[JOE HARROZ] Hi, I'm Joe Harroz, President of the University of Oklahoma. I want to welcome all of you to conversations with the President. This platform gives me the chance to talk to some of the great people who make OU so special and who works so hard to take OU to new and exciting heights. Those of you who are familiar with the University of Oklahoma know that it's our people and our community that sets us apart. Make sure you're subscribed to Conversations with the President and you'll be the first to know when new episodes are released. Let's get started.
The segment’s called First Things First, which is pretty exciting in its own right, just a title. First things first. Since we recorded last, we had a flurry of activity, mainly from my family. But I wanted to take the first part of our time together to highlight a few of the tremendous things that are happening at OU. This is the propaganda section, which is the price you pay to go through the really good part. It is pretty amazing though so let's start with a Giving Day update. Will not be asking you for money. We're just going to tell you what we've done. OU Giving Day was a monumental fundraising day for OU. Thanks to our alumni and donors, we raised over $11 million in a 24 hour period. We had a goal of 10 million and just to show you how amazing our people are, last year's total amount raised for Giving Day was 800,000 so a stunning increase. I honestly didn't say 10 million very often when they gave me that goal because I thought there was no way it would happen. But they crushed it. Amy Noah, the entire team raised 11 million dollars thanks to all of the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and everyone else that has given in a way that will impact not just the students today, but generations to come. A complete heartfelt thank you. This is how we achieve excellence and affordability.
Spring game, but those of you who weren't there, that's on you. Everybody else was [LAUGHTER]. It was stunning. Spring game shattered all records. We had over 75,000 fans show up for a scrimmage. That's ridiculous. Most schools wouldn't get that for an entire season of regular season games added together. It was by far the highest attendance spring game in the nation. We had a ton of former players that were there, literally, hundreds of former players. They were all recognized. We also had Baker Mayfield statue. That was the great unveiling of our just one more Heisman statute winner. By the way, super nice person, (he) sent me a text after it was all over saying thanks. What do you know? It made my day. We had over a thousand prospective students showed up for that day, for sooner Saturday that also attended the game. At least most of them did. Huge shout out to everyone involved in making that a huge success at obviously pretends amazingly well for the season that's to come. Coaches caravan came back made just triumphant return and so coaches Caravan also occurred. Now, before we launch into this podcast, whichever one's waiting for, I've got to throw in a T's. This T's is, is that if you listen all the way through the end of this, that means getting through this part, and the next part. At the end of the episode, I'll cover some other incredible accomplishments that are occurring this season in athletics will also be joined by our National Tidal winning women's gymnastics coach, the incredible, remarkable K.J. Kindler at the conclusion of the show so stay tuned. Listen to all of it.
Now, it is time for a conversation with three self-declared amazing graduates. We are here within 10 days of graduation, and roughly two out of these three will actually probably make it to graduation. We'll find out who doesn't sort of Hunger Games.
[DEVIN BROWN] As it goes.
[OVERLAPPING] It's you.
[HARROZ] I know, I'm sorry, Shannon. It's not going to work [LAUGHTER]. To commemorate the end of the spring semester with graduation coming up, we reached out to three outstanding graduates to join this podcast. We have Parker Primrose, we have Devin Brown and Shannon Ehrhardt. Can I introduce you before we do this?
[BROWN] Yeah.
[EHRHARDT] Lets do it.
[HARROZ] That's the first cringe. What I hope is that 14-15 cringe episode.
[EHRHADT] Absolutely.
[HARROZ] Let's get to these. I feel like we're just playing around. We have Parker is a Public Relations in non-profit administration in journalism major, with an over achieving triple minor in Spanish Business and International Studies. Devin is a foundational science of life in the universe major. Most expansive major ever given?
[BROWN] Yes.
Which is, it's funny, a double entendre there, which combines psychology, pre-med, and astrophysics. Finally, [LAUGHTER] we have Shannon, who'll be graduating with a Broadcast Journalism degree and all of us should have seen Shannon featured on OU nightly as an anchor and reporter. Thanks to all of you for joining.
Let's get started. A few searing questions are really insightful. One right now, I'll work this up myself. The first one is what brought you to OU. But you can also, if you want to sub in for this because there's three of you, this question of what you think you would have done if you had not gone to college.
[EHRHARDT] Wow.
[HARROZ] I know. Let's start with Parker.
