Andrew Thomsen, Assistant Features Editor
Students come to Oklahoma Baptist University with various amounts of anticipation and excitement, but nearly all of them come to find a sense of home.
Karly Maddoux, a sophomore majoring in Secondary Education in English originally wanted to attend a different school, but applied to OBU anyway.
“I applied because it was free, there was no essay, and my dad told me to, but I was really wanting to go to OU,” Maddoux said.
God then began to move her to more seriously considering coming to Bison Hill.
“I toured OU and UCO, but neither one felt right, so I thought – maybe OBU, and I felt God say to come here,” Maddoux said.
Even with feeling the Lord calling her here, she was still not entirely on board with the idea, as she found what she thought would be problems with OBU.
“I didn’t think that I would like it,” she said. “I thought it was too small. My sister went to OU, so I thought big schools were better.
Despite the excuses that she tried to use against OBU, she felt God constantly pressing her toward coming to OBU. She finally gave in to His plan, and soon realized that the problems that she had with OBU were not actual problems.
“I just felt like I was supposed to be here, so I thought, ‘We’ll see what happens,’ and I actually liked it,” Maddoux said.
However, before she came to appreciate that which OBU has to offer, Maddoux did not expect that she would enjoy her time here.
“I like the community, how it’s smaller and a lot of people know each other,” she said. “You see the same people, so you get to know them on a deeper level.”
Maddoux has come to look at OBU as a place that she wants to experience with her friends and share with those coming into OBU.
“I like helping with Welcome Week and having a small group of freshmen to help, telling them about OBU and the things that I like about it,” Maddoux said.
Besides the smaller atmosphere, Maddox appreciates other aspects of OBU, too.
“I really like how they incorporate faith in learning,” she said. “I don’t think you get that at many other schools.”
The faith and values that are encouraged through the integration of faith in learning at OBU are things that Maddoux wishes to display for her future students.
“I think that the values that are in faith are important in everyday life and not just if you’re a Christian,” she said.
“I want to incorporate it into my career, because then I can instill that into my students, not just by showing my faith, but also being an example for morals and life.”
Maddoux has wanted to be a teacher for a very long time because of the opportunity to invest in students.
“Teaching allows you to connect with people,” she said. “As a big part of teaching, you get to spend a lot of time with students and have an impact on them.”
Maddoux appreciates the ways that OBU’s Education Department is already preparing her to serve students as a teacher in her future, and she values the way that the department gets students into the field so that they know what it is like as a teacher.
“Last year, as a freshman, I already had to do observation hours,” she said. “I think it is good to get freshman involved soon.”
Maddoux does not know exactly what the future holds for her after OBU. She would prefer to teach Junior or Senior level English classes in a high school, but regardless of where she ends up, she is most excited to be involved in students’ lives and to help shape them.
“To see people grow in your class, and to see them get something, would be amazing,” Maddoux said.
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