There is an Arkansas Film commission. Someone there may be able to give you some advice. There is a whole genre of iPhone movies, or any cheap camera and tripod (just be sure to get a remote lavalier mic).
You would get a scholarship to any summer program where you apply (from a non-profit school). Find the best you can and apply to it. Does Emerson (LA’s new campus, for example) have one?
You really need those 2 things- some BIG project with some little ones, and ACTs above the 33 mark. That’s totally do-able, and you could be competitive. Especially if you could target a Film Festival (animation at the Sundance, anyone?).
Coming from humble beginnings and overcoming the odds really does give you an admissions advantage. Also, “Where the Red Fern Grows” was filmed just over the western border, in Cherokee & Adair Counties, OK. Many stories would be great set in AR- August, Osage County, Old Yeller, To Kill A Mockingbird, a live remake of Avatar, or any that are not location-specific.