The Clinton School will graduate 31 students from the Master of Public Service degree program Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock.
Clinton School founding dean and former U.S. Senator David Pryor will give the commencement address. A current member of the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, Pryor led a distinguished political career as a State Representative (1961-1965), U.S. Congressman (1967-1973), Governor (1975-1979) and U.S. Senator (1979-1997).
The Clinton School graduates entered the program two years ago from across Arkansas, the country and the world. They represent 13 states and five countries including Canada, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa and Ukraine.
As part of the Clinton School curriculum, they each completed three public service projects in Arkansas communities and in 19 countries around the world. The projects include:
The Practicum (group) Project takes student teams into Arkansas communities, including the impoverished Mississippi River Delta, to foster community development and social change in the areas of economic development, environmental awareness, public education, youth leadership development and healthcare.
The International Public Service Project places students with organizations all over the world combating global hunger, fostering educational opportunities for children, promoting corporate responsibility and expanding healthcare in the third world.
The Capstone (final) Project challenges students to put their learned skills into action and complete an in-depth public service project to benefit a government or nonprofit agency and ultimately lead the student into a career upon graduation.
Below are capsules on each graduate including the Capstone and international projects they completed:
Ryan Adams (Toronto, Canada) – Adams earned an international baccalaureate diploma from Upper Canada College before completing his bachelor’s in English literature at Queens University. He completed his international project with the international business consulting firm McKinsey & Company in Washington D.C. For his Capstone, Adams worked in the Social Sector Office of McKinsey & Company focusing on global communication efforts around international development, health, education and social innovation.
Ashley Bachelder (Athol, Mass.) – A graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in psychology, Bechelder worked with the Women’s Resource Center of Cambodia in Siem Reap, Cambodia, for her international project. Bachelder is completing the concurrent MPS/MPH degree program with the UAMS Boozman College of Public Health and will pursue her Capstone project in the coming year.
Taylor Ballinger (Richmond, Ken.) – A graduate of Berea College with a degree in speech communication and a former Teach for America corps member in Greater New Orleans, Ballinger completed his international project with the St. Christopher House neighborhood center in Toronto, Canada. For his Capstone, Ballinger worked with Teach for America to cultivate relationships among key stakeholders in the local districts and develop a campaign to confirm potential corps members’ placement in South Louisiana.
Alana Bell (Fort Smith, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s in education, Bell partnered with the World Organisation of the Scout Movement in Geneva, Switzerland, for her international project. Bell is currently finalizing details for her Capstone project.
Shenan Boit (Fayetteville, Ark.) – A graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she studied political science and environmental studies, Boit worked with Lomaloma Hospital in Lomaloma Village of the Fiji Islands for her international project. For her Capstone, she worked with the Scouts in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria on membership and supervisor recruitment, outdoor leadership training and program development.
Heath Carelock (New Carrollton, Md.) – A graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science, Carelock traveled to Singaore to work with the World Toilet Organization for his international project. He completed his Capstone with Central Little Rock Promise Neighborhood in Little Rock where he worked with teachers to explore the teaching strategies that support positive student achievement.
Kate Cawvey (Oxford, Ohio) – A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in international development and race relations, Cawvey completed her international project with the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. For her Capstone, Cawvey developed a tailored National Issues Forum guide for deliberations at the Clinton Presidential Library about the conflict in Kosovo during the Clinton Presidency.
Dustin Choate (Tulsa, Okla.) – A graduate of Wheaton College (Ill.) where he majored in sociology and economics, Choate worked with Heifer International in Kampala, Uganda for his international project. For his Capstone, Choate designed a business startup competition to boost small business development in Newport, Ark. and Jackson County.
Greg Cooper (Kansas City, Mo.) – A graduate of Hendrix College with a degree in social justice, Cooper partnered with the Canadian Urban Institute to complete a watershed report in Iloilo, Philippines for his international project. For his Capstone, Cooper has worked with the Great Rivers Greenway District in St. Louis, Mo., to create a marketing framework for the transformation of an abandoned elevated rail line into a park by researching best practices for engaging perspective sponsors in greenspace development projects.
Fernando Cutz (Coral Springs, Fla.) – A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where he majored in international studies and political science and minored in psychology, Cutz worked with Village Outreach Project in Shirati, Tanzania, for his international project. For his Capstone, he worked with the Office of U.S. Senator Mark Pryor to analyze the impact of community block grants on police and firefighter departments in the state of Arkansas.
Nicky Hamilton (Johannesburg, South Africa) – Hamilton earned a degree in psychology and was named a Bishop Tutu Scholar at Sawanee: The University of the South, Tenn. She completed her international project with the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre in Cape Town, South Africa and worked to build capacity for an early childhood education nonprofit in Conway, Ark., for her final Capstone.
Heidi Justice (Salt Lake City, Utah) – A graduate of the University of Utah where she earned her bachelor’s in art teaching, Justice worked with a youth arts program in Knysna, South Africa for her international project. For her Capstone, she partnered with Wellstone Action in St. Paul, Minn., to analyze LGBT issue campaigns to develop a training curriculum focused on passing non-discrimination ordinances based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the city level.
Tabitha Lee (Dermott, Ark.) – A kinesiology graduate from the University of Arkansas and a concurrent JD/MPS student with the UALR Bowen School of Law, Lee completed her international project with the International Center for Transitional Justice in Cape Town, South Africa. For her Capstone she worked with the UALR Institute on Race and Ethnicity to research racial disparities in the Arkansas criminal justice system and identify potential partners and funding sources for the institute.
Andy Lewis (Maitland, Fla.) – A graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism, Lewis worked with Building Tomorrow in Kampala, Uganda for his international project. For his Capstone, Lewis partnered with the Public Education Foundation in Little Rock to conduct a capacity assessment and research community engagement strategies for the foundation, which supports the Little Rock public schools.
