Featured | Health Education and Human Sciences | Lion VoicesApril 30, 2026

'Eyes of Healthcare' Grad Plans to Take Skills to the Night Shift

Written By: Ian Silvester

Callea Stewart is weeks away from accepting her associate’s degree in imaging sciences and radiography from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She already has a job secured at Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith as a radiologic technologist, or X-ray tech, and will embark on the next stage of her healthcare journey doing what she loves—even if her path to this point wasn’t so clear. 

She hoped to follow her mom’s footsteps in nursing but was encouraged to keep her options open in healthcare. This encouragement put UAFS and its sonography program on her radar. 

“But you have to have an associate in X-ray before you can go onto the sonography program,” Callea said of the detour that led her to her passion. 

It’s not the broken bones, pathology, or pockets of air that are discovered that have inspired her to work in this field. 

“I like seeing the trauma,” she said with a chuckle about what X-rays reveal. “We are the eyes of healthcare.” 

Being on the frontlines of helping doctors peek inside the body and make diagnoses doesn’t come without a lot of hard work and studying. Callea said that academics came easily to her in high school, but the rigor of her courses at UAFS initially left her feeling unprepared. 

“I didn’t have any study habits when I came here. I really struggled my first semester, I almost failed out,” she admitted.  

Despite the challenges, Callea found support through the people around her. She credits Angie Elmore, executive director for imaging sciences, and fellow student Kendall as two of the biggest reasons why she has been successful since her rocky start. She said that both have pushed her to always be her best. 

In the classroom, that support looked like Kendall lifting Callea up when Callea felt she didn’t do well on an exam. Outside of school, it was taking care of her health and enjoying the little things like sleeping in her own bed and playing with her dog, despite the daily commute from Talihina, Okla.  

As a type-I diabetic, Callea must balance the literal highs and lows of her health with classes. She has an insulin pump and uses an app, Dexcom, on her phone to keep on top of her blood sugar.  

She was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 14, so she’s had nearly a decade to manage the swings, especially when it comes to being focused on her schooling and patients. However, it was an unexpected incident that was almost dire. 

“I had to go to the ER, and my heart rate was 298,” she said. “They had shock pads on me and everything.” 

In August of 2024, Callea began experiencing symptoms of SVT (supraventricular tachycardia), a condition that causes rapid heart rates and sudden episodes of chest pain or dizziness. 

“My heart rate would spike, and then I’d fall to the ground, and my eyes would start to go black. Blowing through a straw would really help, but this one particular day, it would not make my heart rate go down,” Callea said. 

By December, she had a successful ablation performed on her heart. Callea only missed a single test because of the entire ordeal. 

In a few weeks, Callea will take all that she has learned about being an X-ray tech, a determination to push through adversity, and empathy for patients across the stage at Stubblefield to accept her degree. Her family, boyfriend’s family, and friends will be there to cheer her on. Soon after, she will be helping others discover what may be ailing them as a night-shift technician at Mercy. 

• Tags:
• Radiography
• College of Health Education and Human Sciences
• Imaging Sciences