Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Upward Bound program will host a workshop Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m.-12 noon. It is the first of several workshops that the program will host throughout the school year.

“Our students are the first in their families to receive a college degree, or have financial need and live in rural areas within the Southwest region of Arkansas,” said Terrance Carter, director of OBU’s Upward Bound program. “They are involved because they are excellent students who need social, cultural and academic support to prepare for college and a world beyond their towns.”

The program began with the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, a response to the federal government’s War on Poverty. It was introduced to Ouachita’s campus in 1966. Upward Bound assists students by means of tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment, work-study programs and education or counseling services targeted to improve financial and economic literacy of students.

“Through this program, our staff has seen many students who have lacked the vision and hope of achieving a college degree,” Carter said. “By participating in this program, many students have graduated from college. Our program has seen many Upward Bound alumni become doctors, teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, etc.

“The purpose of a Christian life is to show the love of God in our everyday actions,” Carter added. “The administration, faculty and staff of Ouachita show their love of Christ by the actions they exemplify to our students when they are on campus during the academic year and the summer residential session. Our students feel at home and loved because of this Christ-centered environment.”

While Upward Bound is aimed at helping high school students graduate and go to college, the program continues to impact its participants by offering its services to first-year college students.

“The Upward Bound program helps to develop a love of learning within each student,” Carter said. “These characteristics are created and developed in our students by having the opportunity to live and learn on Ouachita’s campus.”

By Jordan Campbell