Dorion

Dorion Billups is the Director of Connection and Student Engagement for the Office of Admissions & Recruitment at the University of Oklahoma. Dorion leads a team that serves all student populations, including but not limited to first-generation, low-income, military, and other underserved students in higher education. 

The purpose of Connection and Student Engagement (CSE) is to support underserved students and their families in the admissions process through the presentation of resources, which include, but not limited to, events, scholarships, and community programs. CSE aims to make a difference in communities with intentional experiences that are personalized to meet each student's needs and promote student success. CSE believes higher education is an attainable goal for all students, and CSE will continue striving to make OU accessible for generations to come. 

CSE partners with our Oklahoma and National Recruitment teams, as well as other campus partners who will connect with students and make them feel like part of the OU family, so they will feel confident in their support system helping them succeed at OU.

Dorion graduated with a degree in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2015. While in his program, he worked as a graduate assistant for the Graduation Office, focusing on first-year experience and advising the Class Councils.

Dorion received his bachelor of arts degree in May of 2013 in Journalism from Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at OU. While a student at OU, he was involved in the Gaylord College Ambassadors, he managed the Women's Volleyball team all four years, and became involved in studying abroad through the British Media Tour at Gaylord.

Starting in April of 2015, Dorion went back to Gaylord to serve as the coordinator of community inclusivity. He focused on improving enrollment through recruitment. He worked with faculty and staff to create a better sense community between the student body as well as between the students and faculty and staff. Dorion worked with the student leadership organization in Gaylord, the Gaylord Ambassadors. The ambassadors provided tours of Gaylord, hosted families, faculty, and special guests of the college while creating events and initiatives for the student body. He also helped lead the study abroad class in the U.K. every summer.

Your best advice for a high school junior or senior preparing to apply to college:

Ask questions. Talk to as many advisers, counselors, teachers, family members and leaders as you can to build a cache of information for yourself. Ultimately your decision to attend college is yours completely. It is an investment, an incredibly important one, so make your decision count.

Your admissions counselors are there to help you and only want to see you succeed. Creating a relationship with them can make your college application and subsequent decision-making process much easier. Scholarships are everywhere, many of them are outside of the institution for which you are applying. Look online for scholarship opportunities and write those essays!