THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WRITING: STAFF SPOTLIGHT ON ANGELITA MARIE FALLER

Angelita Marie Faller has impacted hundreds of students’ lives all from clicks on articles.

She’s the woman behind every press release or article about all of UA Little Rock’s students, faculty and alumni. She loves finding the “untold stories” of UA Little Rock, but Faller herself is one of those.

Faller, the news director at UALR and a freelance writer, grew up in a small town in Illinois that was “very different from Little Rock,” with three older brothers and jokingly, “around 150 cousins.” Faller was close with her family and grew up very active, attending large family gatherings from a young age, and being very involved in her high school, probably a part of more than half the clubs her school offered, Faller said.

Although she was a member in more clubs than one can count, Faller knew as early as 10 years old that she wanted to be a journalist. She even started a neighborhood newspaper with a few childhood friends and was able to “circulate a few copies,” even as a child.

By high school, she was already a reporter at her hometown paper, the Newton Press Mentor, which sadly closed just last year, covering high school sports. She was also the photo editor for her high school yearbook.

Wherever Faller goes, busy follows. She attributes this largely to her involved childhood, and says it has followed her into adulthood. In addition to her work and community involvement, Faller is still close with her family, especially her nieces and nephews, who you can see as soon as you walk into her office.

Education-wise, Faller started at community college. She then moved onto Eastern Illinois University for her bachelor’s degree, then Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for her master’s.

Of course, she wasn’t just doing school. Faller was a part of the famous Disney World Internship in Florida, and then the Americorps in Washington state as an outreach intern. She worked as a teaching assistant at Ball State and was very involved with the school.

She then moved onto Ohio University; at the time, she wanted to become a professor. At one point after her third year, her graduate assistant work ran out and she was working 50 hours a week to stay in school on top of her other responsibilities.

While many may not have bothered, Faller is a proponent of “lifelong learning,” and though she did not finish her dissertation, she still continues to prioritize learning in her life.

Lifelong learner indeed, Faller has multiple certifications and enjoys taking classes in her spare time, whether it be cooking classes at Pulaski Tech or earning her drone license from the FAA, she is firm in her belief that “education is powerful.”

After Ohio State, she started work at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana, then came to UALR in 2016, where she has been making a difference ever since.

Perhaps one of her most impactful moments at UALR is starting the Women To Watch program a few years ago, where in celebration of Women’s History Month in March, she profiles women in leadership positions who are making a difference on campus and in the community. What may seem like another profile is so much more to women, and Faller is actively uplifting the women in her community. Not only does she work on the Women to Watch program, but she is also the at-large scholarship chair and membership director for the Arkansas Press Women foundation.

She wants to “inspire young women to know they can do anything,” and Faller is the perfect example of that. She puts 100% into everything she does, which is quite a lot, and takes it all in stride while also uplifting others. She’s also won multiple awards for her work.

Faller said her parents raised her to believe “volunteering is a public duty,” and that she still prioritizes volunteerism today. Her long list of accomplishments isn’t limited to being on the MacArthur Military History Museum commission, or holding multiple leadership roles in the UALR staff senate, including president, but it all does connect to her love of community and people.

First and foremost, Faller is a people person. Her favorite part of her job is when she tells the untold stories of people in her articles. “It’s important to recognize people,” Faller said, and that many times, she will hear interviewees say they never thought they would be interviewed, something Faller repeated back to me when I told her I wanted to profile her.

Faller loves the stories that will surprise people, and hers is one of them. She’s always writing about us, but behind the words is somebody deeply ingrained and integral to our community.

BY CHLOE MCGEHEE