Several receive awards at community colleges conference
BEEBE — Arkansas State University-Beebe students, faculty, staff and alumni were honored at the Arkansas Community Colleges 32nd annual conference on Oct. 12 and 13. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the conference was held virtually, using Zoom technology.
Roman Maciel of Searcy was named an ASU-Beebe Academic All-Star. Maciel is a first-generation healthscience major. As a leadership scholar, he is actively involved in student government and is a mentor in the Student Leadership Experience. In his first year, Maciel volunteered to serve on the planning and execution teams that developed the first campus food pantry and emergency-assistance fund.
As a member of the TRIO Leadership Council, Maciel has assisted with multiple community-service projects. Also, he works part time at a local restaurant and helps support his family, including his three younger brothers. Maciel plans to transfer to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy in Little Rock.
Robin Hayes was named recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award. She attended ASU-Beebe from 1974 to 1976. After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Hayes worked with students in the AmeriCorps program to revive and rebuild communities. Hayes was an adjunct instructor and a student recruiter at ASUB and retired last fall as director of Admissions.
She served as president of the professional organizations the Arkansas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants; helped start the Beebe Angel Tree program; and volunteered for the Beebe Public Schools. She and her husband, John P. Hayes, created several ASU-Beebe scholarships in fine arts and social sciences.
“We are grateful to have been able to serve our community over the years,” Hayes said.
Kayla Sapkota was named recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award. Sapkota is an assistant professor of business at ASU-Beebe, where she teaches Economics and Legal Environment of Business. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and a master’s degree in business administration and an Educational Doctorate in higher education with a concentration in faculty leadership from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Sapkota enjoys and fosters open discussion and integration of current-day issues and events in her classes, forging a rich learning and sharing environment and engaging students in the content. In her spare time, Sapkota enjoys traveling with her spouse, running, hiking and drafting cave maps.
Jason Henry was named recipient of the Outstanding Staff Award. Henry has worked in higher education for almost two decades. He has spent the previous 10 years at ASU-Beebe in a variety of positions. He currently serves as director of Student Engagement, a position in which he coordinates the career-services and transfer-services programs, leading a team of employees in mental-health counseling, testing services and veterans outreach.
He recently helped restructure the New Student Orientation sessions to offer virtual and online options. Henry is involved in several professional organizations and volunteers in the community. Prior to his time at ASUBeebe, Henry worked at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock.