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.