Ouachita Stories

Previously published in the 2018 Ouachitonian yearbook. 

Graduating high school, shopping for dorm items and preparing to leave the place they have always called home was a commonly shared experience by many incoming college freshmen. However, Stephanie Weatherford, a freshman social justice studies major from Flower Mound, Texas, had a different freshman year story than most.

“Some people take a gap year, but I guess I took three,” she said. “I graduated high school in 2014 and really didn’t think I was going to pursue college, mainly because I had no idea what I wanted to study.”

In the meantime, Weatherford completed two internships, one at her local church and one at her uncle’s church in Texarkana, and spent half of a year doing mission work in Guatemala. At the time, she was considering ministry as a career, but was ultimately battling feelings of unsureness about her future.

“Right before I came to Ouachita, I had moved back home in order to take a break and think about what was next,” said Weatherford.

Like many other students, her final decision to come to Ouachita was influenced by alumni and faculty.

“I can’t tell you how many people I know or have worked with the past few years that have been Ouachita grads,” she said. “I had heard such great things about the community here and how much the faculty cares for the students.”

“But ultimately what had the most influence was a conversation I had with Dr. Eubanks at early registration. I told him I still wasn’t sure about coming to Ouachita, mainly because I had no idea what I wanted to study and how I would use a degree,” she said. “He reminded me of the freedom God gives us to make decisions, and there really isn’t a wrong choice so long as we are remaining obedient to Him.”

Through such counseling from professors and courses she took in the Sutton School of Social Sciences, Weatherford determined that she wanted to study social justice. However, she noted that what she received from her professors was so much more than an education. She also had a new desire to grow in compassion and take what she learned in the classroom and apply it to her future career.

“Something I try to keep in mind is that learning should never be for the sake of learning,” she said. “The information we obtain should be used to better ourselves and our communities.”

By Gabby Davis

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