Getting to where you want to go

Last academic year, Ouachita was one of the few universities to provide a fully in-person education. As we prepared for this year, we challenged ourselves to provide all the benefits of a traditional campus experience.

A vision for change energizes DI grad student Latina Robinson

In March 2016, Latina Robinson, a Dietetic Internship graduate student from North Little Rock, Ark., lost her grandmother to Type 2 diabetes—a deadly disease that, according to the Centers for Disease Control, affects 37.3 million people in the United States

A degree of difference: Haylee Cook among Ouachita's first master's cohort in ABA

A couple years out of college, Haylee Cook knew her calling. She just didn’t know what it was called.

From the "Ouachitonian": Wade Wilson

Wade Wilson, a Christian studies major from Springdale, was one of only two sophomores to be selected as a Tiger Tunes Rewind host. Prior to being selected, Wilson loved to sing and play guitar but did not have an outlet to do so. After seeing that sign-ups had opened for Tunes host, several friends encouraged him to take a chance. He decided to try out.

From the "Ouachitonian": Sam Conine

Many students spent quarantine with their eyes glued to the screen, but Sam Conine, a freshman business entrepreneurship major from Little Rock, was on the other side of the camera. Over the summer, Conine wrote, produced, directed and starred in “AEGIS,” the film of his dreams.

From the "Ouachitonian": Emily Watson

One family’s dream to help a country that they do not even live in has encouraged their daughter to lead a life in the same servant-hearted way.

From the "Ouachitonian": Riley Carson

What seemed like the flu for senior Riley Carson, a worship arts major from Springdale, turned into several nights of hospital stays throughout Spring 2020. In late February 2020, Carson went home for several weeks because of what he thought was the flu. After a trip to the emergency room and a negative test result for the flu, Carson was told he could return to Ouachita. However, Carson’s stay on campus did not last long.

From the "Ouachitonian": Dawson Bray

Being in love with the music industry gave Dawson Bray, senior music industry major from Little Rock, the drive to succeed as a musician. Bray decided to spend his pandemic summer in Nashville, Tenn., as an intern at the music label SSM Nashville on Music Row.

From the "Ouachitonian": Drs. Mary Chung and Carlos Feller

Ouachita music professors Mary Chung and Carlos Feller have been traveling the world together for 11 years sharing their love and passion for music by performing and educating others. At a young age, Chung and Feller both found music as their refuge. Chung moved to the Dominican Republic where she encountered a language and culture barrier; she retreated to music as her escape. This led her to enroll at a conservatory where she began to earnestly study music. Feller attended a technical school, a specialized high school, at the age of 15. At that mere age, Feller was living in an apartment alone in Brazil. In an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar faces, music became his rescue in a new and foreign environment.

From the "Ouachitonian": Lindsey Crowder

Learning how to overcome challenges is a skill that some acquire throughout a lifetime. However, for Lindsey Crowder, a senior psychology major from Bentonville, understanding how to face adversity became a way of life at the age of two.

What is autism? What is ABA? Building understanding in Autism Awareness Month

April has traditionally been known worldwide as Autism Awareness Month, and is a time to focus on increasing understanding and awareness of people with autism. In 2021, the Autism Society of America changed the designated terminology to Autism Acceptance Month. Regardless of which name you use, I hope you’ll take time this month to become educated on autism and help to create a more inclusive and accepting world for the autism community. Here is some introductory information to get you started.

When a part-time job feeds a passion and prepares for a career

Hannah Martin, a senior psychology and business administration/management double major from Conway, Ark., always knew she wanted to serve the special needs community. Becoming a registered behavior technician (RBT) as a part-time job while pursuing her undergraduate degree provided her the opportunity to do just this.

From the "Ouachitonian": Dr. Wesley Kluck

After moving back to Arkadelphia, his hometown and town of his alma mater, following his time in medical school and residency, Dr. Wesley Kluck was asked what his dream job was while playing a newlywed game at church.

From the "Ouachitonian": Tyrese Allen

Freshman year of high school included moving from Kansas to Savannah, Georgia, for Tyrese Allen, a senior biology major and student body president. His family packed up their rental car, and all Allen cared about were his clothes and fishing poles. While living in Savannah, in the 10th grade, Allen created a mass college application to hundreds of schools.

From the "Ouachitonian": Sabaoot Esho

Sabaoot Esho, an international student from Erbil, Iraq, made a 6,841-mile trip to small-town Arkadelphia to attend college at Ouachita Baptist University at the mere age of 17. Before moving to America, Esho had only seen Ouachita’s campus through a computer screen. From her first steps on campus, Esho immediately felt welcomed and seemed at home.

From the "Ouachitonian": Elizabeth and Madeline Steely

Most Ouachita students have several different roommates for four years during their time in Arkadelphia, but for twin sisters Elizabeth and Madeline Steely, having a roommate is all they have ever known. The Steely twins have shared a room together for as long as they can remember, and that tradition continued throughout their years at Ouachita.

From the "Ouachitonian": Rickey Rogers Jr.

For Rickey Rogers Jr., a freshman communications and psychology double major from Arkadelphia, Ouachita has always been home. When Rogers was 10 years old, his family moved into O.C. Bailey Hall because of his father’s new position as the Tigers’ wide receiver coach and residence hall director.

From the "Ouachitonian": Caroline Johnson

In the summer of 2020, the United States was a breeding center for historic riots and the battle grounds for a pandemic. While most citizens watched these historic happenings on the news, Caroline Johnson, a sophomore political science major from Springdale, interned in Washington, D.C., aiding the nation’s leaders in a time of crisis.

From the "Ouachitonian": Ben Blocker, Greg Bryant, Sean McKinney and James Renshaw

While most people were stuck in quarantine for the summer, a few students opted to spend their time in the last frontier.

From the "Ouachitonian": Allyson Oliver

With the unknowns that carried into the summer, junior political science and psychology major Allyson Oliver from Conway wondered if the internship she had in place would carry through. She had the privilege to intern in the public affairs office of Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Fortunately, Oliver’s experience was only delayed a month due to the pandemic and was virtual only a portion of the time.