“They really taught me to work hard and to work hard at thinking..."

College of Sciences | Mathematics

Growing up in Searcy, Hunter George wasn’t interested in attending a university close to home, but after attending another school for a short time, he decided to transfer to Harding.

“I had some friends at Harding and heard what a great time they were having, so I looked into it and found out Harding has a better program. I’m a teaching licensure major, and the program is more respected, so I transferred, fell in love with it and never looked back.”

Though George plans to teach high school math, he believes working with math offers valuable thinking skills for everyone who needs to solve a problem.

“It’s important for people to study math to get a better sense of critical thinking and problem solving. Working a word problem on a test seems ridiculous and like something you might not ever be able to apply to your life, and sometimes you won’t, but what you will be able to apply is the ability to look at a problem and pull out certain ideas and facts from it. A good math background will help you to understand problems better.”

Though some of his more difficult classes seemed tedious at the time, George appreciates being able to look back on what he was able to accomplish.

“They really taught me to work hard and to work hard at thinking rather than just think.”

When he’s not in class, George can be found teaching in the math lab, tutoring, competing with the academic quiz team, coaching a junior high Quizbowl team, and working with a local youth group.

“Harding is about the simple things. We do a lot on campus — Spring Sing and club stuff, even just walking around while the Harding Christmas lights are on, hanging out with friends, or throwing a Frisbee — it’s nothing complicated. They’re just things we do to enjoy life.”

George has found Harding’s program to be competitive because of the relationships students have with faculty.

“We have math professors who really and truly care about your math education. We have professors who take the time. Like Dr. Jimmy Burk  — I’ve never had one of his math classes, and I can still go in there and talk to him about anything. We have a community especially found within your major and with your professors who want to better you within their respective fields. There’s nowhere better.”