College of Education & Health Professions, B.S. in Nursing
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Parents: John and Kay Williams
Mentor: Dr. Nan Smith-Blair
- Vice President, Student Nurses Association
- Academic Development Chair, Delta Delta Delta
- Honors College Mentor
- Honors College Fellow
- Arkansas Governor’s Distinguished Scholar
- Supplemental Instructor for Principles of Biology
- Panhellenic Gamma Chi
- Global Medical Brigades, Trip to Honduras
- Studied abroad in Tanzania & Sweden
Honors College student Kelly Williams says her education at the University of Arkansas has enabled her to grow into her own person while discovering her own passions. She aspires to work as a nurse in a pediatric intensive care before obtaining a doctorate of nursing in pediatrics.
She attributes her confidence in her abilities and her personal growth to her involvement in her education and extracurricular activities plus the incredible support from her faculty and peers. Kelly has been able to develop her own leadership style that will continue to influence her future professional endeavors through her involvement in specifically the Tri Delta sorority, the Supplemental Instruction Program and her job at the National Student Leadership Conference.
Kelly is incredibly thankful for the international travel she has experienced while a student. She has studied abroad three times, including trips to Tanzania, Sweden and Honduras. She has climbed part of Mount Kilimanjaro, seen firsthand the “big 5” wildlife in the Serengeti and looked for fossils at Olduvai Gorge.
In Sweden, she spent a month visiting healthcare facilities and listening to lectures. Then she traveled with Global Medical Brigades, a registered student organization, to Honduras to provide medical care to rural areas. During a three-day period, she sharpened her nursing assessment skills while helping triage more than 800 patients.
