Coakley takes in the beauty of Belize during her study abroad program.
Written by Molli Slavin, “Roads” Scholar
Junior “Roads” scholar Kelley Coakley seems to have found her niche in the engineering community. The hours may be long and the classes difficult, but Coakley has established herself on campus as one of the best and the brightest. Majoring in biological engineering with a minor in sustainability and mathematics, she stays active within her major by participating and leading the Tau Beta Phi Engineering Society as initiate trainer; the Society of Women’s Engineering as vice president and as an SI leader, in which she helps students excel in classes that have had a 30% or higher fail or withdrawal rate. In regards to her position as an SI leader, Coakley said, “the most memorable moment of this school year was having the opportunity to teach sessions of chemistry for engineers as an SI Leader. I gained leadership values, enhanced my public speaking and was able to connect with other engineers by sharing my knowledge with them.” Coakley is also a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and was a teaching assistant for a class on thermodynamics last summer.
Along with her participation in the engineering groups, she also finds time for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, as well as being a member of the honors societies Gamma Beta Phi and Alpha Lambda Delta. Coakley was also elected as Golden Key president, an international honors society that only invites members who are in the top 15% of students, academically. She also took advantage of the Belize study abroad program offered by the University of Arkansas, in which she spent the summer studying engineering and sustainability in a community setting. Soon after returning, she took the MCAT and began applying to medical school. She said, “I want to give a big thank you to the Arkansas Alumni Association for my ‘Roads’ scholarship. I will always strive to keep my academic standards high and pursue my college education with a constant tenacity.”
