Alumnus Speaks at National Convention

Arkansas Tech University alumnus Dustin Parsons had an opportunity to share his passion for education with the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Penn., on Tuesday night.

Speaking as part of a panel of seven advocates for children, Parsons used his remarks to spotlight advances that have been made in K-12 education in Arkansas over the past 30 years.

He commented on how those improvements benefited him as a student, and how he sees them benefiting his students in his role as a fifth grade teacher at Pine Haven Elementary School in Bauxite.

Parsons first graduated from Arkansas Tech in 2010, when he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture business. Parsons was 2009-10 Student Government Association president and winner of the Alfred J. Crabaugh Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding senior male student at Arkansas Tech.

A product of Bauxite High School, Parsons returned to Arkansas Tech to obtain a Master of Education degree in teaching, learning and leadership in 2013 and a Master of Education degree in educational leadership in 2015. He has taught in the Bauxite School District since 2011.

Parsons completed a three-year term on the Arkansas Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2015 and is serving as president elect of the Arkansas Tech Alumni Board in 2016.