NATCHITOCHES – You aren’t likely to find them out front, emceeing a program or posing for photo ops, but the magic doesn’t happen without them. They are the people who do the prep work, the legwork and the production work to make Northwestern State University activities, services and events a reality. This past Thursday, for once, the spotlight was on them as NSU’s Living Library recognized outstanding employees who work behind the scenes.
“We wanted to shine a light on NSU’s ‘unsung heroes,’” said Deborah Huntington, head of Collection Development and Cataloging at NSU’s Eugene P. Watson Library. Huntington, also an associate professor, has been coordinator of Watson’s Living Library series since its inception. “The eighth Living Library would like to shine a light on their commitment, integrity and selfless service to NSU’s mission and values.”
Panelists were David Antilley, manager and executive director of NSU-TV; Yolanda Denise Bobb, library specialist supervisor at Watson Library; Captain Wesley Harrell, NSU Police; Alan Pasch, director of Student Union Operations; Ronnette Pellegrin, administrative coordinator of NSU Sports Information, and Julie Powell, director of Student Advocacy and Title IX coordinator. Doug Ireland, former sports information director at NSU, moderated the panel.
Common denominators among the panelists: family, faith and a commitment to the NSU community. Each has taken on responsibilities that are not in their job description and each said, on one way or another, that they want to help, whether through academic advising, mentoring or maintaining a safe campus. Panelists agreed that family time and work time often overlap with their kids and/or spouses joining them at events. Those long hours create strong bonds with colleagues and with students.
“This university is my family,” Powell said. “Commitment to students is what drives me every day.”
Watson’s Living Library: Everyone Has A Story series is a concept that encourages individuals to share their experiences so that listeners get a first-hand account of what the person saw or lived through. The panels are recorded and become part of the collection at NSU’s Eugene P. Watson Memorial Library that researchers can use to supplement books, journals and other traditional resources for research.
Pictured: A panel of NSU’s ‘unsung heroes’ spoke during the Spring 2024 Living Library “Everybody Has A Story” presentation March 14. From left are moderator Doug Ireland, Julie Powell, Ronnette Pellegrin, Yolanda Denise Bobb, Capt. Wes Harrell, David Antilley and Alan Pasch.
