Arts and Sciences | Business and Industry | Events | Featured | First Generation | Health Education and Human Sciences | StudentsJuly 19, 2024

New Students Join the Lion Pride with Mane Event

Written By: Ian Silvester

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith campus was full of excitement on Friday, July 19—the reason: Mane Event new student orientation. Friday marked the second of three orientations held throughout the summer and welcomed nearly 300 students who will call UAFS home this fall. 

Joined by family and friends—some old, others new—these future Lions spent the day touring the campus and becoming acquainted with the people, places, and resources they need to know before classes begin.

Northside High School graduates Damian Lopez and Eduardo Gutierrez attended Friday’s Mane Event with a clear vision for their futures and plans to become mechanical engineers. Inspired by Cisco Ramon, a Hispanic mechanical engineering genius and superhero in the Netflix series “The Flash,” Damian and Eduardo said they’ve seen first-hand how impactful representation can be - especially as they enter college as first-generation students.

“Coming from a less fortunate childhood and background, I feel like I can inspire others,” Damian said. “I can show them that it can be done. You can go to college and have a successful future.”

Friday’s Mane Event also featured a Spanish Track, which offered information in a format that was more accessible to the Spanish-speaking community. As part of UAFS’s commitment to being an inclusive community, the track included presentations, discussions, and an overview of support services and available resources, all delivered in Spanish.

Greenwood High School graduate Anna Trusty said that even though she is already familiar with the campus, she still gained valuable insight at Mane Event because it provided her an opportunity to explore academic resources to help her balance her biology major and her role as a student-athlete on the women’s basketball team.

New students and families who haven’t attended an orientation yet can still register for the July 26 Mane Event, which begins at 8:15 a.m. in the Stubblefield Center, located at 5402 Kinkead Ave., Fort Smith.

Register for July 26 Mane Event

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• MANE Event
• New Student and Family Programs