[PARKER PRIMROSE] Well President Harroz, thanks for having us on. Good to see you, everybody. For me going to OU, it was really a decision about going to a place where I can grow, not just as a student, but as a person and as a leader. I think, there's a lot of places where you can go and get an education and sit in a classroom but there's not a lot of places where you can go and be a part of something bigger than yourself and get to be transformed.. That's really special and I think for me as a senior now, and having spent four years here, it's cool to be able to say, that's what I was looking for and that's also what I got. From Allen, Texas came up just a little bit farther North and got to go to OU and I'm really grateful for it.
[HARROZ] Fantastic. We'll be coming back to this Allen, Texas connection.
[EHRHARDT] Shout out Kyler Murray (former Oklahoma quarterback 2016-2018).
[HARROZ] Exactly.
[PRIMROSE] The man himself.
[BROWN] And his backup. You get the backup on the podcast.
[HARROZ] Wait, I'm sorry, [LAUGHTER] he was the backup to Kyler Murray.
[BROWN] That's what the story says.
[PRIMROSE] If you go really far down the roster sheet.
[EHRHARDT] [LAUGHTER] He really got to search.
[PRIMROSE] I was the third string middle-school backup when he wants state for the first time. If a lot of people [LAUGHTER] are all injured, there was a scenario where I would have entered the field, but for everyone's sake, that didn't happen. Kyler never lost the game when he won three state titles. She was awesome.
[EHRHARDT] What could have been?
[HARROZ] Essentially, you were a backup for Kyler, in the way I was a backup for Kyler.
[PRIMROSE] Yeah. We have a common bond here.
[HARROZ] Were you ever scouted like Kyler?
[PRIMROSE] Yes. Kyler Murray’s dad. Kevin Murray is a coach, quarterback coach in the area and once I was playing on the field, I really trying to show off my talents, not realizing that Kevin Murray was on the other side of the field. I feel like I had a good day at the office there. I threw a few touchdowns and didn’t get touched, it was tag football. I go to geometry [LAUGHTER] class the next day and I'd start running back goes up to me, he's like, ‘Hey, were you playing ball on the field yesterday?’ and feeling confident I was like, yeah, I was. Did you see me? He's like, yeah, and so the coach Murray. At this point, I'm really excited. I'm like, my goodness, [OVERLAPPING] this is Kyler's dad. I'm like, I'm about to make it big time. This is my moment. Coach Murray said, you really suck. [LAUGHTER] It was more colorful language than that. [LAUGHTER] That's both the day that my NFL dream died, but also now I can forever say, I was scouted by Kevin Murray.
[EHRHARDT] Scouted in quotes, heavy quotes. [LAUGHTER]
[HARROZ] Whenever we do the highest misstate actually for Kyler next year, what will make sure you are pretty good distance from him?
[PRIMROSE] Kyler and I are halfway to being really good friends. I know him super well. He doesn't know I exist. [LAUGHTER].
[BROWN] [LAUGHTER] Just build the bridge in you right there.
[PRIMROSE] Yeah.
[HARROZ] That's a stunning story. [LAUGHTER]
[PRIMROSE] I'm going to tell him that story.
[HARROZ] Yeah.
[PRIMROSE] Yeah. Next time I meet him, it'll be great.
[HARROZ] [LAUGHTER] Actually let's turn to you, Shannon. What brought you?
[EHRHARDT] To say it's journalism, it was journalism. I'm from Chicago originally. I visited OU totally out on a whim. My best friend's mom's friend recommended I visit Oklahoma. I said there's no way. Why would I go to Oklahoma? There's nothing there [LAUGHTER]. My mom said, "Come on, let's give it a try." I came down to Oklahoma, visited the campus. I had the best tour at Gaylord where I got to sit on the desk and I got told I was going to get into sports right away because I am sports broadcasting. I just really fell in love with the whole culture and the people here. The campus was also pristine and everybody was so nice. Everybody asked me about myself and just what I wanted to do and I told them journalism and they said you hands down have to come here and it was a diamond in the rough for me. I never really expected to come here and now here I am four years later and I cannot believe it's almost over.
[HARROZ] It's amazing and it's because of you that the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication was recently ranked the Number 2 such program in the country?
[EHRHARDT] It was solely me.
[HARROZ] Solely you?
[EHRHARDT] Nobody else [LAUGHTER].
[EHRHARDT] No one included. No, literally everybody here, everybody in my class and the classes above me and even the classes below me, we've done so much for this school that we never thought we'd be able to do from Game Day U to Sooner Sports Pad, OU nightly literally just covering those games and being on the field and then also covering breaking news stories like the Julius Jones (case) and when Lincoln Riley got when he left I don't really like to talk about that.
When Brent Venables got hired, we got to cover those huge stories and just getting our content out there and having people see us is just still outstanding to me. It just blows my mind.
