cover story

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On the cover: senior Brittany Burr stands in one of Ouachita’s education classrooms. Above: Burr shows off the different themes throughout classrooms and other areas in Ouachita’s education department, as well as showing off her excellent sense of style. Burr spends a lot of her time in the education department, and she looks forward to having her own classroom. (photos by Hannah Smith)

Burr uses style to find strength, chase dreams

BY SARA PATTERSON

News Editor

Hope can be hard to find during the current pandemic. But senior elementary education major Brittany Burr offers a light of encouragement and strength that shines from within.

“I would tell anybody, be mindful of your words because your words have so much power,” Burr said. “If you say, ‘I’m gonna have a good day,’ your actions are going to say, ‘I’m gonna have a good day.’”

Burr’s advice comes from going through many trials. During her first semester at Ouachita, Burr’s father passed away from lung cancer.

“I’m a daddy’s girl, so it was hard,” Burr said. “My perspective was different and I had all these emotions, but I didn’t know how to express them.”

Burr found the comfort she needed in her education professors. Because of this, the education department has become a second family to Burr, and the professors have seen her at her best and worst.

But acceptance is the best word to encapsulate what Burr has learned in her grieving.

“Some days I miss him more than others, some days I think about him more,” Burr said. “It’s not often that you can just talk about that. That has definitely been one of those things that I started school with and I’m still working toward it.”

As she has learned her way through this cycle of grief, Burr uses what she wears as a way of honest expression.

“I grieve for my dad everyday. I have this necklace that says ‘I was his angel and now he’s mine,’” Burr said. “So that’s my reminder that I always have someone looking out for me, looking over me, and that he’s always in my heart.”

For Burr, her individual style is a sign of confidence, significance and belief in herself.

“Because I know that I’m important, I’m going to dress like I’m important,” Burr said. “I tell my friends, if they dress up just a little bit, it goes a long way. That’s where it really came from. It was me wanting to look like who I want to be.”

With her distinct accessories and vibrant outfits, Burr is hard to miss on campus. And she likes it that way.

“Growing up, I always had to wear school uniforms and I hated looking like everybody else,” Burr said. “I decided that I wanted to make my own style.”

Burr believes that her bubbly style and personality can be summarized in just one color: pink.

“It’s just a vibrant color,” Burr said. “The color pink means sweet and nice and playful. It’s very approachable and personable.”

More than a few students have received the pink effect from Burr. While she does not fully understand it, Burr is thankful to be a positive influence.

“I just always want to bear good fruit,” Burr said. “I don’t think I will ever understand how I impact other people.”

Currently, Burr provides encouragement for students both young and old in her roles as Sisterhood Chair for Tri Chi and a tutor for the Elrod Center. Helping young children succeed is especially close to Burr’s heart, though.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher,” Burr said. “I struggled with reading, so I was placed in a reading program and the teacher just gave me so much life. She just impacted me so much. That’s one of the lessons that you learn in school. You learn social skills, emotional skills and all those things that a teacher gives, and it’s all out of love. That’s why I want to be a teacher.”

While pursuing her dream, Burr faced another seemingly impossible obstacle and nearly gave up. To graduate as certified teachers, education majors must pass a series of Praxis tests.

“I failed my Praxis two times and the third time I was scheduled to take it, it was time to make our schedules for the next semester,” Burr said. “I walked into Dr. [Jeff] Root’s office and said, ‘Put me into psych classes.’ He said he wouldn’t do that. Before I left, he told me that was not going to be my schedule.”

Root was proved right the following week, when Burr finally passed her Praxis.

“They gave us scratch paper for the test, and I wrote on the top of it: ‘Miss Burr the teacher, in Jesus’ name,’” Burr said.

For Burr, the hardships in her life are outweighed by the resilience and strength she’s gained.

“I’ve learned, even through COVID, that the small things, the more you’re grateful for those, you see the big things that the little things make up,” Burr said. “Always, the good things outweigh the bad things. So, having a positive mindset, thinking positive, and speaking positive! That’s really it.”