Through the English program and extracurricular activities, Allison Toomer, a junior English major, has found a home and family in the UCA community.

Hailing from Little Rock, Toomer originally came to UCA as a nutrition science major. Unsure about what to study, a professor encouraged her to try an English degree and she fell in love.

“I chose English as my major in part by Dr. Mary Ruth Stewart,” Toomer said. “She reached out to me about thinking about majoring in English, so I tried it out for a semester and I fell in love with it because of how it encouraged me to think about things differently.”

Toomer said majoring in English inspires her to get comfortable with topics that can be uncomfortable. She also enjoys the versatility English provides.

“Regardless of where I go, I carry with me skills like researching, analyzing, writing and reading that can be applicable to almost any career field,” Toomer said.

As an English major, Toomer is a student of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. 

Toomer said CAHSS is one of her favorite things about UCA, as well as student media on campus.

“I really like the CAHSS program, which hosts different events with the arts,” Toomer said. “I also like that UCA has a podcast and radio station, and a weekly newsletter, which I am a religious follower of both.”

Toomer is involved in “The Vortex,” UCA’s undergraduate literary magazine, the Autism and Neurodiversity Alliance and the Minton Commuter Lounge.

“You can also find me attending any arts event, such as the poetry coffeehouse that the Vortex and Slant magazines host each semester,” Toomer said.

Toomer’s favorite memories are her time in classes on weekdays and in football stands on weekends.

“My favorite memories have to be with my classes,” Toomer said. “I always like to remember the fun times in classes where everyone would just laugh and have a good time. I also have a surprising new favorite memory, going to the UCA football games. I attended one recently with a couple of people, and though I couldn’t stay the whole game, I had a blast.”

UCA was Toomer’s perfect fit for college for a variety of reasons, including its close proximity to home and small campus.

“It’s only thirty minutes or so from my parents house, which is the perfect distance, in my opinion, for me to have my own life but to also be able to visit family when I felt homesick,” Toomer said. “I also chose UCA for its smaller-sized and flat campus because I personally didn’t want to get lost on a huge campus trying to find my way to class.

“I would say that if you’re anything like me and are more comfortable with a smaller campus, this is the place for you. It’s flat, and you can find your way around pretty easily once you get the hang of it,” Toomer said. “For someone who is thinking of majoring in English, I would say that if you don’t mind a lot of reading and writing, an English major can take you almost anywhere, despite that it can be time consuming.”

Toomer is proud to be a UCA student and believes the university has well prepared her for life after graduation.

“It has given me the space to figure out who I am so that when I step out into the real world after graduation, I know who I am and am confident in myself,” she said.

Toomer takes advantage of resources UCA has available and encourages all students to do the same. She also loves attending a university that takes pride in its students.

“UCA and its faculty have also provided a lot of great opportunities to boost its students such as in their career fairs and career services program,” she said. “My professors have been really great to provide a space for me if I had questions about what I would do after graduation and they could point me to people I can talk to.”

If Toomer could give one piece of advice to other students, it would be “remember that you’ll be okay and you’ll find your place with time.”