[HARROZ] Love it. Fantastic. Devin, tell us your story.
[BROWN] I grew up in Air Force brat. The first three years of my life start in Portugal and then Alaska, and then eventually land in San Antonio. So I threw, grew up, not threw up, I grew up in San Antonio, [LAUGHTER] lived there for 13 years.
[HARROZ] Almost gets sick.
[BROWN] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[HARROZ] It did happen. Don't be ashamed.
[BROWN] But that's not what I'm trying highlight.
[HARROZ] We're not shaming [LAUGHTER].
[BROWN] I grew up in San Antonio and halfway through high school, moved to Oklahoma and eventually graduated from Edmond Santa Fe. But I remember junior and senior year I had applied to maybe six or seven schools around the country and had applied to OU because I grew up an OU fan, this would mean in state tuition now that I lived in the state, but wasn't really sure that this was going to end up being home. I remember getting acceptances back, OU's on the list and I'm still like, "Yeah, I don't know if I'm going to end up there." I ended up coming to a leadership conference on campus that is now called the Maclaurin Louis Leadership Conference. I just met so many students and staff that not only looked like me but they told me that if I came to OU and they made me feel that if I came to OU I could find a home, I could find a family and I could find a community here and OU was the only school that made me feel wanted. Those emails were cool to get back from other schools. But it was like, yeah if you come here we'll take you but OU was like, "We want you to come to campus and we want you to be here for four years or however many years it takes you to graduate." I was like, "Yeah, that's where home is going to be for the next four years."
[EHRHARDT] The fact that OU fills all of these promises, they make these huge promises to us and they fulfill them, I'm speechless about it. Like they tell us we can do all of these things and then they live up to it. I feel like for all three of us, the opportunities we've been given is just incredible.
[PRIMROSE] There was that ad campaign a few years ago where it talked about, I never thought I would do X and then I did.
[EHRHADT] Yeah.
[PRIMROSE] All of us are seniors, this is the and then I did moment, [LAUGHTER] especially to be able to say with all sincerity
[EHRHARDT] Yeah. Follow through.
[HARROZ] I'm not going to stop this conversation. I'm loving everything being said here [LAUGHTER]. In fact, Devin, the first time I met you was at the conference.
[BROWN] I wasn't sure if you remembered that [LAUGHTER].
[HARROZ] Absolutely. Yeah.
[BROWN] Yes. I have a picture with you in the courtroom at the School of Law where I had to read, I don't even remember what I read off but they had a raffle during that conference where if you ask questions and answered questions each time you get a raffle ticket for a laptop, for a MacBook and I needed a new laptop so bad.
[EHRHARDT] No way.
[BROWN] I was not the kid that would stand up and volunteer but I was like, I'm going to get that laptop [LAUGHTER]. I remember volunteering in the courtroom, pit stains, probably the size of the state [LAUGHTER]. I was like I'm going to read it off because if I can get a laptop then it'll all be worth it and I did not get the laptop.
[EHRHARDT] Oh, no!
[BROWN] But I got a scholarship to come to OU.
[EHRHARDT] Okay.
[BROWN] Because I was active, so it all worked out.
[HARROZ] Yeah. That's in the (Dick) Bell courtroom at the College of Law.
[BROWN] Yes.
[HARROZ] Where Maclaurin was.
[BROWN] I got a picture in my suit that I wore for the first time.
[HARROZ] I'm sure [LAUGHTER] you got the frame somewhere.
[BROWN] Absolutely.
[HARROZ] Prominently featured several locations.
[BROWN] iCloud library, it's got a black frame around it.
[HARROZ] Perfect.
[BROWN] Yeah.
[EHRHARDT] Mom's fridge.
[BROWN] Yeah.
[HARROZ] Mom's fridge [LAUGHTER]. Or the bottom of a drawer.
[BROWN] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[HARROZ] Every one of those could be the answer. We're going to go share them with you this time for the question first. I'm going to test your poise. When you think about it, I mean, the four years in college are just for everyone there are these times you're never going to forget, but is there a defining moment for you at OU that when you think about, this is a moment, a challenge I had to face and I rose to it and for me it was defining. Do you have a moment like that?