Nate Looney (Jonesboro, Ark.) – A concurrent JD/MPS student who majored in political science with a minor in economics at the University of Arkansas, Looney completed his international project with the New South Wales Business Chamber in North Sydney, Australia. For his Capstone he coordinated a conference bringing together student representatives from Arkansas higher education institutions to critically assess and offer solutions for some of the most pressing issues in Arkansas’s future.
Spencer Lucker (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas where he studied international relations, European studies and Spanish, Lucker partnered with Village Life Outreach Project in Shirati, Tanzania, for his international project. For his Capstone, Lucker developed a resource guide for the NGO Ming Peru to educate visitors from around the world about its work of empowering women and educating the rural communities in the Peruvian Amazon.
Molly McGowan (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Davidson College with a degree in history, McGowan also studied at Universidad Andres Bello in Santiago, Chile. She completed her international project with the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. McGowan is a concurrent JD/MPS student with the UALR Bowen School of Law and is currently finalizing her Capstone project.
Jasmine Medley (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., with a major in religious studies and minor in French, Medley completed her international project with We Love Reading in Amman, Jordan. For her Capstone, she partnered with Just Communities of Arkansas in Little Rock to develop anti-bullying programming for teachers and students in Arkansas that aligns with the recently passed anti-bullying legislation.
Andrew Morgan (Spokane, Wash.) – A graduate of Western Washington University where he studied environmental studies and geography, Morgan completed his international project with Search for Common Ground in Dili, East Timor. For his Capstone, he worked with the Clinton Foundation in Little Rock to analyze the in-house legal practices of the foundation and compare them to those of similar foundations.
Shamim Okolloh (Nairobi, Kenya) – Okolloh is a graduate of Spelman College with a degree in environmental science who has researched air pollution for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She completed her international project with Heifer International in Mbale, Uganda. For her Capstone, she worked with Heifer Uganda to implement a pilot field trip curriculum project with Mbale Secondary School’s agriculture students and assess its impact.
Marc Peters (Laurel, Md.) – A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in public policy and journalism, Peters completed his international project with Fremantle Headspace in Fremantle, Australia. For his Capstone, he partnered with Philander Smith College in Little Rock to examine the habits of successful male students at the college and develop strategies other students can emulate to increase their chances of graduating.
Alyssa Provencio (Derby, Kan.) – A graduate of Kansas State University where she majored in hotel and restaurant management, Provencio is a former Teach for America corps member. She completed her international project with the Clinton Guistra Sustainable Growth Initiative in Lima, Peru. For her Capstone, she worked with the Foundation for the Mid South in Jackson, Miss. to evaluate the state of the construction and infrastructure non-profit community that received grants from the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund.
Derrick Rainey (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in music performance and a former City Year volunteer, Rainey completed his international project with Creative Solutions Resource Systems in Zanzibar, Tanzania. For his Capstone, Rainey has helped establish an alumni network for Arkansas Commitment, an organization that helps African-Americans in Central Arkansas succeed through leadership development and access to a college education.
Jessica Rice (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas with degrees in international relations and Spanish, Rice completed her international project with Fundación Cruzada Argentina, an education initiative in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For her Capstone, Rice assessed and developed promising practices for Plaza Comunitaria, a program that provides basic education and literacy training to Latino adults in Springdale, Ark.
Acadia Roher (Little Rock, Ark.) – Roher graduated with a degree in environmental policy from Barnard College of Columbia University. She completed her international project with the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management and Murray-Darling Basin Authority in Toowoomba and Canberra, Australia. For her Capstone, she worked with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission to map and prioritize the stakeholders involved in the Arkansas state water plan.
Jared Rowell (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) – A graduate of New York University with a degree in political science, Rowell completed his international project with CARE International in Amman, Jordan. For his Capstone, he traveled to Cairo to partner with CARE Egypt, which works in areas of extreme poverty, to gather documentation and conduct research for the organization’s strategic plan.
Anatoliy Shatkovskyy (Cherkasy, Ukraine) – A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in international studies and a minor in French, Shatkovskyy completed his international project with the Canadian Urban Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine. For his Capstone, he worked with Heifer International to develop a resource mobilization manual and participated in the development process for new projects in the organization’s Central and Eastern Europe Area Program.
Erin Stock (Overland Park, Kan.) – A graduate of Northwestern University where she studied journalism and anthropology, Stock completed her international project with Search for Common Ground in Jakarta, Indonesia. For her Capstone, she worked with the United Nations IRIN News Service in Bangkok, Thailand to bolster coverage of humanitarian news in Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea by developing procedures to recruit and train stringer reporters.
Moksheda Thapa (Okhaldhunga, Nepal) – Thapa earned degrees in English and economics at People Campus in Kathmandu before landing a Fulbright Commission to complete a bachelor’s in international studies from Central College in Pella, Iowa. She completed her international project with Winrock International in Dhaka, Bangladesh. For her Capstone, she worked with the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention to create an evaluation handbook and guidelines for the Growing Health Communities project that works with Arkansas communities to systematically address healthy living.
Hilary Trudell (Knoxville, Tenn.) – A graduate of the College of Charleston with a degree in theater and French, and a former AmeriCorps volunteer, Trudell partnered with PCI Media Impact in Dennery, St. Lucia for her international project. For her Capstone she worked with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas to research and identify the factors that contribute to the withdrawal of women from secondary and post-secondary educational institutions.
Ryan Williams (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Hendrix College with a major in psychology and a minor in Africana studies, Williams completed her international project with the World Toilet Organization in Singapore. Williams is completing her concurrent MPS/MPH degree and will be finalizing her Capstone project soon.
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