Welcome to the University of Oklahoma! The journey you’re embarking on can be a mix of nerves and thrills but remember that your OU family will be right there alongside you every step of the way. I can vividly recall my time at Edmond Memorial High School, overhearing my classmates discussing various colleges they were exploring and applying to—it left me a bit confused. For me, the choice was crystal clear: the University of Oklahoma was the one and only place I envisioned myself. All my aspirations and enthusiasm found their home at OU, and even now, reminiscing about my experiences there brings a smile to my face. The sense of community at OU is unparalleled, and the stunning campus was a bonus.
I had always felt like an outsider in my high school, always floating around different groups, and always feeling like my friendships were surface level. That completely changed at OU, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. I was a part of a countless communities, and made lifelong, amazing friendships with such a diverse group of people—people I never would have encountered anywhere else. I never realized what life was beyond my hometown. My journey included involvement in Alpha Gamma Delta, OU Undergraduate Congress, ONE EMS, and the Independent Greek Council. I worked fulfilling campus jobs all throughout my undergraduate journey by helping freshmen find their way as a residential advisor, and supporting our student-athletes as a student athletic trainer for sports ranging from football to women’s soccer.
When I felt like there wasn’t an organization that represented what I wanted, OU allowed me to create one! I founded a women’s service organization, Crimson Sweethearts, that brought women from all majors, backgrounds, religions, and thoughts into space to find sisterhood and friendship together. Today, that is still a successful organization with over 100 members! I will always be so grateful to OU faculty for supporting my vision and what I wanted to do, and to the friends I could call up on a whim and ask them to find an organization with me. These are the individuals that OU seamlessly introduces into your life.
OU put me on the path to be confident enough to apply to a top 15 global university for my master’s degree. Soon, I was moving to Scotland and creating global and meaningful connections. OU took me, a high school student who took the ACT six times, and put me on the path to become the American Indian/Alaskan Native Learning Coordinator in charge of Indigenous Faculty Development in Medicine and Higher Ed at Oregon Health and Science University, where I develop Native health curriculum and courses for medical students.
I am so thankful for the experiences OU gave me. This temporary home will set you on a path to find your forever home in the things and people you love. I am so excited for your journey, take in every moment!
Boomer!
