“Greek life for me truly gave me my wings. It taught me self-confidence, leadership, devotion, and passion. In the Alpha Sigma Tau creed it states, “believe in beauty of spirit and graciousness of living,” and I make it a point each and everyday to live this out. Everyone deserves to be loved and recognized for their individual beauty.

I currently live in Conway with my husband Michael Pate (’99) and our two children, Jordan and Carly. I pursued a career as an Acute Rehabilitation Occupational Therapist at Conway Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Conway. I remain active with BT����as an adjunct professor in the Occupational Therapy department.

Greek life had a tremendous impact on my collegiate career and strengthened my passions for leadership and service. I am an active BT����and Alpha Tau alumnae. I have been the AST Chapter Advisor since 1998 and I serve on the BT����Greek Advisory Board. I consider it such a privilege to be able to impact collegiate women and serve as a mentor in the collegiate and professional lives.

My Greek experience truly gave me my wings.”

My Greek affiliation taught me how to interact productively with people of different backgrounds, beliefs, and world views.

Science literacy is a passion of mine. I strongly believe that the key to better living, staying competitive in a global economy, and the ultimate survival of our species is the embracement of science and technology.

My BT����education taught me to think critically, allowed me to do research for the first time, and led me to pursue graduate work at Dartmouth.

One of my favorite memories is of meeting Dr. Mike Moran in the Conway Walmart Supercenter the summer after I took his Animal Physiology course. I was working for Coca-Cola and stacking 12 packs on display in the center of the store when I happened to see Dr. Moran. I said, “Hey Dr. Moran, I really enjoyed your physiology course. Any chance I could be a lab assistant next year?” He replied, “Ever thought of doing laboratory research? Drop by my office next week and I’ll give you some articles to read and we’ll go from there.” That chance meeting in Walmart began my journey to doing science for a living.

I am now at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. My wife and my two sons are extremely important to me. I have benefitted tremendously from hard work and a little luck. I truly believe that if not for UCA, I would likely have a dramatically different life.

My Greek experience was fun, helped me build character, and introduced me to some life-long friends.

“I’m passionate about education. Education is the one investment that never goes in the red. You will always get a positive return on education. That return benefits you and the community in which you are planted.

Greek Life helped me learn the importance of investing in others. We all are a product of someone’s investment in us. Greek organizations provide a platform to invest in others through community service projects, mentorship, and networking opportunities.”

My Greek experience was Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

“My husband says I’m “trustworthy to a fault.” My 14-year-old son says I’m “joyful in many situations.” My 10-year-old daughter says, “when trouble comes my way, I keep my head up.” I’m passionate about being a positive influence, especially for my children.

The relationships I’ve developed with the sorority sisters whom I met at since pledging in Spring 1993 are a meaningful part of my life. My freshman roommate, and sorority sister, is the Godmother to my children. Many big events in my life have involved the young ladies who were in Lambda Upsilon both when I was around and during the time I spent as an advisor.

My BT����education has afforded me the opportunity to be part of a long list of distinguished alumni throughout our city, state, country, and perhaps the world. My undergraduate advisor, Dr. Joe Arn, was outstanding in how well he mentored, taught, and encouraged me throughout the years. He even contacted me after I received the honor of “Walmart Teacher of the Year” for our school district in 2004, long after I had graduated from UCA. Since then, I participated in a teacher support center at UCA, which was influential in my becoming a National Board Certified Teacher in 2010.”

My Greek experience was something I’m glad I experienced because it opened doors for me that I never expected.

“The Greek community shares a common characteristic in that they all want to become part of something bigger. My Greek affiliation has created instant bonds over the years and not just within my fraternity. You take away what you put into it and for me there were great rewards. A fraternity brother told me many years after we graduated that when he went to medical school he was surrounded by some of the smartest people on earth but the one thing he had over most of his classmates was he knew how to talk to other people. His counterparts only knew how to diagnose people, but had failed to learn how to communicate with them; he credited his bedside manner solely to his experiences in the fraternity.

I currently serve as an alumni advisor, so I continue to get to meet the current members that make up our fraternity. I hope that I can provide some insight that will better prepare them for the world ahead of them. I truly believe that as an alumnus it is my job to reach back to the chapter.

Education is something that cannot be taken from anyone, and I am very proud to be an alumnus of UCA. My experiences along with the people I met continues to be a big part of my life/career. I best not forget to mention that I met my wife at a sorority/fraternity mixer while at UCA. I do not know that we would have ever crossed paths otherwise. After 20+ years of marriage and two sons, I can say my life has been positively impacted by me attending UCA.”

My Greek experience was awesomely rewarding.

“I’m a small-town guy who graduated with a senior class of 13 people who is now living his dream in a city of millions. The energy is exhilarating and always fresh. The great diversity of the city means that no two people are the same which makes for great people watching and interesting conversations. The people of New York have amazing stories, and all seem to be here for a good reason with high aspirations.

For the first ten years of my career in higher education, I served as a direct link to fraternities and sororities on college campuses—so Greek life has always played a part in my world.

Because of my memorable experiences both inside and outside-of-the-classroom at UCA, I now strive to create a positive experience for students so they too can someday look back on their college experiences with the same pride as I do!

I challenge students to maximize their potential. I thrive on teaching others and creating environments for students to learn.”

My Greek experience was meaningful.