Black and Reeder Scholarships Awarded to Greenwood High Graduates

Photo Submitted

From top, left - Trey M. Smith & Hannah Swilling; bottom left - Chase Izell & Noah Doss

Trey M. Smith, Hannah Swilling, Chase Izell and Noah Doss of Greenwood have been awarded a Black and Reeder scholarship to the U of A. The scholarship was established through an endowment by Sherman and Lynnette Reeder Black, both U of A alumni who attended Greenwood High School. The Blacks created this scholarship as a way to give back to the community and honor their parents, Galen and Wilma Black and Van and Carolyn Reeder, long-time residents of Greenwood. This scholarship program supports Greenwood High students who are seeking engineering or business degrees at the U of A. Traditionally the scholarship is awarded each year to a graduating senior and is renewable for an additional three years, as long as the student remains enrolled at the university and meets certain academic requirements. For 2021, the scholarship was expanded to grant awards to Greenwood graduates in the engineering and business colleges who are achieving academic success.

Recipient: Trey Smith, son of Stacie and Timothy Smith, is 2021 Greenwood graduate and will be a freshman studying biomedical engineering at the U of A. Smith is a great example of what a Black and Reeder scholarship awardee should be - his passion for math and science are demonstrated in the number of college credit classes he took in high school. "I have taken many science courses throughout my years at Greenwood," Smith said. "Concurrent biology, biology lab, concurrent microbiology, microbiology lab, AP chemistry, college trigonometry, AP calculus AB and AP calculus BC."

Recipient: Hannah Swilling, daughter of Tami Weeden and Sam Swilling, is a 2018 Greenwood graduate and a senior studying chemical engineering at the U of A. Swilling is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi and has recently completed an internship at Tyson Foods. Her focus was with the discipline engineering team of the prepared foods group with interest in refrigeration over the summer; during the 2021-2022 academic year, she will transfer to the poultry engineering side.

Recipient: Chase Izell, son of Terry and Jessica Izell, is a 2018 Greenwood graduate and a senior studying business and hospitality management at the U of A. Izell graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and honors distinction and has made great efforts to continue his dedication to education throughout his college career. He is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and has worked with Raymond Management Company for three years.

Recipient: Noah Doss, son of Mike and Glenda Doss, is a 2020 Greenwood graduate and a sophomore studying business management at the U of A. Noah is an Eagle Scout and a member of the National Society of Colligate Scholars. He started his own e-commerce business at the age of 17 and has seen substantial growth within the business.

Sherman Black graduated from the U of A in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He is an emeritus member of the Engineering Advisory Council and Arkansas Academy of Electrical Engineers.

Lynnette Reeder Black also graduated from the U of A in 1987, with a bachelor's degree in accounting. The Blacks were inducted into the Towers of Old Main in 2011 and currently reside in Minnesota.

About the College of Engineering: The University of Arkansas College of Engineering is the largest engineering program in the state of Arkansas. Over the past decade, the college has experienced unprecedented growth. Undergraduate enrollment has doubled since 2007, and total enrollment in the college is now over 4,000 students. The College of Engineering offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in nine engineering fields, as well as incorporating distance learning and interdisciplinary programs. Faculty in the college conduct research in many key areas, including electronics, energy, healthcare logistics, nanotechnology, transportation and logistics.

About Sam M. Walton College of Business

Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business combines eight academic departments with a wide range of experiential learning to help students connect world-class scholarship with real-world business practice. Walton College is located in the heart of the world's retail industry. Corporate sponsors, world-class faculty and industry connections help students succeed during their academic career and post-graduation. Since 2005, Walton College has been ranked in the top 30 public business schools and top 50 public and private business schools each year by U.S. News & World Report. In its 2021 "America's Best Colleges" ranking, U.S. News & World Report ranked Walton College the 28th public business school in the nation. Gartner, a leading global research firm, ranked Walton's supply chain management undergraduate program No. 1 in North America.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.