Not too long ago, I was in your shoes. I was an upper-classman in high school, going through my latest anxiety spell stemming from being overwhelmed by choosing a university to attend and which major to pursue. At the time, these were the most difficult decisions I had to make regarding my future. I knew these decisions would greatly impact the trajectory of my life. Simultaneously, I was realizing I would be moving away from my family and my hometown, Fort Worth, Texas. My family means everything to me—among many other things, they have been a constant source of support throughout my life. I knew if I was going to successfully survive college as a first-generation college student, I needed to choose a place where I could find this same sense of belonging.
I decided to tour the University of Oklahoma because I come from a family of OU football fans. I quickly found out that OU is so much more than a school with a good college football team. Not only was the tour guide accommodating, but OU students and staff displayed their kindness by helping my family and me navigate the campus. It was clear that OU students and staff went out of their way to make even potential students feel at home. By the end of the day, I had fallen in love with the campus and the unique sense of community. I just knew OU was the place for me.
My journey at OU was full of twists and turns, but I had my OU Family to lean on through it all. I found mentors who invested in my success, engaged in thoughtful discussions with professors and peers, and built lifelong friendships. I had the opportunity to give back to the OU community by helping prospective and first-year students as a tour guide and Camp Crimson counselor. I honed my leadership skills as a Withrow Leadership Scholar and prepared for graduate school through research opportunities as a McNair Scholar and with the Honors College.
When I graduated, I felt well-prepared for the next phase of my life. I pursued a top-ranked economics master's program at the University of Texas at Austin, then became a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, contributing to research on income inequality, homelessness, and education policy. Now, as a data scientist at Learning Collider, I work on advancing equity and economic mobility in housing and workforce development.
While I can’t predict your journey at OU, I can assure you it will be a rollercoaster filled with ups and downs. However, OU is a place where you get out what you put into it, and with the right amount of effort, your OU experience can exceed even your wildest expectations. Live on, University!
Boomer Sooner!
