both the undergraduate and graduate schools. The AIM conference recruited me and is a great program that works to diversify the campus in the graduate school. I am currently a part of the Black Graduate Student Association where we recruit undergraduate minorities to pursue their graduate education at the University of Arkansas. The Black Graduate Student Association is a family in itself for minority graduate students. We are highly supported by the Graduate School staff in our efforts to bring diversity to campus.
International Student Welcome Day Orientation
The third misconception about Arkansas has to do with the location. Most people think that all of Arkansas is farm land or boondock area. Fayetteville is a large part of Northwest Arkansas and is constantly considered within the top five best places to live in the country by U.S. News & World Report. I can genuinely say that Fayetteville is a beautiful college town that will make you feel at home and make you consider staying here for a career, as I am. There is plenty to do in your down time as it is important that graduate students find time to clear their mind and find something that relaxes them before going back to work. The University of Arkansas has been the best decision of my career so far and I am proud to be a future alumnus of this university.
