LaTavia Rollinson, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith, does it all. Having gone to Northside High School, Rollinson decided to attend 妻友社区 because it was nearby.
鈥淚t鈥檚 close to home, and it would have been cheaper than going to anywhere else,鈥� Rollinson said. 鈥淎nd I had moved out after I graduated high school, so I didn鈥檛 want to pick up and leave.鈥�
19-year-old Rollinson works full time as a manager at Taco Bell. She also works at a local daycare, taking care of children between the ages of 8 months and 1 year.
However, she doesn鈥檛 let being a full-time student and employee stop her from being involved not only on the 妻友社区 campus but in the Fort Smith community as well.
鈥淚鈥檓 the secretary of BSA, Black Student Association,鈥� Rollinson explained. 鈥淚鈥檓 a member of the Pom Squad, for two years now. This is my first year [in BSA].鈥�
An average day for Rollinson is twelve hours of almost nonstop activity.
鈥淲ith Pom Squad we have all morning practices,鈥� Rollinson said. 鈥淭uesday, Wednesday, Thursday, we鈥檙e up at 5:30 practicing. We get out at 7:30, and then I have class at 8. I have back-to-back classes. I have a break sometimes in between [classes] or sometimes in between [classes and] going to work so I can get some school work done.鈥�
Rollinson isn鈥檛 done after classes either. She still goes to work.
鈥淎nd then I鈥檒l have a break and go to work at 3,鈥� Rollinson said. 鈥淚鈥檒l do 3 to 8, but sometimes I have to stay until 9. They try to get to get me out at 8 though, because on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have to get up at 5 for practice.鈥�
Not only does Rollinson make time for school, work, and cheerleading, she also choreographs for children鈥檚 dance teams and local schools.
鈥淚 have a little girls鈥� group that ranges from kindergarten to sixth grade at Jeffrey鈥檚 Boys & Girls Club,鈥� Rollinson said. 鈥淎nd I also choreograph for Kimmons Junior High for their dance and cheer teams. I鈥檓 working on the cheer team right now. We actually have practice [later this week].鈥�
When asked about what she was learning as a college student, Rollinson noted that diversity and teamwork are at the top of the list.
鈥淚鈥檓 learning diversity,鈥� Rollinson explained. 鈥淵ou have to accept people for who they are, and that鈥檚 something I鈥檝e been learning my whole entire life. Secondly, we learn how to work as a team. We learn leadership skills because we do work out in the community and we do different things. [BSA is] getting ready for our Black History Month program in February.鈥�
鈥淲ith dance team, we鈥檙e getting ready for competition,鈥� Rollinson said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e actually going to Dallas, Texas. I do have to take off work for those days, so I miss days there. But I鈥檓 also a dance choreographer, and they pay me for that. So it kind of balances out.鈥�
She summed up what her college experience has taught her in four words: 鈥淭ime management is crazy.鈥�
However, Rollinson doesn鈥檛 let her full calendar curb her enthusiasm. Pom Squad won third place in competition last year, and she鈥檚 been encouraged to extend that enthusiasm to her other teams.
鈥淚t was pretty great,鈥� Rollinson said. 鈥淚 liked it because it was my first competition ever. I didn鈥檛 know what to expect. It was a great experience. I loved it. So I鈥檓 actually taking Kimmons to competition this year. I鈥檓 taking them to Tulsa in April.鈥�
Rollinson explains that, because 妻友社区 is a smaller school, she feels like she can make a bigger difference.
鈥淚t鈥檚 true,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome of my girls right now are like, 鈥極h, so you鈥檙e doing dance, and you鈥檙e going to college, and you鈥檙e dancing there? Wow!鈥� So they see what you鈥檙e doing, and they want to go above and beyond what you did. [鈥 Always think like that. Go above. [鈥 Show them you can do whatever you put your mind to; you don鈥檛 have to do just one thing.鈥�
Rollinson may seem extremely busy, but she loves it all.
鈥淢ost of them think that just because you do the Pom Squad you can鈥檛 do the other activities on the side,鈥� she explained. 鈥淧om is a full-time job. You do have to be dedicated and put everything into it.鈥�
But Rollinson believes you can have it all, and she wants those who see her to believe so as well.
鈥淟ike at the Boys & Girls Club,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think if people show that you can make a difference, it helps. Coming into college is like another ball game [for them]. It helps when they have people in front of them trying to be an inspiration or role model to them.鈥�
Rollinson said that being a role model is her favorite form of involvement. She explained that wherever she is involved, she can make a make an impact.
鈥淚 am a role model for my little girls and my junior high girls,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 am also taking over an organization called Smart Girls for the Boys and Girls Club. We get different ages to come together so they can learn leadership. And with BSA and them going together, it shows me that being in this organization [鈥 is a thing we do to help the community. Maybe I can get my little girls involved.鈥�
True to form, Rollinson鈥檚 involvement doesn鈥檛 stop there. She wants to include as many people in the community as possible.
鈥淎long with 妻友社区,鈥� she went on, 鈥淚 try to get the Pom Squad involved with things we do with BSA. For Black History Month, I have my little girls coming to dance.鈥�
Without hesitation, Rollinson credits her determination to her mother.
鈥淢y mom did a great job,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he was a single mom. She was always the one to push us to do better than she did. She gave us freedom. We had to get things done, and we had free time, but she made sure we got [our things] done [first]. I thank her for that.鈥�
Rollinson went on to say that her mother was the one who got her involved with the dance team at the Boys & Girls Club, and she believes that her different background contributes to the increasing diversity of the Pom Squad.
鈥淚 started dancing [there] when I was 6,鈥� Rollinson said. 鈥淪o I think that shows that the Pom Squad wants to be a more diverse squad. Most of them are studio dancers. I never had an opportunity to do studio dancing because it was too expensive. We鈥檝e had people come up and say that they were happy to have different races in the Pom Squad. They just stopped us out of nowhere. Hopefully next year they will have more of a range of diversity.鈥�
Rollinson is majoring in elementary education, a major which requires participation in an internship as a senior. She hopes to intern at Spradling Elementary, the school she attended as a child, in an effort to give back to the school that first gave to her.
鈥淚 am [looking forward to it],鈥� Rollinson said when asked about her future. 鈥淚 do want to stay in Fort Smith after I graduate so I can give back to the community I came from. [鈥 I will eventually leave Fort Smith because there are other children to give back to in other places, too. I will come back because it鈥檚 my home town. Love your hometown.鈥�
Her goals for the future are as varied and involved as her current activities.
鈥淚 may want a dance studio,鈥� she contemplated. 鈥淢y dance coach in junior high wants me to come back to Kimmons and teach there. I might come back and be an assistant for her.鈥