Alumni Feature - Donnie Spriggs

Meet Donnie Spriggs. Donnie is a Texarkana area native who graduated from Redwater High School in 2013. Donnie graduated from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 2021 with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree (which has since been reformatted and renamed as the Bachelor of Science in Leadership degree).

Donnie is currently the Director of Food and Beverage for Lost Pizza in Texarkana and has more than 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry and enjoys the work that he does. “I like that I’m always on the go,” Spriggs said. “I enjoy meeting customers and working in a positive environment.” He added that he also enjoys getting to work with younger employees and helping them to develop strong work habits that will benefit them long after they’ve moved on from Lost Pizza. “We hire a lot of younger employees,” he said. “Many of them have very little experience in the workforce. I enjoy getting to help shape and mold them as they gain experience in the workplace.”

Like many who graduated in the early 2020’s Donnie’s college experience was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. “I started out taking all of my classes in person, but Covid shifted everything online,” he said. Donnie said that when his classes were still meeting face-to-face one of his favorite things about the university was that there are a lot of quiet areas where he could enjoy uninterrupted study time.

When asked why he would recommend A&M-Texarkana to someone searching for a university home Donnie replied, “the small class sizes let you really get to know your professors and build one on one relationships with them,” and that “A&M-Texarkana offers so much.”

For more information about Texas A&M University-Texarkana and the Bachelor of Science Degree in Leadership, visit www.tamut.edu/academics or contact Dr. Lisa Myers, Executive Director of the School of Professional Education & Community Engagement at lmyers@tamut.edu.