Ouachita Stories

I remember the first time I had to go to a tutor.  I was 6 years old, a first-grader, and I was struggling with reading.  Ultimately, I would be addressed as a student who was well behind on his reading level, and I was placed in an afterschool tutoring program.  For a semester, Mrs. Lawhon, who was actually my kindergarten teacher, tutored me and four other students in English.  By the end of that time, I had become a proficient first grade reader.

Fourteen years later, I was sitting at a dinner table in a banquet room of the Walker Conference Center of Ouachita Baptist University.  I was at the yearly Elrod Center service awards banquet, and Mrs. Leigh Anne McKinney was recognizing her America Counts and Reads tutors.  I had never heard of these programs before, but as she described what her students did, I thought back to when I was that student that needed help.  When the dinner ended, I found Mrs. McKinney, and I informally asked her if I could become an America Counts tutor.

The following fall, I met the two third graders I would tutor.  Their names were Angel and Jacob.  I would tutor them separately three times a week for 30 minutes, and our main focus was arithmetic.  After one semester, I had fallen in love with this form of service.  I felt that I was really making a lasting, positive impact on their lives.  I was helping Angel and Jacob learn skills that they could use for the rest of their lives.  One of my favorite memories of that year was when Angel asked me, “Why does this peppermint melt in my mouth?”  which brought out the biology major in me. And of course, I answered the question with a smile on my face.  I was so happy that she was examining the world around her and questioning how it works.  When the school year ended, it marked the end of my first year as an America Counts tutor and my last year as an Elderserver.

When I came to Ouachita in the fall of 2011, my then girlfriend and now fiance, Kaitlin Williams, was a member of Elderserve, and she encouraged me to join. Taking her advice, I did, and I started to visit an elder at Twin Rivers Nursing Home who was known to all as Bubba.  Mr. Bubba was a big burly man.  He was as tall as I am sitting down and even taller standing up.  I would visit him once a week for about an hour a time during which we would just talk.  I loved nothing more than telling him a story and at the end hearing his big, booming laugh.  A year and a half later in the days before the beginning of the spring semester, I was at Wal-Mart when a stranger approached me.  I soon realized that it was a Twin Rivers worker, and he asked me if I was the guy who visited Mr. Bubba.  I told him I was, and he began to tell me that Mr. Bubba had passed over winter break.  It was a sad day for me, but I knew that Mr. Bubba would want me to keep visiting an elder.

Later that week I told Mrs. Duvall, the Elder Serve coordinator, that my elder had passed, and she produced a list of new elders for me to visit.  I remember the day I went to the nursing home again for the first time.  As Kaitlin and I walked in, I was looking at the small white piece of paper Mrs. Duvall had given to me. It had about five names and room numbers written on it.  I knew nothing about any of them, and I on a whim choose to visit the one that was closest to the entrance of the nursing home.  I walked into the room of Mr. Jimmy Butler, and I asked him if I could visit with him.  He gladly accepted and our friendship began.

Mr. Jimmy was a smoker, so most of our visits took place on the side entrance of the nursing home where two lawn chairs and a cigarette canister were.  Mr. Jimmy knew our regular visiting time, and he would often be outside waiting for me.  So, I made it a habit to walk that way, and if he was sitting there waiting, he would shout at me from across the lot, “Hey buddy what are you doing!” When I would finally get to him, he would give me a strong handshake and say,  “It’s good to see ya buddy!”  But over the summer of my junior year, Mr. Jimmy would pass, and I would never hear that joyful greeting again.  My time as an Elderserver was bittersweet.  I had the opportunity to bring some joy to the lives of two great individuals, and during that time, I learned an invaluable lesson.  I realized that in my life I am surrounded by people. Many of which I can call good friends, and by visiting Mr. Bubba and Mr. Jimmy, I realized that this is not a reality for everyone.  I gained a new perspective that made me appreciate the friends I had more and compelled me to be a friend to more people.

When I look back at my time at Ouachita, I will undoubtedly think of the time I spent with the most unlikely of people, my elders and students.  I never would have thought that going to visit with Mr. Bubba would project me down a path that would help me grow to be a more compassionate individual.  As my graduation approaches, I know that Ouachita has helped me grow not only as a scholar, but also as a Christian.  And I can’t help but think of those who helped guide me down that path: Judy Duvall, Leigh Anne McKinney, and Kaitlin Williams.

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By Joel Ubeda, senior Biology major