Arts and Sciences | Intrepid AmbitionDecember 15, 2025

Aid Fuels Research Opportunities

Written By: Ian Silvester

Shelby Zink of Poteau, Okla., knew she needed support in order to continue her education and go to college.  Fortunately, the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith was up to the task.

“I’ve always wanted to work in biology,” she said. “I was originally going to go to school for marketing, but since I had the opportunity to get everything paid for, I was going to follow my original dream of biology.”

Shelby was accepted into the Myles Friedman Honors Program at UAFS and has received more than half a dozen scholarships to fund her studies. Now in her senior year at UAFS, the biology major is preparing for what comes next and credits the financial aid she has received for making it all possible.

“Scholarships gave me peace of mind to study what I want, and because I didn’t have to worry about funding, I was able to discover myself as a person, too,” she said.

Shelby’s love for biology has led her to discover her passion for wildlife and ecology. And faculty members, including Dr. David McClellan, have been approachable and willing to discuss their academic journey and share advice, Shelby said.

She plans to pursue a graduate degree and wants to secure a job working as a field researcher. The opportunities and people at UAFS have set her up to do just that.

“It’s made me feel confident,” Shelby said proudly. “The broad biology degree has a lot of opportunities. It’s not about finding the specific thing that you’re good at. It’s about knowing a little bit of everything. I think UAFS does a good job of that.”

Because UAFS answered the call to support Shelby financially, she has completed a research internship through the National Science Foundation at the University of Virginia and gone on Maymester trips to Ireland and Charleston, S.C.

“Through the aid, I could take advantage of the opportunities that UAFS had. Everything was here and available to me; I just didn’t have the funding for it. The aid has allowed me to get the most out of my college experience,” Shelby said.

• Tags:
• Undergrad Research Projects
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Biology