[EHRHARDT] I actually do, and it literally just came to mind right now. I was going to say something different, but I talked a little bit about Sooner Sports Pad. If you guys know what it is, it's the only actually sports show for college students in the country. Student run, student-led, student produced. My sophomore year of college, Parker Thune, if you guys know who that is, he was the producer, I was just the assistant producer. I barely really knew what I was doing and this was also the year of COVID. Something happened with the analyst. One of them got sick, somebody was out of town, so there was only one analyst and one host. I was in John and Mike's class. He called me and said, "Hey, we need to talk", and I'm like, "Okay, give me a second." I stepped out of class. He said, "So we have a situation here, you can either produce the show Sports Pad, which is live TV, which I didn't know how to produce, or you can be an analyst on the show." I go, "You're giving me two really difficult situations. I'd never been on a show of that magnitude before." I said, "Okay." I decided to be an analyst. In about four hours, like I had to write my scripts, I didn't skip classes but I wasn't really paying attention for the rest of John and Mike's because I was writing my scripts. I was so nervous, sweating, I ended up getting up there and I'm not going tune my own horn, but they said it was the best show we had all semester and I was so thrilled that I blacked out. I had no idea what I said [LAUGHTER]. No idea what I said, how it went. When I watched it back, I was like, "Oh my gosh, this actually went really well." That was, I think the defining moment both a challenge and me realizing that I can do this and I can be a sports analyst and I can pursue whatever I want to do. Getting to do that as a sophomore as also the youngest student to ever be on Sports Pad too. I'm like there's a lot going on right now I can't vomit and I ended up doing well.
[HARROZ] That's amazing.
[EHRHARDT] Yeah.
[HARROZ] You can see the theme already emerging, which is sweat.
[EHRHARDT] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[HARROZ] Yeah. It's beautiful, it really is. I think we're going to name this podcast episode The Sweat.
[EHRHARDT] Sweat [LAUGHTER].
[HARROZ] But you know what it really is? It's this idea of putting yourself outside of your comfort zone, and that when you do that as uncomfortable as it is, you grow.
[EHRHARDT] Yeah.
[HARROZ] Whether it's right. To me that's a huge part of college for all of us. This idea is that we grow and that means we have to undertake some level of anxiety.
[EHRHARDT] It's scary. [LAUGHTER]
[HARROZ] Yeah it's super scary.
[EHRHARDT] But it ends up working out most of the time, knock-on 99 percent of the time. Most of the time
[HARROZ] And when it doesn't you learn from it.
[EHRHARDT] Yeah.
[HARROZ] That's also important.
[HARROZ] Yes. Devin, thoughts on defining moment for you.
[BROWN] Yeah. I'd have to reach back to freshman year and I think a moment that feels, it was a subtle moment. It was not a moment that I expected to hold a whole bunch of weight. But I remember being in the student union talking with an older mentor of mine, Carlos Rubio, the man, the myth, the legend. I remember seeing his color-coded calendar on his computer. I was balancing a few orgs that first year; the typical freshmen comes in and wants to do every single thing that they can apply for and then we'll do everything that they get into. [OVERLAPPING] I'm trying to balance this. I'm freshly a college student taking classes at a level that I wasn't super prepared for. I looked at his calendar and I'm like, how do you juggle all of these things, go into all of these meetings. You're super engaged in intentional with the conversations that you're having. How do you do it all? Just like only I think Carlos Rubio can say he was like, “I look at these things and I don't see them as things that I have to do but things that I get to do.” That was a light switch for me during just my second semester of college were then I was looking at all of my meetings like, okay, these are all opportunities and all privileges that I have on this campus and then even a couple of weeks later. And this is an example that I give to a lot of students now where I'm sitting in the Biz (Bizzell Library), the great reading room. One of the only ones left in there, it's a Friday night and I'm working on this paper that's due Sunday night, and I know everyone's out having fun doing whatever they will doing things we can't mention on this podcast and [LAUGHTER].
[HARROZ] This is a family podcast.
[BROWN] Right. We'll record that later. But the thought that comes to my mind is there are so many students that wish they could be up until midnight working on an essay, working on these assignments, but will never have the chance to make it to college. And that also ignited this fire that I had to engage in this work towards educational equity, which led me to a student organization on campus called Miracle Mindset. Thinking about all of the luck and people in my life that made higher education possible for me and then thinking about all the students that didn't get to be here, not because they're not smart enough or capable enough or interested enough in a higher education but because they didn't have the luck of the draw like I did. And so hearing Carlos Rubio say that, not only shifted my perspective but really changed the trajectory of how I would interact with my time at OU and has in many ways defined how I've interacted with others, with communities, and with all of the opportunities that I've had here. So just that quick sentence and I'm sure he got right back to his laptop after saying it. [LAUGHTER] He didn't realize that he had just dropped a gem. I think I left the room just jaw dragging across the floor, walking down the South Oval and he had changed my life in a quick moment. Yeah.
