Through Catholic Youth Ministry at Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock, Drew Obert has learned to be humble. “Wonderfully humble,” as Catholic High counselor Brother Richard Sanker refers to him.
Obert, the oldest of three children, was encouraged by his mother to attend CYM in his parish. There he has participated in outreach to the homeless on a regular basis.
“It humbles you because I’m going to get in my car and go home. I might get a Sonic on the way home and then I’m going downstairs to my room and watch TV. A lot of people don’t have the same luxuries that I do. (Homeless ministry) is a way to help others. If we all did that the world would be a lot better.”
Obert, 18, extended his youth ministry participation by joining the diocese’s Youth Advisory Council and Search team. For YAC he created and acted in videos that were shown at diocesan youth events.
“The best part of YAC is hanging out with the other members,” he said. “One of the outgoing seniors told us (last year) that we shouldn’t make friends with anyone on YAC because our hearts would be broken when the state convention rolled around and they technically aren’t on YAC anymore.”
At Catholic High, Obert has excelled in classes and given his time to tutor younger students in Spanish and math.
He was the president of REACH, Reach Everyone At Catholic High, a Rotary Club affiliate. The club assists the school and community with several fundraisers, such as 5Ks.
“I enjoy it, but I look at it as something I need to do. With so many issues in the world, a lot of them can be cured or fixed if people took a step back and not think about themselves for 24 hours of the day. If they thought about others and the hardships they were in. … I want to do whatever I feel God is calling me to do.”
Obert is excited to begin his next chapter at his “dream school,” the University of Notre Dame. He wants to study science, but he doesn’t have any firm plans beyond that. His uncle, Father Michael Wurtz, CSC, is a Pocahontas native and Notre Dame alum.
“The campus is one of the things that made me fall in love with it: the golden dome at night, the basilica is beautiful,” he said.
Two of Obert’s most important events were when he attended the Alive in You service camp in New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., during the summer with his parish youth group. He was given a plastic rosary bracelet. Along with his Search cross and class ring, they are constant reminders to him to remain faithful to his beliefs.
“It is a reminder for me to not do anything stupid. I will look down at my hand and see the ring and see the bracelet and it will remind me to be the best I can be.”
