“How can I help you?” just may be Zach Carter’s most uttered phrase. A senior pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism, Carter is no stranger to service work. “I’ve been involved in service pretty much every year I’ve been here at the University of Central Arkansas,” Carter said. “I got involved with housing, became a resident assistant, entered Greek life as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., served on the Student Government Association (SGA), and then I got involved with Student Orientation Staff.”
Carter is certainly a busy student and also has his hands full serving as president of SGA, but he takes it in stride. He sees being involved around campus as a form of service, which comes naturally to him. “I was raised to give back to the people who helped you,” Carter said. “UCA has helped me so much that I felt like not giving back would be doing a disservice to myself, to the university and to everyone who has helped me get to where I am now.”
Even in high school, Carter was very active in a variety of service-related opportunities. He enjoyed helping out with community service projects with the Little Rock Mayor’s Youth Council, an organization dedicated to providing public service by volunteering for events held throughout the city. Carter continues his public service streak by serving as president of his fraternity. “Whether we are volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County, a canned food drive, a clothing drive or just helping out at a local school, my fraternity is devoted to public service,” Carter said.
When a vicious trail of tornadoes ripped through central Arkansas back in April 2014, Carter was one of the first to volunteer for clean up. He worked with UCA’s Bear Boots On The Ground, a volunteer disaster recovery effort for tornado victims in Faulkner County. “Walking into that was…” Carter trailed off, shaking his head. “If you can see that and not feel something deep in your heart, you need to re-evaluate. Helping those people, literally picking up all of their belongings off the ground and finding pictures of their family members in the rubble, was a very humbling and touching experience.”
Why does he feel such a drive to help others? “The passion to serve others is just something you’re born with,” Carter said. “To me, there is so much more to life than success or money. I could be the richest person in the world but that doesn’t guarantee my happiness. The one thing you can never get enough of is seeing a smile on someone’s face because you helped them, and that small act of kindness truly impacted them. That’s what is important in life.”