UAPB December 2023 Business Graduate Shares A Hard-Earned Life Lesson And Inspiration for the New Year

Discover the inspiring story of a December 2023 UAPB Business graduate who shares an invaluable life lesson and motivation for the new year. With hard work and dedication, this individual learned the true meaning of the phrase “I’m where I belong.” Read on to learn how you can apply these principles to your own life and achieve your dreams.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) celebrates the Fall 2023 Commencement ceremony in December, where students graduate with many college experiences and life lessons. While some students may have had a smooth experience, graduating with honors, others may have had to overcome significant challenges to reach this milestone. Carly Van Hook, a UAPB Fall 2023 graduating senior and Chancellor’s Medallion recipient at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, shares experiences that reflect a bit of both.

Carly Van Hook, UAPB Fall 2023 Business Graduate — Carly Van Hook, UAPB Fall 2023 Business Marketing Graduate

In Spring 2022, Van Hook shared that she looked forward to being a Junior and receiving her first out-of-state internship opportunity under conflicting circumstances. She explained, “I received the best news: I had the honor of being selected to participate in the Walton Family Foundation Investment Team Summer Internship in Washington, D.C., then I received the sad news that my grandfather had passed away.”

Van Hook drove from Pine Bluff to Prescott to attend her grandfather’s funeral. In a moving testimonial that received a standing ovation when shared at the October 2023 UAPB Donors Banquet, Carly shared that her life changed forever during the drive back to Pine Bluff to return her books after her Spring 2022 semester.

According to her account at the Donor’s Banquet, Van Hook “had cleared her head after the funeral” and was ready to drive back to Pine Bluff. Having turned around twice after her initial departure, Carly refused to let her brother go with her because she planned to “be right back.” She was finally on her way with a friend to Pine Bluff to return her books and wrap up the Spring 2022 semester in preparation for her Summer internship.

She was forty minutes from her hometown of Prescott, Arkansas. Driving no more than 65 miles per hour behind a semi-truck, Carly started passing the truck. The eighteen-wheeler veered into her lane; she recalls blowing her horn and “begging God to protect us.” The truck driver crashed into the car, and they flipped and wedged between two trees as the truck driver kept going. With the audience enthralled by what happened next to her and her friend, Carly fought off tears. She eased the transition by saying, “My four lb. Pomeranian looks at me like, I know that’s not glass in my bed.” As a result of the crash, she couldn’t move her head, but she held her best friend’s hand and recounted believing and saying, “Everything will be OK; we’re going to make it.”

While her friend was being airlifted, she was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Hot Springs, AR. And to our dismay, she shares the unimaginable. Carly said, “When I thought the nightmare was over, I was in another accident in the ambulance. A teen driver ran a stop light and hit the ambulance. Rip out IVs, start the process over, and transfer me to a new ambulance.” Even though she made it to the hospital in Hot Springs, her family had difficulty finding her because, based on the scene, there would be no survivors. They thought we were dead. Her friend had two broken ribs & his lungs collapsed. Carly suffered a fractured neck and a sprained arm.

Van Hook recounts the doctors saying, “You aren’t supposed to be here.” But to a standing audience ovation at the Donors Banquet, Van Hook declared, “God said, “I’m where I belong” and thanked the donors for their support for her and students like her. With this attitude of acceptance, Van Hook spent a shorter time than normal recovering from damaged nerves, slurred speech, stuttering, constant blinking, and learning to walk again. She couldn’t bathe or feed herself. She couldn’t speak a complete sentence and lost 30 lbs. Her summer intern experience was replaced by her being surrounded by family, friends, and supporters. “Without my village, getting better would be impossible. “We need family because you accomplish more together.” shared Van Hook. Van Hook and her village worked toward the goal: “Get out of the neck brace and get back to UAPB.”

And back to UAPB, Van Hook came. She attributes her belief in God to her recovery from her accident, citing Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” As she held on to her realization that UAPB was where she belonged, Van Hook continued her studies, her work with Athletics, leading the Entrepreneurship Club to host two pop-up shops on campus, became a UAPB Communications Brand Ambassador and a Multimedia Technician for the Jefferson County Alliance and Chamber. And yes, she requalified for the Summer 2023 Walton Foundation Investment Internship in Washington, D.C.

Van Hook began her journey at UAPB on a band scholarship as a percussionist in the Fall of 2020 with the nationally acclaimed UAPB Marching Musical Machine of the Midsouth (M4) band. According to Mrs. Constance Castle, UAPB Donor’s Banquet Committee member and UAPB Admissions Officer when Van Hook joined UAPB, “I started with Carly as she entered our university for band camp as a freshman. Right away, I knew she possessed what was needed to matriculate through the university because of her kind, determined, genuine, and tenacious spirit.”

Van Hook received both the Academic Challenge Scholarship and the Golden Lion Scholarship and was excited to join as a UAPB legacy, following in the footsteps of her father, aunt, and brother. She transitioned from Prescott, AR, a small town in the Ouachita Mountains, to Pine Bluff, committed to completing her education in business marketing, serving her community, being active on campus, and developing her love for photography.

Learning the importance of earning a summer internship and experience, Van Hook started her Summer 2021 working as a Peer Navigator with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Save AR Future (SARF) program, assisting the team with data collection and social media advertising. According to their website, SARF is a prevention program to reduce health disparities by decreasing substance abuse, HIV, and related stigma impacting 18‐24-year-olds in Arkansas, particularly minority populations. And SARF reported that African Americans are at disproportionate risk in Arkansas.

Van Hook headed into her Sophomore year as a Business major with a concentration in Marketing while balancing her love for photography and acquiring business marketing experience. She secured a spot with the UAPB Golden Lions Athletics Department Media Team. She became President and a founding member of the UAPB School of Business and Management (SBM) Entrepreneurship Club. There, she developed the club’s brand graphic with the slogan: “We develop future business leaders that Innovate, Network, and Achieve.” She was also an active SBM’s Accounting Club and the Investment Club member.

With her hometown of Prescott, Arkansas, less than a two-hour drive away, Van Hook also supported Colby Tillman, the first African American Criminal Investigator for the Prescott Police Department, in his 2021-22 campaign to be the first African American Mayor of Prescott.

Carly Van Hook graduated on December 9, 2023, with a 3.7 GPA and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. When I asked Carly what’s next, she responded with a slight twist on her realization: “I’m where I belong.” She explained, “I am open to traveling the world, learning and growing. There are so many options right now. Someday, I’d like to start a brand-building business and help others come to the limelight. However, after graduation, I look forward to accepting a management position with a marketing company that makes me feel that working with them is where I belong.”