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Student Highlights

Wednesday, December 18, 2024
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Image of UA-PTC student Randa SnyderRanda Snyder

UA-PTC student Randa Snyder won first place in UA - Pulaski Tech’s essay contest during the college’s annual Celebrating Student Milestones event in 2019.

1. What is your name?

My name is Randa Snyder. My father’s name is Randy, so I’m named after him!

My first name is a variant of “Miranda.” It comes from the Latin word mirandus meaning admirable and wonderful! My last name “Snyder” is the Americanized version of the German last name “Schneider.” It is an occupational family name that distinguishes themselves as “cutters,” or tailors.

Etymology and the study on the origins of names is a fascination of mine. Your name can tell you more about yourself than you may realize!

2. Write a short bio for yourself (Where are you from? When did you attend UA-PTC? What are your academic interests?).

My dad is an Air Force veteran, and I have moved with my family all over the U.S. I’ve never lived in one state for more than five years! The southern hospitality here in Arkansas has won me over, so I plan on living in the Pulaski county area for quite some time. I started attending UA-PTC part time in Spring 2019. My academic interests are nursing and medical technology.

3. What is your current (or earned) degree, career path, and awards/recognitions?

My goal is to earn an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and Science, then transfer to UAMS to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

I would say my biggest academic achievement so far was winning the 14th Annual Student Essay Contest! It is such a blessing to be able to express myself, and I’m fortunate that I was eloquent enough to win 1st Place in the Narratives category! Life is made up of countless stories, and mine is just one of many. I hope my story can relate to you, and that we can all share and learn valuable lessons from each other’s experiences.

4. How has UA-PTC prepared and enriched you for your current college experience/career?

In just the short time that I’ve been attending UA-PTC, I’ve met so many different people with admirable goals, including our faculty! There are a lot of students that I know that have an interest in nursing like me! The fact that there are so many caring students willing to mentor each other that make up the student body is remarkable. We’re all in this academic journey together, and we could all use each other’s help to succeed!

5. What advice would you like to give for current and future UA-PTC students?

No matter where you are in life, whether you’ve just gotten out of high school, if you’re restarting college again for the umpteenth time, going for a different career path after spending 20 years in the wrong one, or learning just for learning’s sake, just remember that it’s never too late, especially when it comes to educating yourself. People think that failure and setbacks are the end all be all, when they are actually valuable life experiences to learn from. Survivors don’t have time to ask, “Why me?” The question that we should all be asking ourselves is, “What now?” If you’re saying to yourself that it’ll take years before you’ll be able to reach your goals, remember that time is going to pass by anyway. So why not make the most of that time working towards being the person you were meant to be?

I wish all of us the best of luck with our education, and I hope everyone can be their very best version of themselves, regardless of how long it takes.