Five A-State Graduates to be Recognized as 2022 Emerging Young Alumni
 Lindsey Bowman |
 Erin Gibson |
 Bethany Hines |
 Tyler Vanderpool |
 |
 Dr. Mark Wiggins |
JONESBORO – The 2022 recipients of the Emerging Young Alumni Award at Arkansas State University have been announced by the A-State Alumni Association and Student Philanthropy Council. This is the fourth year of the recognition program for Arkansas State's young alumni.
Individuals designated as Emerging Young Alumni are those who, through their personal participation, have made significant contributions to A-State, their profession or their community.
The five will be recognized at the Emerging Young Alumni Awards luncheon Thursday, Sept. 15, starting at 11:30 a.m. in the Cooper Alumni Center, 2600 Alumni Blvd. Ticket information is online at AStateAlumni.org/EYA22.
Here are brief highlights on the five award recipients for 2022:
Lindsey Bowman
Lindsey Hawkins Bowman, a native of Jonesboro, earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing in 2010. She began her career in bank marketing, worked in nonprofit fundraising, and a private marketing firm in Southern Illinois. Bowman eventually returned to her home state where she worked in real estate sales, but her independent marketing consultant business was growing quickly. After concluding there was a need for a full-service marketing agency in Northeast Arkansas, she started The Polish Agency in 2020.
The company has grown from one to six employees, assisted by interns each semester from the marketing, strategic communication and graphic design programs at A-State. In mid-2021 Polish moved into its newly-renovated building, which features the #polishpinkwall, a backdrop destination for many influencers, photographers and passerby, in downtown Jonesboro. Bowman and her husband, Derek, also an alumnus, are the parents of three daughters.
Erin Gibson
Erin Gibson of Jonesboro graduated in University Honors in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Education in English, then later earned a Master of Science in Education in educational leadership. She has been a classroom teacher since 2013, teaching a variety of grade levels in secondary English, as well as a teacher-leader in her former school district, Riverside High School. This fall, Gibson is transitioning to a different form of instruction by facilitating advanced placement language and composition to students across the state of Arkansas through Virtual Arkansas, a division of Arch Ford Educational Cooperative Services.
She also has served in education in another way, as a breast cancer survivor. She was recognized as a Susan G. Komen Honorary Survivor and named as a certified global educator for the Know Your Lemons Foundation, as well as volunteering with the St. Bernards Women's Council. Gibson and her husband Ryan, also an alumnus, have a daughter.
Bethany Hines
Bethany Hines, who lives in New York City, is a producer for CNN Special Projects, focusing on sponsored content for television and digital platforms. She began her career in journalism at KAIT-TV in Jonesboro. After joining CNN in 2012, she worked on a variety of shows, including Morning Express with Robin Meade and Weekend Express. She also produced for past HLN programs, including ‘Dr. Drew on Call,” “Raising America with Kyra Philips,” and “HLN After Dark.”
Hines earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in comunication studies with a minor in radio-television in 2011 and a Master of Arts in communication studies in 2012. In addition to her love for journalism, Hines is passionate about music, singing with bands in Atlanta and New York. She also is a children’s book author, adjunct professor for The City University of New York, and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Tyler Vanderpool
Tyler C. Vanderpool of Los Angeles is a trial attorney with the law firm of Rosen Saba, LLP. He primarily represents individuals and corporate clients in personal injury, labor and employment, class action, entertainment and business disputes. Consistently recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine, he recently was named as one of this year’s “Up and Coming 100” attorneys in Southern California. In 2020, Tyler obtained a record-setting $25.6 million-dollar jury verdict on behalf of a teenager who was severely injured in a city-owned crosswalk.
A native of Jacksonville, Vanderpool earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 2007, followed by a Master of Arts in communication studies in 2008, all at A-State, where he was on the award-winning debate team. He obtained his law degree from Loyola Law School. He and his wife, Heather, have two sons.
Dr. Mark Wiggins
Mark Wiggins earned a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish in 2007 before completing Air Force Officer Training School. After graduation from UAMS College of Medicine in 2011, Capt. Wiggins completed a residency in family medicine at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in 2014, and was assigned as a C-130J flight surgeon at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Capt. Wiggins deployed to Niamey, Niger, and was awarded Flight Surgeon of the Year for U.S. Air Forces in Europe in 2016, He promoted to major and was assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base, where he completed his service, earning an Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and Air Force Meritorious Service Medal. Dr. Wiggins began practicing with St. Bernards First Care in Jonesboro and is a clinical preceptor for NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. He and his wife, Sandra, have three children.
