Where are they now?
Kyle Jorden talks college, COVID-19
El Dorado’s Kyle Jorden seemed to be soaring up the academic charts two years ago when he graduated with a 4.38 grade point average and was the 2018 class valedictorian. That upward trajectory hasn’t changed.
A junior at the University of Arkansas, Jorden currently has a 3.5 GPA and is on path to becoming a doctor. He’s studying biomedical engineering with a premedical focus. He said that course of study hasn’t changed since he arrived in Fayetteville.
“It has not changed since I’ve been there, although there have been times when I thought about it,” said Jorden, who admitted it hasn’t always been easy. “Yes, there have been moments filled with doubt, but God and a good family support system got me through.”
Jorden played basketball at El Dorado and said he still plays at the HPER regularly. He shared the campus at Fayetteville with former teammate Daniel Gafford, who left early to join the NBA Chicago Bulls.
“It was amazing being there during Gafford’s time,” Jorden said. “He would check in with me from time to time to make sure I was adjusting to the college scene.”
For a lot of students, college is a time to join with other students headed down the same career paths. Jorden said he has maintained old relation
ships but has also enjoyed meeting people with shared interests.
“It’s great being around people with similar aspirations. It gives me a sense of normalcy. I keep in contact with a few friends,” but added, “I am not surprised (at losing contact with old friends) because I am in a new environment with new people.”
Speaking of new environments, the future doctor offered his own perspective on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the world.
“I feel as if COVID-19 is a wake-up call to remind us to not stray away from things that are important,” he said. “It reminds us as a whole to be appreciative of the little things and last, importantly cherish the people we love more than tangible items.”