Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University will co-host Girls of Promise on Saturday, April 14, on the two university campuses. Workshops will be held in the Garrison Center on the Henderson campus and a luncheon and “Speaker Extravaganza” expo will be held in Jones Science Center at Ouachita.

Girls of Promise is held in partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, a non-profit organization that provides educational and economic opportunities for women and girls. The conference offers an opportunity for eighth-grade girls to learn about careers in economics, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They also have the opportunity to associate with personal and professional role models throughout the event.

Ouachita participants on the program include Stacy Freeman, associate professor of dietetics, who will lead a workshop on her research about eating disorders; Macy Buchanan, a senior speech communication and mass communications major from Hallsville, Texas, who will emcee a general session; and Miss Arkansas Kristen Glover, a 2011 Ouachita graduate, who will share an inspirational message. The conference also will feature a keynote address by Dr. Michele Moss, professor and vice chairman of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

“Girls of Promise is going to benefit the eighth-grade girls by showing them all the cool stuff that they can do when they grow up and giving them the opportunity to interact with women they can look to as role models,” explained Dr. Sara Hubbard, OBU assistant professor of chemistry and a member of the planning committee. She said it also benefits Ouachita students who volunteer for the event, providing them the opportunity to interact with women in their fields of interest.

“These volunteers are also getting the chance to talk to these young girls about their life plans and to serve as role models who are on the path to a career in a similar field they might want to pursue as well,” Hubbard said.

With this being the first year the Women’s Foundation has offered the Girls of Promise event in south Arkansas, Ouachita and Henderson were provided the opportunity to team up to coordinate the event.

“This allows us to share the load of cost and time more easily,” Hubbard noted. “Also, since we are in the unique situation of having two schools right across the street from each other, this allows both institutions to reach out to girls in the area to showcase both Arkadelphia schools.”

The committee, made up of Ouachita and Henderson faculty members involved in science and mathematics, seeks to encourage girls to consider pursuing an education rooted in ESTEM (Economics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

“One outcome we hope to achieve is helping the eighth-grade girls to see that there are many different, exciting jobs available for them to participate in,” Hubbard said, “and that choosing to follow a career path in these fields does not mean that you can’t also be a cool person with a fun job.”

In addition to Hubbard, other Ouachita members on the committee include Dr. Merribeth Bruning, dean of the Huckabee School of Education and professor of education; Misti Clark, assistant professor of math and computer science; Dr. Kayla Dwelle, assistant professor of mathematics; Dr. Lori Hensley, associate professor of biology; and Dr. Ruth Plymale, assistant professor of biology.

For more information about the Girls of Promise conference, contact Sara Hubbard at [email protected] or 870-245-5533 or visit www.womensfoundationarkansas.org/girlsofpromise.html.

By Breanne Goodrum