[HARROZ] It's amazing to think about how many people you'll have the same impact on.
[EHRHARDT] I was just thinking that same exact sentence in my head. Just the way that all three of us can impact students like that [OVERLAPPING] as freshmen.
[PRIMROSE] Devin, I think in terms of legacy, it's cool to hear, has gotten to see the way you lived that out. You're not just physically present in spaces. You're emotionally present and supportive. One of the things that you've said that's really stuck with me is, people are wells not puddles and you should treat them as such, and I think you have done that so well. It's really cool to think about, as we talked about legacy, the people who you treasured as a well, invested in deeply and how that extends far beyond anything else that you've done. That legacy of people and impact.
[EHRHARDT] What a phrase to live by. Did you come up with that yourself?
[BROWN] Yeah, I just love an analogy. [OVERLAPPING]. I can't even remember where we were. Was that during the summer when we were working? Yeah. Sooner discovery and starts sooner.
[HARROZ] I love that. Yeah, It's amazing. People are wells, not puddles, right? Fantastic. Any thoughts on defining moments, Parker?
[PRIMROSE] I think for me, we talk a lot about family and the idea of community here at OU. As my sophomore year, I got to serve as one of the advisors for the President's leadership class, your class and so when COVID happened and everyone had to go home, that really up ended our curriculum. It's an organization built on spending time together, getting to meet with these engaging speakers and developing these intentional relationships. The structure that was entirely built on being on campus. When we got to put online, that was a moment we had to figure out, we're not going to lose that. We have to figure out how to do it virtually. I'll never forget, it was about two years ago this week, we were able to do one of our traditions as a PLC sleepover. We get outside the biz, we put up hammocks. It's awesome. I didn't want to lose that tradition and so we hosted a virtual one of those and we had over 70 people join, sophomores to seniors, from all across the country, all across the globe from their respective places. For me it was a really cool moment of realizing that this idea of community we talk about isn't restricted to a physical space, but it's the relationships we make. I think in that moment when people were so isolated and alone and scared, getting to come together, realizing that the OU family isn't tied to just being at OU but it transcends beyond that, was really powerful and defining in the sense that getting to take that and approach the rest of college, the realization that it's not the organizations, it's not just the physical spaces, it's the people that we meet and the opportunity to engage with them. That's family and that's community. And that's been really cool to walk through.
[HARROZ] I'm over here just smiling. [LAUGHTER] I mean really, this is the joy I get to have every day and this job is to be around students like you. That brings energy and a passion love for each other and for helping others. To me is just beyond inspiring and I'm beyond humbled by it.
[EHRHARDT] I feel like people helping people is the common theme in all three of our situations because I had seniors supporting me. You guys had senior supporting both of you all and like, it's just now that we're seniors and we support freshmen and sophomores. [OVERLAPPING], it's just the impact that we have on people is crazy to think about.
[BROWN] Growing up, my dad, we don't have the piece up in our house, but he has it tattooed. It's just this hand reaching over a wall, grabbing another person and the piece of art is called He Ain't Heavy and so growing up my dad was like, you are never allowed to call yourself successful unless you reach back and help others get to places at least as high as yours, if not higher. So coming into college and finding something like Miracle Mindset where I could turn around and go to communities that need the help and need the resources that I felt like I got was beautiful. But then to be on campus and interact with younger students because juniors and seniors made my first two years what they were. To reach back and be like, I'm just trying to give you everything that was given to me and more so you can do this way better than I ever could.
[PRIMROSE] We just talked a lot about defining moments; our why OU's an opportunity to give back. Your first three years of President have been some of the most turbulent and challenging and unprecedented times at OU and yet you still get up every day and I get to see you with a smile. I'm just curious for you, what has been your motivation serving the role that demands a lot of you and yet you approach it with such grace and excitement. Why?
[HARROZ] Well, I think grace defines me. That's [LAUGHTER] a word I've never heard around me and we've all seen me run or trying to be athletic, so grace is out. [OVERLAPPING] First of all, this is my podcast. You can't hijack my podcasts. It says Conversations with the President, not Conversations with You. Now Parker, truly thanks for the question. I know how fortunate I am and I'm a product of OU, I think you may have heard the story. I owe everything I have to OU. My father, the youngest of nine from an immigrant family didn't have an opportunity. Only wanted to go past high school and he had the ability and he had the drive and the University of Oklahoma was there for him. Because of that, his life changed. He succeeded in undergrad and then he went to medical school and impacted that a lot of people and made my life possible. Then I come to OU and my son, Joseph, will start here his freshman year in the fall. [OVERLAPPING] I know. I see you've met him. [LAUGHTER] Anyway, the truth of the matter is I've seen the life-changing impact. I know you've heard this strategic plan. It all pulls up until we change lives and to be a part of that is every day. While the days can be long I realized just how fortunate I am. I mean, Devin, it speaks to what you were talking about. It's a mindset and I look at it every day as a blessing and an opportunity and I better produce because I know I'm fortunate to be here. If I don't give it everything I have, then I'm not worthy the spot. So for me every day is one I'm lucky to have without a doubt.
