Few organizations match the worldwide prestige of the National Geographic Society, the group that has inspired generations of people to explore cultures, history and science. Now, one 51��¥ alumna is helping to make sure its vast collection of unpublished photographs are available online for future generations.

Captured during expeditions around the world, the National Geographic Society has some 12 million photographs in its archives. Julie McVey ’11, the archival manager of the National Geographic Society’s Digital Preservation Initiative Project, leads the team digitizing this content for preservation.

“The project’s biggest goal is to get those photos out to the world in a respectful and thoughtful way, so people can more deeply connect with one another, our planet and everything that’s in it,” she said. “I really think that this is great for everybody.”

McVey and her team of archivists are responsible for digitizing an array of archival materials: prints, film negatives, maps and scrapbooks. From photos in the collection dating to the 1860s to millions of Kodachrome slides, these digital copies serve to preserve and create unprecedented access to the archives.

The volume of content means that not everything will be available online, but McVey and her team will digitize as much as they can. They are also soliciting funding to make more images available. For example, the team earned a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize and conserve a collection of early color photographs in the form of 15,000 glass plates.

The Beebe, Arkansas, native traces her interest in the past to an early love of ancient civilizations. One moment, she read all she could about the Egyptians; the next, she moved onto the Greeks. McVey came to UCA in 2007 as a Schedler Honors College scholar to study anthropology. But once on campus, she discovered an unexpected interest in the digital humanities and switched her major to history.

After graduation, she took advantage of UCA’s career networking opportunities and earned an internship at the Clinton Foundation that exposed her to Arkansas’s public history field. She then landed a position at the Mosaic Templar’s’ Cultural Center in Little Rock, which allowed her to push local institutions to think boldly about how to pivot to online collections. After relocating to Washington, D.C., she joined the Library of Congress to create metadata — a set of information that describes and interprets the images to help users find them — for United States Supreme Court documents, increasing access to cases for legal scholars.

“Julie excelled in her internship at the Clinton Library, developing educational programs and projects for college students,” said Kimberly Little, a lecturer in the UCA Department of History. “Her work ethic and academic curiosity make her an excellent example for current students and alumni.”

In the decade since graduation, McVey has witnessed huge leaps in technology, especially in the evolution of scanning equipment and in the opportunities to store more content online. The National Geographic Society is exploring ways to use artificial intelligence software to generate metadata which frees archivists for other tasks.

As far apart as antiquities and modern technology may be, McVey appreciates how the field has grown to consider the ethics and stewardship of collections. Historically, explorers and historians often acquired material without respect to the dignity of the communities with whom they were engaging.

“Many early explorers would travel to places and take photographs with an already formed narrative about how they wanted to introduce a community to the world,” she said. “And often they did not ask questions to anyone on the ground to learn about their lives.”

McVey says that her time in the Schedler Honors College influenced her sense of ethics, as it provided a unique, personal environment that focused on sharing ideas and developing citizen scholars.

“The Honors College facilitated relationship building and helped us be able to talk honestly and openly to one another,” she says. “Especially in this day and age, that’s a valuable skill as most of our interactions are online.”

Along with sharing these stories with a broader audience, McVey has valued the opportunity to reframe a lot of the narratives gathered in the past.

“It’s been a great experience, and my career is a lot more technical than I expected it to be,” she said. “I feel like UCA primed me to share these resources digitally for everyone to experience.”

As the confetti floated through the air and mingled with the cheers ringing from the audience, Ebony Mitchell ’19 walked to the front of the Robinson Center stage in Little Rock. A crown glittered atop her head and a satin sash draped over her shoulder.

Mitchell had just been crowned as the 84th Miss Arkansas and was understandably savoring the moment.

“It was the most indescribable feeling,” Mitchell said. “I’ve watched the Miss Arkansas pageant since I was five years old. I’ve dreamed of having my own crowning moment. And when they called my name, it was just a mix of emotions. I was so thankful and grateful but also proud of the work I had put in to make it to that point. Plus, I was just so excited about the year to come.”

Mitchell’s journey to the Miss Arkansas summit began as a young girl in Harrison, Arkansas. She entered a local pageant and delighted in dressing up and performing on stage. But it was later that year after meeting Eudora Mosby ’04 (now Eudora Evans), then the reigning Miss Arkansas and just the second African American woman to wear the crown, that Mitchell really began to dream big.

“I enjoyed that first pageant. Then Miss Arkansas came to my school,” Mitchell said. “I had never seen someone who looks like me in a position like that. I knew who she was but I didn’t realize how much of an impact she would have on me until I saw her in person. It was like a light switch went on in my head. I knew I wanted to be Miss Arkansas.”

She continued to participate in pageants throughout her childhood, but as a teenager, her journey changed course. She put her pageant pursuits on hold to focus on cheerleading and sports, in hopes of earning a college scholarship. That focus paid off when she earned a cheerleading scholarship to attend UCA.

But seeing a fellow Arkansan, Savvy Shields, capture the Miss America title in 2017 reminded her just how much she missed the pageant stage and reignited her dream to be named Miss Arkansas.

With her ambition rekindled, Mitchell decided to enter the Miss UCA competition and captured the crown her senior year. In a college career that included being named captain of the UCA cheerleading team and earning a degree in marketing, serving as Miss UCA was unquestionably a highlight.

“I love UCA and I loved my time as Miss UCA,” Mitchell said. “They have the best support system for their queen. They almost treat you like you’re Miss Arkansas. Plus, President Davis and his wife Jenny are both so supportive. I would be Miss UCA every year if I could.”

Success in the 2019 Miss UCA event earned her a spot on the statewide stage for the third consecutive year. She finished in the Top 15 that year, her first time as a semi-finalist. There was no competition in 2020, but she earned first runner-up honors in 2021 before ascending to the top spot in 2022.

Mitchell’s year as Miss Arkansas will be a busy one. She’ll represent the state during a variety of events and activities. And there will be school visits and meetings with state officials, where she’ll promote her personal platform, A Responsible Digital You, which aims to teach children about online safety.

“I really want to spread awareness about online and digital safety throughout the state,” Mitchell said. “I first got onto Facebook when I was in seventh grade and I was posting things like my phone number and my address. I was young and just didn’t understand how social media worked. My goal is to talk to kids of all ages and let them know how to be safe when they’re online.”

Not long after being crowned, Mitchell ’19 got a congratulatory message from Mosby. The two met for lunch, where Miss Arkansas 2005 gifted Miss Arkansas 2022 a pair of designer shoes to wear during the Miss America competition.

“I had not talked to or seen Eudora since 2005, when I was nine, and spending time with her after so many years was incredible,” Mitchell said. “She was just as amazing as I remembered. She was an inspiration to me and I hope that I’m able to have that same type of impact on kids today.”

While earning the title of Miss Arkansas was the culmination of a long-held dream, it’s also another step towards her ultimate aspiration: being chosen Miss America 2023. Looking ahead to the national competition brings back many of the same emotions she felt on that Little Rock stage this past summer.

“Being Miss Arkansas has been a dream. It’s been a long journey to get here but an incredible one,” Mitchell said. “At times, I really can’t believe I’m going to compete in Miss America. I’m excited about the opportunity, though, and I’m going to try my hardest to bring the Miss America crown back to Arkansas.”