Kendall Tubb co-founded Because We Can as a registered student organization at Arkansas Tech University because she and her friends wanted to help others.
She never could have imagined how much Because We Can would help her.
“I definitely used to be more shy,” said Tubb. “In high school, I was that type of person who didn’t want to be noticed. I wore a lot of black and had my small friend group. I didn’t want to speak up in class, and I didn’t want to make friends outside my tiny friend group that I already had. Even within that friend group, I didn’t want to hang out with them outside of school. I just wanted to go home and be by myself.
“Now, going to college and kind of being forced into that environment where you have to make new friends, you’re meeting new people all the time and you’re surrounded by a lot more people than in high school…in taking that leadership position (with Because We Can), that’s a huge step…especially for a shy person,” continued Tubb. “Suddenly, you’re talking in front of classes, doing interviews, taking photographs and doing presentations. I started seeing that it’s not like high school. It’s really rewarding to be able to get up in front of a class, announce something that Because We Can’s going to do and see that people are behind it. That helped me get past some of that self-doubt that I think was the major source of my shyness.”
Tubb was announced as the winner of the 2017 Jill Lestage Brown Service Leadership Award at ATU on Tuesday, May 2. She will receive the award during spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13.
Daughter of ATU alumnus Thomas Tubb, Kendall Tubb’s first exposure to Arkansas Tech came when she toured campus as a high school student.
“I didn’t really want to go out of state,” said Tubb, who graduated from Sheridan High School. “I wanted to be able to stay close to my family, but still get that college experience. I remember talking to my dad about where he would think, and he said he really enjoyed Tech. He thought it was a really good school, and I remember touring Tech as well as some other colleges. It’s hard to explain, but somehow something just kind of felt right about Tech.”
Tubb began to make her mark on ATU in December 2014 when she joined fellow students Jenna Cahoon and Matthew Freeman and faculty members Dr. Sean Huss and Dr. James Stobaugh in the creation of Because We Can.
Now 200 members strong, Because We Can has implemented such initiatives as the Campus Kitchen, a recovery effort that delivered 19,220 pounds of food to local service organizations in 2016; a 2016 personal hygiene items drive for school children that gathered 49,000 items at an approximate retail value of more than $72,000; and the beginning of an on-campus food pantry for members of the ATU community facing food insecurity.
“To be 100 percent honest, when we first started there were three of us and we didn’t think anyone was going to like the idea or get behind us on it,” said Tubb. “We were really surprised to see that it caught on so quickly and snowballed into this.”
Tubb said there have been other unexpected benefits, including teaching Because We Can members valuable skills such as how to write a grant.
“This has changed my life,” said Tubb, who began her time at ATU pursuing careers in cognitive science and neuroscience. “When I came to Tech, I wanted to do research, sit in my little lab, not have to talk to anyone except my assistants and be done. After working with Because We Can, I started taking more sociology classes and it got to the point that I didn’t want to do anything other than this. I remember talking to one of my professors and wishing that I could do Because We Can as a job, and they told me that I can. So I started looking up ways to work with non-profit organizations and ways to do any sort of work once I graduate to be able to help make society a better place.
“Research is very important…it really is,” continued Tubb. “But this has shown me that it’s not for me. I would much rather get out there, get my hands dirty and help people because you can see the real impact.”
Tubb hopes that winning the Jill Lestage Brown Service Leadership Award will help keep the spotlight on an organization that will remain part of her even as she moves on to the State University of New York Buffalo to pursue her master’s degree in social work.
“I view this as a way to talk more about Because We Can and hopefully inspire other people,” said Tubb. “You can make a difference. You can grow and change. It’s like a butterfly. I was a little caterpillar, and then I came to Tech, sprouted my wings and I feel so much better for it. I feel like it’s all been worth it. It is hard work, but it’s also really fun. You can do it. You may think you can’t, but be brave. You can do it. Anything is possible.”