[EHRHARDT] Can I throw you another question?
[HARROZ] Sure.
[EHRARDT] [LAUGHTER] Hey, I'm a reporter. I'm used to asking questions I better asking and answering, just letting you guys know. You were a Pi Kap here.
[HARROZ] I was an ATO.
[EHRHARDT] You were ATO here.
[HARROZ] Yes.
[EHRHARDT] Misinformation. We figured it out. I have some friends who were ATO sand Pi Kaps but you're an ATO here. Can you tell me with reason one of your best experiences here being an ATO?
[HARROZ] Yeah. No. [LAUGHTER]. Not that one.
[EHRHARDT] Actually no.
[BROWN] Third best.
[HARROZ] I'll cycle. [LAUGHTER] It was what's being talked about right here. It's this idea of being a part of something that's bigger than yourself with other individuals where their mentoring and you're part of it. This idea we talked about, what makes a university really special? How do you break apart this sooner magic? How do you break apart and define what it means to be part of the OU family. I think it's often found, it's not just in the classroom and the classes that you have, but it's your organizations, you're a part of the individuals you meet and how they impact you. For me, among the organizations I was in, it had a huge impact on me and the friendships that I have to this day. We want that for every student. We want every student, whether it isn't a fraternity, whether it's other student organization, whether it's in co-curricular activities, we want them to feel like they belong, that they ain't just students here taking exams and consuming knowledge and hopefully creating knowledge as part of the research enterprise, but that they feel connected and they're not just entered into OU, but they belong here. All of those are important to me. That's one way of making that happen.
[EHRHARDT] I'm in Chi Omega and I think joining a sorority is what really helped me feel comfortable with being at OU because that's where I found all of my best friends. We did everything together and then also becoming a part of Gaylord and being involved in broadcasting. Those two things are major milestones in my life where I found my friends. I felt comfortable. I didn't know anybody coming here and not a soul. The way that both of those organizations welcomed me, I think adds to the fact that OU is a family and wants everybody to feel connected.
[HARROZ] That's a goal, is that every student has that sense of connection and that feeling of belonging. Quite frankly, that's one of the reasons athletics is so important. It makes everyone feel a part of something that's bigger, a part of a team where they belong. It matters a lot. You all are a problem. I could do this [LAUGHTER] conversation really long time. Our executive producer, not just the producer, we have many layers of producers in this show has told us that we're getting really close on time. I think we have time for maybe one more question as we go through this. Let's do this. Parker since we started with you, let's come to you last. Devin, we're going to start with you. What one piece of advice would you have, here you are on the eve of graduation, what's one piece of advice you wish you had before you began your career at OU?
[BROWN] I was hoping not to have to start on this question.
[HARROZ] We can skip and come back.
[BROWN] No, it's okay. I'm ready. I'm prepared. It's in the arsenal. [LAUGHTER] I reach towards the academic side because I was able to redefined and rediscover my love and passion for learning. Something I wish I would've known coming in in terms of choosing a major or figuring out what career trajectory I wanted to take was that you should pursue the field, the topic, the discipline, who's questions you love answering. Had I thought about majors that way, I would not have been psych pre-med coming in. Another piece, I was the 18-year-old that thought I had all of the answers arguing with my dad every day because it was like, I know I'm only 18 and you've lived twice as long as me, but I know as much as you do. Arguments had all the time and I came to OU in the first few weeks, I realized that I knew nothing. To all incoming students into fresh students that are here, you know nothing, us graduates know nothing. There's a beauty in that. Because it means that there's so much to learn about yourself and others and the world and this university that you're at, and I wish I would've taken the time to truly explore passions and academic interests early in college because I waited until about halfway and my world opened up when I realized how much I did not know.
[HARROZ] Wow, that's powerful. I'm going to make sure my daughter Zara, who's 15 here [OVERLAPPING] because I'm pretty sure she knows everything. Also, as we go through each one of these, as we go to our final questions. Will you also tell us where you will be in by the end of summer? [OVERLAPPING]
[BROWN] In August, I'll be moving up to Connecticut. I accepted a full ride to Yale for my Masters of Public Health. I'll be there for the next two years.
