With EEE, the Ouachita Student Foundation, Women in Business and the OBU Cheer Team, one might think that Tiffany Lee’s life could not get any busier. However, it did Saturday, Feb. 4, when Tiffany became the 50th Miss OBU.
Tiffany, a sophomore from Benton and high school graduate from Baptist Prep, ironically had no intention of attending Ouachita, the school she now represents. In fact, she wanted to attend the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
“I had always wanted to go to Fayetteville because it was just the thing to do,” Tiffany said.
even though she thought that her decision was final, her mother convinced her to take a look at Ouachita. After visiting the two universities, Tiffany quickly realized where she needed to be. She knew Ouachita would be the place for her during the Refuge service at GROW.
“Fayetteville was not the place for me. It was so big and so crazy, and the atmosphere was just not what I wanted to be around,” Tiffany said.
After arriving at Ouachita, Tiffany greatly enjoyed her freshmen year.
“Freshman year was so fun for me. A lot of people kind of had a hard time adjusting, but I came in being a cheerleader, and so I kind of already made friends at cheer camp that summer. So coming in it was easier having a group of friends already, and a lot of people from my high school came here too,” Tiffany said.
She is also having a wonderful sophomore year, even though she knows it is about to become busier being Miss OBU. Surprisingly, Tiffany was not even planning to participate in Miss OBU.
“The EEEs ended up nominating me when I was out for cheer one night, and so they just did it and I wasn’t even there,” Tiffany said.
Although she had thought about it before, this nomination was a surprise for Tiffany that made her very nervous.
“It was kind of scary because I had never done a pageant except one in fifth grade, and I walked off the stage before they were even done talking about me, so that was pretty embarrassing,” Tiffany said.
Because of this, Tiffany decided she would just try and make the Miss OBU pageant a fun experience, with very little expectations.
“I wasn’t really going into it to win it or anything. I was just kind of going into it for the fun of it. And then I just did it, and it was really fun, and I still honestly can’t believe I won, but that was not my mindset at all; but I’m really excited,” Tiffany said.
Her dad came up to her after and ecstatically congratulated her.
“My dad ran up and kissed me on the cheek after, and that was a really cool moment,” Tiffany said.
As her parents were extremely excited for her, so was her boyfriend, junior Cody Thompson.
“She loves to be around people and be the life of the party. She brings joy to anybody she’s around because she is extremely kind-hearted and loves to make people laugh. She always tries to put a smile on somebody’s face when she is with them. I think this makes her unique, but it sets her apart from anybody else because it is 100 percent genuine, and she does it because she loves to make people happy,” Cody said. “She’s the sweetest person and thoroughly enjoys being happy. She makes time for people that are close to her, and she has her priorities straight, with God at the forefront. It is a privilege to be around her, and I encourage anyone that is having a bad day to spend 5 minutes with Tiffany Lee, and they will leave the conversation with a huge smile on their face.”
When it comes to being Miss OBU, Tiffany can’t wait to get started fulfilling her role. One of the things she is most excited about is going to different schools around the state and talking about her very personal platform, “Stay Hydrated, Stay Healthy.”
“I have chronic dehydration. I learned my senior year [that] I have a thing called Syncope, and it’s linked with chronic dehydration,” Tiffany said.
Because of this, she knows that many people go around every day dehydrated. Tiffany wants the public to drink water more often, to incorporate it into their daily routine.
Another aspect of being Miss OBU that Tiffany looks forward to is participating in Miss Arkansas. Tiffany is approaching this experience very similarly to Miss OBU.
“I’m not going to change who I am to get a title. I just want to be an encouragement to other people. I want to be known as the friend to all. I’m not really in it just for my good and to win. It would be awesome to win, but I’m not going into it only focusing on myself,” Tiffany said.
Although caring more about others during her time as Miss OBU is very important to her, Tiffany mainly wants to glorify God with this new title.
“I am where I am because God has put me there, and everything I do is for his glory, and it’s not for my own. That’s just where I’m at now, especially after getting this; I have to tell myself that nothing I did is what got [me] there. It was God, and I have to remember to stay humble during this time, this year, and realize that it’s not for my glory. It’s for His,” Tiffany said. “And so that’s something that I think this year itself is going to create, a new testimony, and it’s going to be a really good experience, and hopefully [I’ll grow] a lot closer to God in the process.”
While she grows closer to God throughout this experience, she wants others to see Jesus in her while she wears the crown.
“I am most excited really to represent the school because I love it here and I’ve had such a good experience, and I want to get to share that experience with other people. I want it to be a witnessing field in a way. I want people to be able to tell that I’m a Christian and that I have God’s joy in my heart,” Tiffany said.
All in all, Tiffany is ecstatic about being the next Miss OBU and is also humbled that she has this opportunity.
“Seeing all the past 49 there and hearing about them and their legacy, I can’t believe I’m even put in the same category as them, because they’re all just such women of character and that itself is amazing,” Tiffany said
By Ethan Dial, staff writer
