DARDANELLE, Ark. — Two weeks after earning his emergency management degree from Arkansas Tech University, Cade Schneider returned to campus in order to complete common task for recent graduates.
“I was actually in the office sending out applications and the phone rang,” he said.
Dardanelle Mayor Jimmy Witt was on the other end of the line requesting help from an ATU Department of Emergency Management student.
“I had nothing else going on and I thought ‘why not? It would be good volunteer hours,’” Schneider said.
Schneider says his internship with Mayor Witt has amounted to much more than that. He started off assisting with Witt’s communication, particularly on social media. As the scope of the disaster widened, he began actively participating in the mitigation efforts.
“He's [had] an experience with this that money can't buy, and that you may go 20 years with an emergency management degree and never get the experience,” Witt said. “This is a major disaster.”
Schneider developed social media posts that provided citizens with critical information. He also managed the flow of information going to and coming from the mayor’s office by ensuring that Witt was able to reach the most critical personnel at the most critical times.
“He got to be a part of the thinking process and the entire brainstorming and planning and preparation, the frustration; he got to be a part of all of it,” Witt said.
Dr. Sandy Smith, head of ATU’s Department of Emergency Management, says Schneider’s response speaks to the program’s mission.
“It's a wonderful gift to be a community partner, and it's a wonderful gift to have partners who know we exist and to call upon us and our students,” she said.
As Dardanelle continues its recovery, Schneider continues his work in the mayor’s office - the beginning of a career he intends to use as a platform for serving others.
“You're helping people when they're most vulnerable, when they need it the most. That's what this flood has really shown,” said Schneider.