Elli White of Malvern failed to carry out her initial plans for college.
Arkansas Tech University is a better place because of that failure.
White is the 2025 Margaret Young Award winner as the most outstanding senior female at ATU. She will be recognized during ATU spring commencement ceremonies at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Saturday, May 10.
“I had no intention of making many friends, getting involved or pursuing anything beyond a bachelor’s degree,” said White when reflecting on her point of view as an entering freshman.
Everything changed when she accepted an invitation to attend an interest meeting about establishing an organization for first-generation college students at Arkansas Tech.
“I walked into that meeting thinking that, at best, I might dare to ask a question about financial aid,” said White. “I was self-conscious about the fact that I did not know what I was doing when it came to doing all the college things. I felt like I needed extra help, and I felt like that was going to be the place that could give me the supplemental knowledge I needed. I thought it was just a concept, but we hammered out the draft of a constitution then and there. I walked out of that meeting as the president of the newly-formed first-generation student organization.”
White helped grow the ATU first-generation student organization from five members to approximately 70. That leadership opportunity begat others, and before long White was serving on ATU Student Government Association. She became ATU SGA secretary of student development in spring 2023, vice president in 2023-24 and president in 2024-25.
“I’ve learned that being a leader is not something that you’re born with,” said White. “I like the analogy of leadership being a muscle that you train, grow and rest. You make mistakes and you learn from it. There’s not just one way to be a leader. I think anyone can become a leader. We all have different strengths. For so many years, I did not think I had what it takes. Something clicked for me midway through junior year. I realized these other people are not better than me. I’ve put in the work, so I deserve to be here because I’ve trained that muscle and failed a lot. I’ve lost several elections. I’ve crashed and burned a lot of times, but I think that’s what makes you a good leader…failing, and learning from failure.”
Public Relations Student Society of America, the Arka Tech student newspaper, Emerging Leaders Society and Do Something also benefited from White’s efforts and leadership. She also found herself regularly supporting and advocating for other student organizations that represent a broad spectrum of the ATU student body.
“I knew what I was doing was the right thing to do,” said White. “I’ve been in a lot of sticky situations and had some difficult things to navigate, but if I don’t do it, who will? That’s what kept me pushing forward. I’ve seen Tech faculty and staff care more. Over the years, we’ve built a better community of people who will listen to each other.”
White is graduating from Arkansas Tech with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.
“I like learning about everything, and journalism teaches you how to learn, how to ask questions and how to effectively digest information,” said White. “I have a lot of tools in my toolbelt that I think are really useful.”
She will continue her ATU education by pursuing a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs.
“Arkansas Tech taught me to be an advocate for myself,” said White. “For a long time, I was not my own biggest fan, and now I feel like I am. I don’t think I would have gained that skill were it not for my experiences here. ATU has revealed my passion for uplifting and empowering college students. Some of my proudest achievements at ATU have not been my own, but rather the success of those that I have supported. I genuinely believe that ATU has transformed my life for the better, and I am committed to seeing ATU grow and providing other students with the same opportunities I have been fortunate to experience.”
