OBU student releases song

BY KATE ELLIS Staff Writer

“I had never been a part of a school or university that all gets together to serve their community on a specific day, and it is so special that we get to do this,” Bejarano said. “I just think it creates such a special connection to our community and allows us to escape the ‘Ouachita bubble’ in a way that impacts lives. I also think it’s so impactful that on the eve of Tiger Serve Day, we had a tornado warning because the first Tiger Serve Day in 1997 started as a response to a tornado that really affected the community. We hope that the spirit of responding to the needs of others with the love of God, focusing on both their physical and relational needs.”

This year, 613 students, faculty and staff divided up into 80 teams to serve the community in various forms of projects. The largest project was a senior adult’s house, where many members of the football team weedeated, mowed, raked, took down a treehouse, built a greenhouse, trimmed shrubs and hauled off various items.

Nonprofits that TSD was able to serve included The Plaza at Twin Rivers, Percy and Donna Malone Child Safety Center and Lighthouse Ministries, each play- ing an important role in the community in various aspects. The Plaza provides assisted living with 24/7 care; the Percy and Donna Malone Child Safety Center provides a wide range of free services for child abuse victims, and Lighthouse Ministries serves as a food distribution center and thrift store.

The 2022-2023 Tiger Serve Day Leadership Team consists of Cabb Batson, Kelsey Bester, Bella Blankenship, Emma Bynum, Coleman Callan, Isabella Bejarano, Mallorie Carozza, Mika Celicourt, Isaac Crow, Levi Dade, Andrew Ellis, Kris Garcia, Valeria Gomez, Allie Graves, Kassidy Gray, Wes Guerra, Wyatt House, Seth Hunter, Conner Jacobs, Colson McKinney, Jill Parsons, Hannah Rossell, Noah Sanders, JD Scott, Julia Shands, Kallen Smith, Alyssa Strauss, William White and Wade Wilson. It is headed by Elrod Center director Judy Duvall and associate director Leigh Anne McKinney.

Tiger Serve Day allowed students, staff and faculty to make a difference and actively serve in broad-scale projects within the community. It acted as a reminder for Ouachita’s campus to have a servant’s heart and to “Love God, Love Others.”

Ouachita is known statewide for producing talented, driven students, and junior singer-songwriter Caroline Smallwood is a shining example. Since her explosion on social media and opportunity at American Idol last fall, Smallwood’s time in the limelight has done anything but dim, as she has continued to gain traction in the music industry and reach exciting milestones for her career. During what seemed like a musical hiatus to the public eye, she was quietly at work writing, recording and producing her new song, “Little Blue House,” which was released on March 24.

“I wrote the song about a year ago while driving home for spring break,” Smallwood said. “There was a little blue house on 271 where I lived, and I had always told my friends that I was going to buy it one day. Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t there anymore and found out later that it had been torn down. This was during a time in my life where I had a lot of change going on, so that moment inspired me to record a clip on my voice memo app. When I got home, I started working, and it only took about an hour to write.”

Partly due to her booming presence on TikTok, but mostly due to her remarkable talent, many doors have opened for Smallwood’s music career. She was able to meet with singer-songwriter Cas Haley, and with his help, began recording “Little Blue House” in January. The recording process consisted of three studio sessions that lasted over the span of three days. The song was celebrated with a re- lease party at Buffalo Joe’s, a local restaurant where the Paris, Texas native has performed many shows. Smallwood was extremely candid about recording professionally and receiving feedback from listeners for the first time.

“This song is so personal and intimate, which made it kind of intimidating to release to everyone,” Smallwood said. “I’m so proud of it, and so far, people have received it well. I really want to do an album and record more this summer. I think that since this was my first song, I took it too seriously and focused too much on individual notes as opposed to the emotion of the song, which is ultimately what music is all about. I had told myself that even if nothing comes from this process but a push to take my music more seriously, then it was a success. So much happened in such a short span of time, and it was cool to see that I’m capable of doing something like this.”

Smallwood has exciting times ahead and is very deserving of the recognition and success coming her way. “Little Blue House” can be streamed on all platforms and updates on new music can be found on Instagram and TikTok @ carolinesmallwoodmusic.