The University of Central Arkansas was Alan Bandala’s first choice when selecting a college.
“There’s a lot to love about UCA,” Bandala said. “You can be active and just walk around campus or go to the gym with the swimming pool and basketball. We have lots of activities to keep us entertained, so we don’t get too stressed.”
The sophomore nursing major is a recent recipient of an Arch Ford Endowed Scholarship that is helping to ease the stress of paying for college for him and his family.
Through a $1 million gift from Rick ’81 and Anne Massey, the fund was established in 2018 in honor of Arch Ford, a 1930 graduate and 1992 Distinguished Alumni awardee who spent his life as a pioneer and champion of education in the state of Arkansas. The endowed gift provides support for the retention of first-generation Arkansas college students through need-based scholarships. Joe Ford, son of Arch Ford, and his wife, Jo Ellen Ford, donated an additional $250,000 to the fund.
Bandala was named one of six Arch Ford Scholars this year. He was informed over the summer that he was a recipient and that his award was more than $18,000 over two years.
“I literally just fell down on my knees because I could not believe it,” Bandala said. “I thought, ‘Oh, wow, this is going to pay for all of my college.’ It was just a surreal moment. It’s a memory that I’m always going to keep.”
Upon graduating, Bandala said he plans to pursue a career in nursing and join the U.S. Air Force. He hopes to create a scholarship to assist other students attending UCA.
The first-generation Cabot native learned about UCA from his parents, who had lived in Conway near the campus prior to his birth.
Bandala said his father retold stories of driving to work and seeing students headed to class. “My dad always dreamed of coming to UCA,” he said, adding that his father was not able to attend college.
“Eighteen years later, I apply to UCA. My dad told me, ‘My dream is being fulfilled now that you’re going to UCA,'” Bandala said.