UA Little Rock Alum, Former Donaghey Scholar Creates Fitness App for U.S. Service Members
Justin Bates
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August 13, 2026
Submitted photo
Curiosity and problem-solving have taken Zach Hicks from the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program to a career as an Air Force physician stationed in Japan. Those same qualities helped him turn a personal setback into a way to help other service members
Four years ago, Hicks failed an Air Force fitness test. When he looked for re clear place to start
Hicks, a Searcy native and 2016 University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate, created a fitness app that puts physical fitness standards for all branches of the U.S. military in one place. Service members can calculate their scores, track progress, and follow training plans tailored to their fitness needs
“Although I believed I was adequately prepared, I fell far short of the requirements,” Hicks said. “At that time, I found that the relear, actionable starting point.”
When the Air Force released new fitness standards in 2026, Hicks decided to build the re
“I wanted to create a tool to support my fellow service members who may be facing the same challenges I encountered,” said Hicks said, who credits his time as a Donaghey Scholar with shaping how he approaches problems
“Zach has always been curious and eager to take advantage of every opportunity, and I think that’s served him well living abroad,” said Dr. Jessica Scott, associate director of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program who remembers Hicks as someone eager to learn and take advantage of new opportunities. “One of the things I remember most about him is his positive attitude toward learning and his instinct to look for solutions.”
Hicks chose UA Little Rock for its chemistry program and undergraduate research opportunities. He enrolled as a chemistry major on the pre-med track and learned about the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program during his freshman year. After being accepted, Hicks extended his studies and earned a second bachelor’s degree in biology
He said the culture of the Donaghey Scholars Program had the greatest impact on him
“I was deeply impressed by a community of individuals, and more importantly leaders, who genuinely cared about students and their unique qualities,” he said. “While we shared a background of impressive academic performance, the program’s dedication to celebrating and encouraging individuality is what truly left a lasting impression.”
The program also gave Hicks an opportunity to study abroad, something he said he likely would not have pursued otherwise, and that international experience continues to serve him, now stationed with the Air Force in Tokyo
“While visiting other countries is valuable, living abroad for an extended period is truly priceless,” he said. “Learning to adapt to other cultures is a universally useful skill that continually improves my experience in the military.”
After UA Little Rock, Hicks continued his path toward becoming a physician and joined the Air Force. The opportunity to graduate from medical school without debt initially attracted him to military service, but the people he has met have inspired him to stay
“It is the exceptional people I work alongside and the individuals I serve daily that have inspired me to continue my career here,” he said
Hicks’ interest in technology grew at UA Little Rock, where his Donaghey Scholars scholarship provided him with a MacBook. Although he didn’t study coding or app development, he later taught himself those skills and released two iOS apps before creating his military fitness app
Hicks found that existing rece members how to improve. His app combines fitness calculators with step-by-step training plans that adjust to a user’s performance and focus on areas that need improvement
“I hope this app provides an intuitive starting point and a clear path for fitness progression,” he said
Hicks also wanted the app to be available to Android users. He taught himself the Kotlin programming language and built an Android version, making it his first app released on the Google Play Store
Learning a new programming language followed a process Hicks honed as a Donaghey Scholar and has used throughout his career: identify a problem, research it, find reliable information, and put that knowledge into practice
“Teaching the foundational skill of not only questioning a solution, but also knowing how to identify high-qualitylows,” Hicks said
Scott said she wasn’t surprised to see Hicks put those skills to use
“I’m not at all surprised he saw a need and used his skills to fill it,” she said
Hicks said the curiosity encouraged during his time as a Donaghey Scholar continues to influence his work
“Curiosity is a powerful catalyst for personal development, an ethos that my time in the Donaghey Program certainly cultivated,” he said. “I consistently seek to understand the people around me and actively look for new ways to expand my knowledge.”
Scott said Hicks represents the kind of well-rounded graduate the program hopes to develop
“I’ve loved watching Zach thrive as a doctor, an artist, a husband and a father,” Scott said. “He’s exactly the kind of well-rounded person we hope our students become. We’re so proud of him and his service.”
To learn more about the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, visit ualr.edu/donagheyscholars
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