As a member of the Arkansas Alumni Association, Xavier Emery has so many stories about his experience at the University of Arkansas he could write a book. Growing up in Le Mans, France, Emery dreamed of attending school in the United States. After participating in a high school exchange program in Sugarland, TX, he knew he wanted to see more of America. Later, he saw different parts of the country through his time spent at various jobs, internships and playing football. Upon learning that the university in Le Mans had an exchange program with the University of Arkansas, he applied and a few months later, he was accepted.

“I told the teacher that I wanted to be a Razorback so bad and he was surprised that I knew about the Razorbacks, so he supported my application,” he said. Having never visited Arkansas, Emery was ready to experience what college life had to offer, and to study in the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Since he had seen much of the United States, he kept a positive outlook when preparing to come to Arkansas. “I did not have any particular picture of what kind of university it would be. What I knew is that no matter what, I was about to experience a real U.S. campus,” he said. Impressed by the welcoming nature of the people, orientation week allowed him to connect with staff, faculty and students, as well as learn where buildings were located and how to sign up for classes.

Before coming to Arkansas, Emery studied international business in France. Opting to continue his studies at the University of Arkansas, he added international relations as a minor. His studies enabled him to see the difference between the French and American viewpoints of how to conduct international business.

“Don White was my leadership and international management professor. He was an amazing professor, had international experience and was giving classes in China and Italy…He inspired me,” Emery said. Another professor who made an equally large impact on him was Hoyt Purvis. As his international relations professor, Emery remembers being captivated by Purvis’ stories and experiences from around the world, saying, “If you want to know about international relations, get a book. If you want to experience them, get Hoyt Purvis as your professor.”

Spending ample time in class and among his professors, he knew that wasn’t the only aspect to attending a university in the states. Stating that “campus life in France doesn’t exist at all,” he relished in the idea of participating in campus activities. He joined the International Student Association, the Society for Human Resources Management, attended Greek life events, and helped with student and homecoming queen elections. He also played on the Razorback Lacrosse Team and was a contributing photographer for The Arkansas Traveler campus newspaper. “Studying is important, but meeting people, helping people, making connections, and organizing events, that’s a real plus of a U.S. campus that we don’t really have back in France,” he said.

Emery recalls one of the most important events he experienced while on campus. “My fondest memory, if I had to keep one, was the Ring Ceremony…I wanted to have something I could leave to my children that would say, ‘Dad has done something he loved and it is represented in that ring.’” Due to stipulations put forth by the exchange program, those who enroll cannot walk at graduation; however, they can participate in the Official Ring Ceremony, and to Emery, that was all he needed to prove he had accomplished something great at the University of Arkansas. Of course, that isn’t the only experience that he remembers. Aside from learning the traditions of the campus such as Spoofer’s Stone, the fight song, Senior Walk, and singing the alma mater, Emery recalls calling the Hogs on the Champs Elysées in Paris last New Year’s Eve. “My friend and I were calling the Hogs at midnight and two girls from Arkansas were close to us and heard the call and came over to call the Hogs with us,” he remembered.

After leaving the university, he returned to Paris for graduate school at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques. There he received a master’s degree in geo-economy and strategic intelligence with a minor in international relations. When telling his friends about Arkansas, he became somewhat of an ambassador, saying, “Arkansas has something more, a true spirit which was not made up to attract people and get their money, but a true spirit made up with true values.”

His devotion to the University of Arkansas can be seen through his continued support of the institution and the Arkansas Alumni Association. When visiting Arkansas in November 2010, he stayed with Young Alumni Board member and close friend, Sandra Popova. When she invited him to the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House, he met senior director of alumni programs, Anthony McAdoo, who informed him of the benefits of becoming a member of the association. Without hesitation, he joined with the hope of one day beginning an alumni chapter in France that will help to provide aid to French students who wish to study at the University of Arkansas.

Through the people he has met, Emery is convinced that the association is “a great way to have connections in the world.” Moving to New York City to begin work with a French bank, he hopes to get involved with the local chapter and meet alumni who share a passion for the university, saying, “The University of Arkansas made you the way you are now, but we made the University of Arkansas…no matter where we are from, we are all Razorbacks.”