Fast 15: Haley Vincent

Haley Vincent’s work as a scholarship program manager at Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas (SPSF) “fills her cup.” Working with single parents in Benton and Carroll counties, she makes sure they have the resources they need while in school, offers career services and provides support to help them be successful. “The job fills my desire to do meaningful, impactful work that makes a difference in people’s lives,” she said. The highlight for her is watching single parents go from fear and nerves to “watching them graduate and be successful.”

Growing up in poverty, Vincent is the first in her family to graduate from college. “I want to make my family proud; they’ve sacrificed a lot for me,” she said. “It’s important to me to work hard and break the generational cycles that have held my family back. It’s about creating a foundation that my kids and future generations can build upon.” Vincent went into social work because she has benefitted from it and wants to give back for the help she’s been given.

From Bismarck, her first job as a dishwasher at a pizza restaurant laid a foundation for her strong work ethic and gave her money to buy her first car. SPSF hired her as a full-time administrative specialist after an internship in the summer of 2022, promoting her to her current role in November 2023.

Currently a student at the University of Arkansas, Vincent graduates in May with a social work major and a minor in substance use disorders. She’ll immediately begin graduate work, planning to finish a master’s degree in social work in May 2025, after which she plans to earn her licensed certified social worker (LCSW) certification.

With a goal to eventually work with veterans, Vincent has been in the Arkansas Army National Guard for seven years and was deployed to the last presidential inauguration.

Motivated to serve her community and make a difference in people’s lives, Vincent volunteers with Canopy, CASA, and NWA Harm Reduction. She’s also the student representative for the Inclusive Excellence Committee at the University of Arkansas School of Social Work and for the Arkansas chapter’s board of the National Association of Social Work.

Vincent plays pickleball, hangs out with friends and loves trying new restaurants with her boyfriend.