Thea Winston Selected as Boyer Fellow

Photo Submitted

Thea Winston

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Thea Winston, a freshman from Forrest City, has been selected as the 2014 Boyer Fellow in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, the latest student to be aided by the fellowship that was established in 1999.

To become a Boyer Fellow, a student must score 32 or higher on the ACT, demonstrate financial need and show the potential to be a leader. The gift commitment provides the student with $50,000 for four years of study, which includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, travel and special equipment.

“The Boyer Fellowship will help me at the Walton College by first taking the financial stress out of attending college and secondly, being that extra push towards being successful,” Winston said. “I hope the Boyer Fellowship will help me accomplish excellence.”

She plans to major in accounting and possibly pursue a double major in accounting and finance.

Winston was co-valedictorian at Forrest City High School, with a 4.3 cumulative grade point average. She was captain of the varsity cheer squad, reporter of the Beta Club and a founding member of Mu Alpha Theta math fraternity. She was a saxophonist in the Forrest City Marching Band and an oboist in the Forrest City Symphonic Band. She was a member of the high school student council and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

She credits her mother, Lenora Winston; Sharon Wilson, a close family friend whom Winston regards as her “godmother;” and her brother Avery Winston with inspiring her to succeed.

“My mother helped by being my motivation,” Winston said. “Whenever I needed help, an extra push, or for her just to be there, she was there. Sharon Wilson helped by providing me with guidance in my major or sometimes just life in general.  

“Lastly my brother helped by simply being my competition. He graduated salutatorian of his graduating class in 2012, and I just had to beat him. He set the bar high for me as he continuously does and, of course, I had to rise to the occasion.”

Outside of high school, Winston participated in Youth Advisory Council, Alpha Angels Mentoring Program and Eureka Civic and Social Club. In addition to extra-curricular activities, she worked as a summer intern at Sharon Wilson CPA and at the local Pizza Hut.

Since establishing the fellowship, alumni Tommy and Sylvia Boyer have continued to support and encourage outstanding students to pursue an education in the Walton College. The Boyers’ efforts continue to have an impact on Boyer Fellows even after they complete their degree.

“When we established the Boyer Fellowships, we had been involved with a variety of scholarships for some time,” the Boyers said. “We believe that a good education is the best vehicle we can provide to make a positive impact on people living in Arkansas. We decided to take that effort to a new level with the hope that the fellowships would attract students with the best minds and leadership skills to study at the University of Arkansas and upon graduation remain in the state. We believe that has been the case. In fact, these students have achieved so much more than we at first anticipated! We couldn’t be more impressed with their accomplishments and the work they have done.”

The fellowship also supports Jonathan Benson of Fort Smith as a continuing Boyer Fellow. Previous fellows include Stacia Baughman of West Fork, Brinkley Cook-Campbell of Mount Judea, Joseph Rossetti of Fayetteville, Robert Ivers of Texarkana, Adrienne Jung of Van Buren, Tommy Vo of Fort Smith, Brandy Wells of West Fork, Chenin Vadalma of Hot Springs, Kimberly Wilkes of Fort Smith, Amanda Wyatt of Fort Smith and Sarah Wells of Arkadelphia.

Tommy Boyer, B.S.B.A. ’64, was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2013. He has served as chair of the Walton College Dean’s Executive Advisory Board, chair of the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame selection committee and was the college’s 2008 commencement speaker. Boyer was presiding co-chair of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century for four years. Sylvia Boyer, B.S.E. ’63, was on the national board of directors for the Arkansas Alumni Association from 1988-1998, serving as its president in 1996-1997. She was the chair of the Alumni Association Campaign Committee from 1996-1998 and also served with her husband on the Campaign Steering Committee and as the vice chair of that committee’s College/School/Unit and Regional Subcommittee. She also has served as chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Education.

In 1992, the University of Arkansas named the Boyers its volunteers of the year, and in 1999, the Arkansas Alumni Association honored the Boyers with the Andrew J. Lucas Distinguished Service Award.