Ouachita Stories

On March 5, Ouachita Baptist University’s Upward Bound program will host Senior Saturday, a semi-annual event that invites high school seniors and their families to learn about college and the attainability of a postsecondary education. The day will focus more specifically on teaching students about the college application process and financial aid. The event will be held in McClellan Hall 100 and will begin at 10 a.m.

Established in 1966, OBU’s Upward Bound program, a federally-funded TRIO program, reaches out to 15 school districts throughout southwest Arkansas and targets students in a low-income demographic or those whose parents did not attain postsecondary education.

“Our purpose is to serve students who are underserved,” Terrence Carter said, “and make college a tradition in these families.” Carter serves as director of Ouachita’s Upward Bound program.

Participants in the program are invited to campus year-round for workshops and to attend major campus events such as Tiger Tunes and Festival of Christmas. “The students also attend the Upward Bound summer component,” Carter explained, “offering a six-week residential camp where participants attend classes, live in the dorms and participate in other activities on the campus of Ouachita.”

Through the program, students are able to become familiar not only with Ouachita’s campus but with university culture in general.

Carter said he expects a great turnout for Senior Saturday this year and hopes to add some new students to the OBU community in the future.

For more information about Upward Bound, contact Terrence Carter at [email protected].

By Breanne Goodrum