2025 Grads Swafford, Mawoko Join University

A pair of recent University of the Ozarks graduates have joined the University in January as new staff members.

Raegan Swafford, a Spring 2025 graduate, has been named the writing specialist in the Jones Learning Center. Her first day was Jan. 12.

Asa Mawoko, who graduated last month during the Fall 2025 Commencement has been named a staff accountant in the Office of Administrative Services. He will begin on Jan. 19.

Swafford, from Van Buren, Ark., graduated with majors in English and Psychology and with Summa Cum Laude honors. She was selected as the University 2025 Hurie Award recipient, given to the outstanding member of the senior class. She was named the Outstanding Student in English in 2025 and in 2023 won the University's Project Poet competition.

"I'm excited to join the Jones Learning Center as a writing specialist because it allows me to support students as they develop confidence in their academic voices," Swafford said. "The JLC's emphasis on individualized learning and student success strongly aligns with my own passion for collaborative, student-centered education."

Swafford called her time at Ozarks "deeply rewarding."

"The close-knit campus community and supportive faculty helped shape my academic growth and encouraged me to pursue meaningful opportunities," she said.

Outside of work, Swafford enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and volunteering at her church in Van Buren. "I value activities that allow me to recharge creatively and stay connected to my community," she said.

Mawoko, a native of Zimbabwe, earned a degree in accounting from Ozarks with Summa Cum Laude honors.

He was named the Outstanding Student in Accounting in 2025 and was actively involved in the University's music program as a baritone soloist and a bass. He also served as a student tutor, an Ozarks Experience mentor, and as a data intern for the International Student Program.

"Joining University of the Ozarks full-time is both an honor and a full-circle moment for me," Mawoko said. "This institution provided the education I dreamed of from a young age, and it feels only right to give back to a place that invested so deeply in my growth. Experiencing Ozarks from both a student and staff perspective is meaningful-what I did not learn as a student, I now have the opportunity to learn as a professional, guided by the same people who believed in me, supported me, and helped shape who I am today."

Mowoko said his experience as a student at Ozarks was "a journey of self-discovery filled with challenges, growth, and meaningful moments-from demanding exams and late nights in the library to conversations at Starbucks, rainy walks across campus, sunny lake days with Ozarks Outdoors, and reflective moments in the chapel pews. Along the way, I formed friendships-some that lasted days, months, others years, and others that will last a lifetime. Each experience played a role in writing my Ozarks story."

Outside of work, Mawoko is an avid soccer enthusiast with a strong passion for music, "particularly singing and listening across a wide range of genres." He has also recently taken up hiking.

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