Miguel Payan

After connecting with people and resources at OU that helped him navigate the college search process, Miguel Payan knew he wanted to help future students find their way to the university too. Being a recipient of Oklahoma’s Promise and Crimson Commitment has aided him in doing just that.

Payan’s twin sister, Luz, also attends OU, meaning their household’s cost of attendance immediately doubled. Crimson Commitment has provided that safety net for him and his sister to attend OU without having thoughts in the back of their heads about how they are going to afford it. 

“Crimson Commitment has been able to alleviate that financial burden for myself, along with my sister,” Payan shared. “I know since it benefits me, I can ultimately help our house with our financial needs. That’s how Crimson Commitment has positively, only positively, affected my life.”

A first-generation student, Payan looked at the different communities at each university he was considering and realized OU was where he wanted to be.

“The Latino community here at OU has been such an established community that ever since I was in high school, it brought me in,” Payan shared. “I wanted to be part of this community at OU and help further bring in students that come from my background.”

One way he does that is through Latinos Without Borders, an annual conference that reaches out to Latino high school students from a few cities in Oklahoma and empowers them to pursue higher education. Payan, who attended the conference as a junior in high school, explained that Latinos Without Borders aims to provide education equity through programming, including sessions about the FAFSA, college application process, and more. 

Payan is studying architectural engineering with minors in mathematics and economics, while Luz is on the pre-law track and majoring in criminology with minors in sociology and criminal justice. Born and raised in Oklahoma City to parents who came to the United States from Mexico, Payan graduated from ASTEC Charter High School and also attended Metro Tech on the side.

In addition to dedicating his time to Latinos Without Borders, Payan is active with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. He was also a member of the President’s Leadership Class as a freshman and used to be involved with Campus Activities Council. His freshman year, he brought the oldest Latino-based fraternity in existence known as Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity Incorporated and serves as an ambassador under the President's office through his involvement with Crimson Club.