By Terra Avilla
Every campus needs a Carl Oberriter.
You know the person… the one who can make an overwhelmed student walk in looking like they just lost a fight with Canvas, three missing assignments and a password reset… and walk out feeling like they might actually survive the semester? That’s Carl.
The LCC Tutoring Center can be a lifesaver for students, but asking for help is not always easy. Some students are stressed, behind, confused, or convinced everyone else has college completely figured out.
So our Carl has a gift for making that first conversation feel less scary. He has truly mastered how to do this with humor, encouragement, and a big personality that makes people feel seen, he helps students realize that needing help is not a failure and will repeatedly tell them that that it is literally what the Tutoring Center is there for.
Carl makes it okay to say, “I have no idea what I’m doing.” Whether a student needs help with an assignment, studying for an exam, finding supplies, grabbing a snack, or figuring out how to log in to their online class, he makes sure they do not feel judged for asking.
And honestly, as someone who remembers being a freshman in college and not always knowing where to start, I would have absolutely loved having a Carl in my corner.
Because sometimes students do not need a lecture. They need somebody to say, “Okay, take a breath. Let’s figure this out,” maybe crack a joke, point them toward a snack and help them tackle one thing at a time. I have watched him do this in real time.
That is what makes Carl so great. He brings the energy. He brings the laughs. He brings the kind of warmth to the center so that it becomes a place where students feel comfortable, capable and welcome.
And as a sports enthusiast, Carl understands what every good teammate knows: nobody gets through the tough stuff alone and if you have seen him out in the quad playing frisbee, you know he is not exactly the “sit quietly behind a desk all day” type.
He brings that same energy, fun, and team-first mindset into the Tutoring Center. He knows that sometimes students need academic support, sometimes they need a snack, and sometimes they just need someone to remind them that they are going to be okay.
He is there to cheer students on, help them regroup after a rough week, and remind them that one bad quiz, missed deadline, or Canvas meltdown is not the end!
That is why we love this place. Because of people like Carl, people who make college feel a little less overwhelming, a little more supportive, and, thanks to his humor, a lot more fun.
