Sparks, a junior majoring in civil and environmental engineering, plans to complete his Master of Business Administration at UofL before relocating to Colorado Springs to work on environmental solutions.

Sparks hails from French Village, Missouri. From 2006 to 2014, he served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. After completing basic training and advanced individual training, his first duty station was Fort McNair, Washington D.C., where he was assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard.  

The Old Guard’s primary role is to conduct funerals in Arlington National Cemetery for active duty, retired, and veteran service members. It also provides flag display backgrounds for press conferences and ceremonies in the Pentagon and Capitol building, and “maintains traditions with the Commander-in-Chiefs’ Guard.”

Sparks performed roles as escort platoon member, full honors firing party member, firing party commander, colors guard member, regimental colors bearer, Arlington Lady escort, and fire team leader.

Memorable moments from his time there include marching in the funeral of President Gerald Ford and serving as an escort at the inauguration of President Obama. He also earned the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Parachutist Badge, and attained the rank of Sergeant.

In 2010, he re-enlisted and was sent to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. While there, he served as a fire team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, MRAP truck commander, and Stryker vehicle commander, earning the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and obtaining the rank of staff sergeant. During a deployment to Kirkuk, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sparks sustained injuries from an improvised explosive device.

Several years passed between separating from the Army and choosing to attend college. After choosing to leave Missouri, he selected the University of Louisville after researching schools with environmental engineering programs in cities with a relatively low cost of living.

As a first-generation student, returning to school after a 16-year break, Sparks said he faced challenges, including navigating the Department of Veteran Affairs’ education benefits system. He credits the UofL Center for Military-Connected Students, particularly VA education benefits manager Carissa Gentry, for supporting his transition.

“She always made time when it was needed,” Sparks said. He says from the first time she helped him work through some bugs in the VA benefits process, to personally handling tasks outside of her scope of work, to being an active listener during a “vent session” – she always went above and beyond.  

UofL is proud to recognize and celebrate Sparks and all members and veterans of the U.S. Army on the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, June 14 of this year.

The university is conferring a total of more than 3,300 degrees and certificates and more than 1,900 students are expected to attend the traditional two commencement ceremonies at the KFC Yum! Center. Interim UofL President Lori Gonzalez will lead both ceremonies, which mark the return of spring commencement exercises to the downtown arena since they were canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last spring, exercises were held outdoors in historic ceremonies at Cardinal Stadium.

Slaw, of Atlanta, served one combat tour in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army and was introduced to UofL when he served at Fort Knox. 

“I knew the school to have an excellent reputation for working with veteran students,” said Slaw, now a captain in the Army Reserve.

He said he will tell his fellow graduates to “remember the little kid inside of you who once dreamed of this day … this is only the beginning!”

In nominating Slaw to be speaker, Crystal Rae Coel, the law school’s assistant dean for student affairs and diversity, called him “one in a million.”

“He is a selfless, never tired, power-through leader with a wealth of knowledge and service,” Coel said. 

Reflecting on his law school experiences, Slaw added he “never expected Covid-19 to be added to the list of struggles one must endure during law school.”

However, he added, “our burdens fail in comparison to those who have lost loved ones during this pandemic.”

Slaw was featured in a recent UofL Magazine story about the longtime partnership between the law school and Louisville’s Central High School. He hopes to be a congressman someday as well as run an equal housing nonprofit. 

Slaw said he valued his experiences as part of the Student Bar Association and the Student Government Association while at UofL.

“They allowed me to learn the inner workings of both student government and collegial administration while serving others,” he said. “This service to others is where the value in the experience can be found.”

The May 14 ceremonies at the KFC Yum! Center will be as follows:

• 10 a.m.: College of Arts & Sciences, Brandeis School of Law, Kent School of Social Work & Family Science, Graduate School, School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and School of Public Health & Information Sciences.
• 3 p.m.: College of Business, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development, School of Music.

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The former star athlete from Anderson, Indiana, had his son during his sophomore year of high school. He joined the Army when he was 19, and after three tours around the globe, Townsend knew he had to take the next step for his son – college. 

“I was very determined to get here, especially being a father at a young age. The goal is always get back home. I did what I had to do but it’s time to make that transition home and be a dad again,” he said. 

Check out Townsend’s story below.