Ouachita Homecoming Snack Mix

Today is Homecoming at my beloved Ouachita. And this year looks a little different. Usually, by now I’ve picked out the perfect picture worthy outfits and bought my Tiger Tunes and football game tickets. But, none of those things are happening this year. 

But, it’s ok. Fall festivities have looked a little different with everything but in true Ouachita fashion there was an alternative plan and tonight we will still get to watch Tiger Tunes REWIND and donate money for student scholarships instead of being picture-perfect ready for the Ouachita runway, I’ll probably have Taco Bell or pizza and sit on my own comfy couch and not have to listen to people yell through the whole thing. 

If you are new around here, let me introduce you to my favorite place on earth. Just over 20 years ago I found out about this top-ranked college in South Arkansas that had a small student-teacher ratio, was known as a good investment, and was churning out people who were making a difference in the world. I was not really excited about going to college in Arkansas because I had never been and didn’t know a soul. But, one visit to 71998 and everything changed for me. 

I met the nicest, friendliest, genuinely interested in you kind of people. I found a college on the edge of a river in the most beautiful surrounding. And, while I didn’t appreciate it at the time, it’s settled in a town that Hallmark movie plots are dreaming of. 

Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas

It holds the spot as my most favorite place on earth side by side with St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. 

But, seriously I entered that campus in August of 2000 as a determined 18 year old ready to chase my dreams. I discovered a Liberal Arts teacher who let me wear the pink brain ball cap on his shelf for my first test that I nearly flunked. He tolerated my egocentric academia and saved my life by walking me through my pretentious mindsets and introduced me to universal grammar. 

I met a family behind my work-study job that made that place feel like home and I became a big sister to two kids who are rocking careers now and changing lives. 

I met coaches and Vice Presidents who cared about students in a way where they opened washing machines and offered pie to solve most problems. Deans became friends and professors became host to conversations and curriculums that would change and transform everything I thought I knew about the world when it came to what was best for me. 

But my experience with Ouachita was much greater than that. It was the town where I grew from 18-30. Where I settled into my first apartment, fought my first mouse, had the personal cell phone of the electric co superintendent and had to use it more than once. It’s where I experienced broken and mended heartstrings. It’s where I saw friends build healthy relationships, marriages, and parenting life. It’s where I lived when I was diagnosed with cancer and was quickly surrounded by a community that many seek, but few find. 

Ouachita and Arkadelphia are always part of my “where are you from” story. It is still home to many of my dearest friends and was the last big excursion we took before our country shut down in March. 

To honor this special weekend, I came up with a little snack mix to share with my family as we think about home. One of the fun things about being a McKinney is that all but one of our siblings attended Ouachita. While our time spans almost 2 decades, the names, faces, and experiences are so similar as we share our favorite stories. 

Ouachita is more than a great place to call home! It made me who I am and that is a debt I’ll forever owe. 

Celebrating Ouachita Homecoming Snack Mix

• Crispix – cereal is always a default meal in Caf. For me, the choice was always Crispix drizzled with honey and cold milk. 
• Life Cinnamon Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Kashi Honey Cinnamon roll cereal – midnight cinnamon roll breakfast always tastes better when served by faculty and staff
• Stick pretzels – log trucks to avoid in town
• Candy Corn – orange barrels to avoid on your way to campus 
• Nacho Cheese Bugels – fourth meal and midnight Taco Bell run
• Swedish Fish – stinky trees that used to line Ouachita Dr and smell like fish, or was that the Ouachita River?
• Nuts – power up for walking to the Ouachita Bluff
• Pizza goldfish – because college kids eat pizza
• Chocolate chips or M & Ms – gives you a little taste of home 
• Crazins – because it’s Tunes and Homecoming week and we are crazy about all things Ouachita 

And, if you are an Ouachita alumnus, let me offer you a challenge for today. Would you consider donating tonight the amount you would have paid for your Tiger Tunes tickets? The Ouachita Student Foundation needs your support to raise the funds they typically gather from hosting Tiger Tunes and other campus projects. This group works tirelessly to raise $100K to donate to fellow students. When I was a student at Ouachita, I received an OSF scholarship and it made such a difference for my senior year when life circumstances came along and adjusted finances. I cannot imagine not being able to finish my college experience because of funding.

So, as you sit at home or with friends and eat your snack mix and watch Tunes Rewind, step up and make the donation. They need your help to hit 100 Grand!

Pin for later and use for all your harvest festivities this fall.