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Ouachita Stories

Deborah Root

Commencement marshals 2024
magazine

The Why Behind Our Traditions

February 03, 2026

While we often want to hold on to the comfort of traditions, I think it’s important to ask why they were important to us. What about the behavior do we long to preserve? I often remind students to think beyond the behavior of a tradition and consider the belief behind it. What is it about the tradition that is important? Often, the importance is found in the why.

Naomi Mercer
magazine

Alumni profile: Lt. Col. Naomi Mercer ('94) Building empathy

May 15, 2019

When Lt. Col. Naomi Mercer was a member of ROTC during her college days, she never envisioned a career that would lead her to teaching at West Point, educating women in Iraq and developing human resource strategy at the Pentagon. Mercer’s work has impacted individuals at home and abroad. She recently was awarded the Legion Merit Award after retiring from a 25-year career in the Army.

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