Braelon Palmer hasn’t been at the University of Oklahoma for very long, but he’s already making his mark. He’s an Environmental Sustainability major on the city planning degree track, and if you give him another year, he’ll need two hands to count all the extracurricular activities he’s involved in.
OU was not on Palmer’s radar when he began his college search. He planned to go somewhere he could immediately play football. But the Environmental Sustainability major at OU, and the relatively close proximity to his home in Arkansas, pulled OU to the forefront of his collegiate options. And he still hopes he can work playing college football into his journey.
His first two semesters have been an exciting experience. He’s learning how to balance his social life with his academics on his own for the first time. “I’ve gained and grown a lot from experiencing these lessons. Overall it’s been great. I’ve had an amazing experience of meeting new people.” He says he’s already met friends he knows he’ll have for life.
As for environmental sustainability, the idea to pursue such a degree has been sprinkled throughout his whole life. As a kid, he was fascinated by weather and climate, then engineering and architecture. In fifth grade, a teacher taught him about the importance of recycling and later he took courses that taught him about the importance of gardening and working with the earth. What really solidified his interest was a high school AP environmental science class. “By then, I knew I had to learn everything about this topic.”
In general, community is important to Palmer. “That’s where it all starts.” With a city planning concentration, he hopes to work to make sustainable cities and communities. He’s fascinated by the 15-minute city concept—and the idea that citizens are within 15 minutes (by foot) of all basic needs.
Service is a core part of who Palmer is, and every day is a fresh opportunity and a chance to make a difference for him. He describes the first year of being at the university as being like a movie: “I feel like I’ve already done so much.” Right now, he’s focused on giving his all to the clubs he’s already involved in. He serves as co-president of Styro-Home and community engagement chair of the Black Men’s Mental Health group. He’s also part of President’s Community Scholars and a member of Black Campus Ministries.
Palmer has a long way to go in his education journey, but he knows one thing for sure: he wants to see Styro-Home go as far as it possibly can. Recently, he was featured in the Norman Transcript as part of an article about local efforts to condense Styrofoam. The article has been one highlight of his first academic year here.
In his free time, Palmer enjoys reading, being outside, and spending time with his friends. And as long as Palmer’s working to support others, he’s happy.
By Kathryn Gebauer
Article Published: Friday, April 28, 2023
