S T R I V E - Arkansas

To all teachers heading back to the classroom—thank you!

Your dedication and leadership inspire students and set the foundation for every future career. We see your hard work and the lasting impact you make!

Wishing you a successful school year!

Emma Davis, a computer science teacher at George Jr. High School in Springdale, completed an exciting STRIVE summer placement! She spent her summer working alongside the experts at the Cyber Arena (CORE) at UA Little Rock, diving into the cutting-edge world of cybersecurity!

Emma's going back to her classroom this fall equipped with hands-on, real-world knowledge to help her students navigate network defense, ethical hacking concepts, and digital safety—opening their eyes to high demand careers in tech!

Thank you to the CORE team at UA Little Rock for hosting Emma, sharing your expertise, and helping empower the next generation of cybersecurity professionals!

We are thrilled to celebrate another amazing STRIVE summer placement! Elizabeth King, a science teacher at Armorel High School, spent her summer break working on-site at Nucor Steel in Blytheville, AR, experiencing real-world industrial skills and learning about the careers offered at Nucor!

Thank you, Nucor Steel, for hosting Elizabeth, opening up your facility, and being such a fantastic partner in supporting STEM education in Mississippi County. Her understanding of your facility will help better prepare her students for the workforce—and potentially for future careers at Nucor!

We are excited to celebrate another completed STRIVE placement! Henry Thomas, an Advertising Design teacher from North Little Rock High School, spent his summer in the world of professional architecture at WER Architects, gaining hands-on experience in the design industry.

Henry is heading back to his classroom in August equipped with real-world STEM applications, ready to show his students how design skills translate into architecture careers!

Thank you, WER Architects, for hosting Henry, sharing your expertise, and supporting STEM education in Arkansas!

For those who have ever said, "When will I use math in the real world?", Pamela Cox from Paragould High School has the answer!

She traded the traditional classroom for a hard hat and steel-toed boots this summer! Pamela spent her summer break working on the Nabholz Construction site at Paragould High School, discovering firsthand how employees, contractors, engineers, and project managers use math every single day to bring massive structures to life.

This fall, Pamela is heading back to her classroom with practical examples to show her students exactly why math matters and how it paves the way for high-paying, high-demand careers.

We want to thank Nabholz for partnering with STRIVE to support Arkansas educators!

From the biology lab to the beauty lab! Ever wonder how STEM is used in the production of your favorite cosmetics? Geoffrey Garry, Biology teacher at Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School, spent his summer learning real-world STEM applications and seeing how STEM skills and careers can be used in his biology curriculum.

Geoffrey's experience will allow him to take industry knowledge straight back to his classroom this fall to show his students how biology translates into careers.

We want to send a huge THANK YOU to L'Oreal for hosting Geoffrey and for their incredible, ongoing support of STEM education here in Arkansas! By opening their doors to our educators, they are helping these teachers shape the next generation of employees.

A huge thank you to NCTR for hosting Christy Henslee during her STRIVE placement! 🔬🧬

Christy recently shared her experience with us, highlighting the invaluable time she spent learning about research, data collection, and the quest for neurovascular disease treatments. By providing these opportunities, NCTR is helping educators like Christy bring authentic, real-world relevance back to the her students at White Hall High School.

Partnerships like this are shaping the future of workforce development and scientific education. Thank you for your incredible support!

Arkansas STEM teachers: Can you see yourself immersed in hands-on learning next summer? If so, visit ualr.edu/strive to learn more!

We are incredibly grateful for our business partners who invest in the future of education. 🤝

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Delta Asphalt of Arkansas in Paragould to learn more about Caroline Kelly's impactful involvement as a STRIVE teacher. It was also a fantastic opportunity for Pamela Cox, our STRIVE teacher placed with Nabholz, to tour the facility and see her cohort colleague's work environment.

Thank you to Delta Asphalt of Arkansas for hosting us and supporting the STRIVE program's mission!

Learn more about how STRIVE connects teachers with industry: ualr.edu/strive

Recently, we toured Garvan Woodland Gardens with two of our fantastic STRIVE teachers, Schondra Marlin and Rachel Botsford, along with their work mentors!

These two have been hard at work on some incredible hands-on projects. They’ve been doing everything from getting their hands dirty building a fence to putting on their creative hats to help with the upcoming holiday light display!

We love seeing our STRIVE teachers making real-world connections and preparing to take these experiences back to the classroom.

Thank you, Garvan Woodland Gardens, for your partnership with STRIVE! 👏👏

We’re excited to share this post highlighting one of our amazing STRIVE teachers, Henry Thomas!

It’s been a pleasure partnering with WER to support hands-on learning and real-world experiences for teachers. Opportunities like this truly make a difference in preparing students for future careers.