Business and Industry | Lion VoicesOctober 09, 2024

The Blooming Legacy of Natalie Chuong

Written By: Ian Silvester

Attending the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith was an easy choice for Fort Smith native Natalie Chuong.

Like her mom and sister before her, Natalie attended UAFS because it offers a safe campus community, top-notch education, and affordability. Plus, she considers it as “the best choice in Arkansas.”

As a junior business administration major with concentrations in accounting and digital marketing, Natalie admitted that the transition from Southside High School to UAFS was overwhelming when she first arrived. Still, she has since found a community she loves.

“I love being able to walk on campus and see a friend or know that I can reach out to an instructor, and they will help me get the resources I need,” she said.

Natalie says that what makes UAFS special is that it affords students the opportunity to “explore and create more for themselves. " She has taken this sentiment to heart and practices it every day.

She is a former student representative for the Student Government Association and is actively involved as a member of IDEAL Women, a student organization founded in 2022 by women for women to create a welcoming and inclusive community. Natalie also keeps herself busy serving as the only student on the Campus Climate Committee, which is composed of faculty. Along with Natalie, they implement campus-wide efforts to celebrate different people and departments and bring together the UAFS community.

Celebrating diversity on campus fills Natalie with pride when she considers everything she is involved in.

“I wanted to celebrate all our differences and for others to feel that way, too. There are so many different clubs and organizations on campus, and everyone is welcome,” she said proudly.

In addition to her involvement, Natalie’s current on-campus job is already creating something that will continue after she graduates.

She is the marketing intern for the Babb Center for Career Services. This September, the center re-opened its career clothing closet, Suit Up Studio, with a fresh look and new location. Natalie was at the center of it all.

Natalie was tasked with advertising the opening and organizing the new and gently used professional clothes for students.

“The closet is an opportunity for students to get interview or job fair clothing they may need,” she explained. “But the opening is also a way to open their eyes to what Career Services is.”

Through her involvement with the Babb Center, Natalie hopes that students will continue fully use the closet and all the resources provided by Career Services to prepare Lions for a future job or graduate program.

Although she has followed in the footsteps of her mom and sister, Natalie has genuinely made her UAFS experience her own and embodies what she believes it means to be a Lion.

“It’s to be courageous, step out of the box, and try new things. Being a Lion means that I am about to speak out about what I want, what I want changed on campus, and being an advocate for other students,” she said.

Natalie said the names on buildings and departments around UAFS inspire her. While she may be a year away from becoming an alumna and dreaming of a day when a building might be adorned with her name, her legacy is already beginning to bloom.

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Watch Natalie's Story:

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Natalie is a past recipient of the Sally Baum Fick Working student Endowed Scholarship (2023-2024) and the Annette Putnam - Zonta Club of Fort Smith Endowed Scholarship (2022-2023).

• Tags:
• Lion Voices
• Digital Marketing
• IDEAL Women
• Babb Center for Career Services
• Accounting
• College of Business and Industry
• SGA