[EHRHARDT] Congratulations.
[HARROZ] Credit the school.
[BROWN] I think so. I heard it's a small school in New Haven.
[HARROZ] I'm not familiar with it, but whatever good luck.
[BROWN] I'll tell you how it is.
[HARROZ] You're pioneering it there at that. [LAUGHTER] Yale?
[BROWN] “Yall-lay.”
[EHRHARDT] “Yall-lay.” I think that's how you pronounce it.
[HARROZ] Shannon, same questions.
[EHRHARDT] I really don't like this question so in fact. Just because it's hard to think back and just really rack my brain of everything that I've done in everything that I haven't done I wish I had done. But I think that I want to spin it more towards advice. I'd say, to under class-men. Take every single opportunity that's given to you because you never know where it's going to lead you. I'd take a small opportunity and it led me to being on the field for OU Texas. I took a small opportunity and it led me to meeting my best friends in Chi Omega and having the best time at all of these date parties and fun experiences and I know nothing about it. I'd say don't be afraid to jump, because something is going to catch you. Somebody's always going to be there to catch you, and you're not going to fall, and if you do fall, you're not going to fall that hard. You're going to be okay. I think going off what you said, Devin, is that you don't know everything and I know that I don't know everything and I also came into college being okay. I was color commentator for my high-school football team, which everybody got a kick out of because I never played football. It's just the color girl. I thought I knew how to do everything, but I didn't. It humbled me when I came to school and I was taught all of these crazy things and how to work all these cameras and just how to maneuver life and it's okay not to know everything. I've obviously come to terms with myself but I'm not a perfectionist because I think that I'm a perfectionist, but I've taken a step back and said, I'm not perfect and I never will be perfect. It's really okay and it's okay to ask questions and show your vulnerability versus just being this high and mighty person, which I don't like at all. I'd say that. That question always just makes me nervous and just trying to think of everything.
[HARROZ] Well, I think that's a great answer. [LAUGHTER] Where are you going to be after you graduate?
[EHRHARDT] I'm going to be in Des Moines, Iowa. It's the capital of Iowa if you didn't know. I'll be 45 minutes away from Iowa State. Then an hour-and-a-half from Iowa, and I'll be a sports reporter and anchor. I'll get to cover both Iowa State and Iowa as well as Drake University, which is right in Des Moines, just covering sports, which has always been my dream and the fact that it's come true is insane to me. I'm excited to get out there.
[HARROZ] Fantastic. They're lucky to have you.
[EHRHARDT] Thank you.
[HARROZ] Parker, last question to you.
[PRIMROSE] I think for me the biggest piece of advice I'd give to any freshmen would be identified purpose and walk accordingly. I think I came to OU and there were so many things that I wanted to do. I can vividly remember sophomore year, I reached a point where I was trying to do everything under the sun, which was exciting. But at the end of the day, I was a human doing not a human being. That's just not a fulfilling way to live or a way to do college and being able to recognize what are the things that I feel like I've been crafted for, where I'm I gifted and what do I care about and do those things. I think it's easy to get caught up in the game of, oh, you have to join this organization. You have to do all these things and you check these boxes. If you operate that way, you're just a human doing and you're going to be a puddle. There's just not an opportunity to go deep. When in reality, if we can identify where our heart is, the things we care about for me getting to recognize I'm really crafted and have a heart for leading others and stewarding community and really building environments where people can know and feel known. When I leaned into that college, became so much more of a rich experience in meaningful. At the beginning of my freshman year, I made a fake resumé of what I wanted college to look like when I graduated. It's funny for me now as a senior. I can look at that, and I have done none of those things. [LAUGHTER] Legitimately, none of those things. But I wouldn't trade the college experience I've had for anything, because instead of being defined by things that I've done, it's defined by fulfilling purpose in the people that I've met and there's no more rewarding college experience than that.
[HARROZ] Wow, that's stunning. You will be? After graduation?
[PRIMROSE] Next year I'm moving to Flower Mound, Texas. I'll be working at the village church. They recruited me to build a leadership residency program. I'll get to spend my summer building the curriculum and in the next year, taken a cohort and running it through a year-long development program.
[HARROZ] That'll be a lot of fun. You all are amazing and anyone who listened to this podcast will immediately understand why I love this job so much. You are truly wells. There are no puddles here. You all are wellsprings and I can't believe you are all graduating. I've known you all different lengths of time but it's not fair you leave. You should just stay. [OVERLAPPING]
[EHRHARDT] I think I should stay as well. I don't want to leave. [LAUGHTER] It so sad. I can't believe it's ending.
