National Park College (NPC) announced Audra Larsen as the February student of the
month. She is a student in the NPC Criminal Justice program.
Larsen grew up in Little Rock and graduated from Robinson High School. She moved to
Hot Springs in May 2016. She enrolled at NPC in the fall of 2018 and has since focused
on her education, internships, work studies, and serving the community.
Larsen planned to pursue a career in the medical field, but decided Criminal Justice
was her passion after taking a few courses. She observed that the criminal justice
system often falls short when it comes to rehabilitation of offenders, which in turn
results in a higher recidivism rate.
“What I would like to do is work with other attorneys and prosecutors and try to figure
out a way to bring rehabilitation back into focus,” said Larsen. “If we were able
to resolve those underlying issues with these individuals, that just might be what
they need to get on the right track and start a different way of life.” She believes
people will be more likely to make better choices if they are taught how. “I’ve seen
people that have been in those situations turn their lives around and all they really
needed was a little bit of help and guidance.”
Larsen plans to finish her coursework at NPC and transfer to the University of Arkansas
Fort Smith. She plans to take her classes online so she can still remain close to
the NPC campus. “I instantly felt welcome and accepted, and they were interested in
helping me succeed, not another student on the books, and that’s been a huge factor
in my grades,” she said. She hopes to continue using the help of the instructors she
credits for her academic success.
Larsen completed an internship and transferred to a work study position with Angela
Echols, Managing Attorney for Accessible Legal Services. “Audra Larsen has been an
intern and student worker at our law firm for approximately six months, and she has
shown to have exceptional aptitude and knowledge. She has a very strong desire to
learn, and she has embraced this learning opportunity at our law firm to the fullest.
As a result, we feel as if she will be successful in all of her future endeavors.
We are grateful that National Park College has these learning opportunities for its
students,” said Echols. In addition to her work study position and maintaining a 4.0
GPA, Larsen also makes time to volunteer in the community.