[HARROZ] I know. Hey, we'll be at graduation. It's just the beginning for all of you all. It's amazing. Parker, Devin, and Shannon. Thank you all for making the time. For all those that are listening, they're even more conversations about outstanding graduates that we have so you can check them out at ou.edu/commencement. If you're graduating senior, make sure you show up for commencement on May 13th otherwise, you'll never get to hear my comments. But more importantly, [LAUGHTER] actually importantly, not more but importantly, we've got a great graduation speaker this year. New York Times columnists and best-selling author David Brooks will be there. I just want to end by saying, thank you, you all. [OVERLAPPING]
[EHRHARDT] Thank you so much.
[HARROZ] I am truly grateful to have you all here and to have you all as part of the OU family.
[BROWN] Thanks for having us for four years.
[EHRHARDT] Thank you so much. For four years?
[HARROZ] For four years. It's been a treat.
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[HARROZ] For those who have now stuck through the entire podcast. I promised you a great surprise at the end. Actually, it wasn't a surprise. I promised them that you'd be here, KJ. They'd have a chance to hear from you. All of those that are listening right now, understand what a treat it is to have Coach KJ Kindler here who just finished off her fifth national championship. An unbelievable run. So proud to have you as a part of the senior family. What you've done here since joining us in 2006 is nothing short of stunning. In every context you're a star. Tell us about this latest run, how it feels, and what's ahead?
[K.J. KINDLER] Oh, wow, that's a really big question. The latest run. [LAUGHTER] I would say this year was unlike any other, in some really great ways coming off COVID, having a year where we could be more of a community as a team, where we could build that team chemistry, which I think is the Number 1 thing necessary to win a national championship. You absolutely have to have that. That's been missing for a couple of years, very difficult to get. The year started great. We stayed extremely healthy, which is something that was definitely in our corner, something that we had been battling probably since 2019. That health really helped our depth. We had some really great choices. Every meet we went to, very difficult schedule, Florida, Michigan, Utah. It was packed. We had some losses in there. A lot of wins, but a couple of losses and I think they learned quite a bit from those losses. They knew they could contend with those teams. Even though we didn't come out on top. The year was pretty smooth to be quite honest with you. I've had years that were more like peaks and valleys. [LAUGHTER] This one was like smooth sailing. [OVERLAPPING]
[HARROZ] It's nice to have one of those occasionally.
[KINDLER] I know. I'm very thankful actually. I'm very grateful for that. I would say at the end though, we were absolutely peeking at the right time, winning the Big 12 Championship with a conference-high score, so that tells you this is one of the best teams we've ever had. I think that after having lost Maggie Nichols, NCAA all-around champion, Anastasia Webb, NCAA all-around champion. A lot of people underestimated our team and didn't really perhaps have as much confidence in us as we did. We were training in the gym as coaches and staff. We knew that we had what it was going to take. But like I said, I think that team chemistry element was hugely important when we got to the end and then regionals quite smooth being able to host here at OU. I'm not finding out till two weeks prior. [OVERLAPPING]
[HARROZ] I was going to say, at the last minute.
[KINDLER] I know. That was wonderful for us. Our seniors had never hosted here. We haven't hosted in a long time, so that was exciting and then going to Fort Worth and absolutely doing everything that we were capable of. As you know, if you were able to watch the championship, we made it very difficult on ourselves.
[HARROZ] [LAUGHTER] A slow start, but…
[KINDLER] A slow start. Difficult on ourselves, but at the end of the day a lot of people asked me what did you say to them to get them to respond. The fact is I didn't say a whole lot because if you've built a team that is really cohesive like that, they believe in themselves, they know they can do it. I don't have to tell them, "Let's go. We can do this." I don't have to do that because they're telling each other. They truly believed in themselves and that's why they were stellar. We won every other event after that. Balance beam was ridiculous at the end. What event do you want to go to when you have to win a national championship? I don't know if it would be beam [LAUGHTER].
[HARROZ] That just terrifying.
[KINDLER] Because you have to be so perfect. Then for Reagan (Smith) to nail it in that last moment, and we would not have won if she had not done that. That is supreme pressure. [OVERLAPPING]
[HARROZ] Which we felt and know was a perfect 10. Absolutely. [OVERLAPPING]
[KINDLER] I thought it was. [OVERLAPPING]
[HARROZ] Without a doubt. All of us that watched it knew. I think given my credentials, I can call that.
[KINDLER] I would like you to judge some of our meets, could you? Just a simple test take. [OVERLAPPING]
[HARROZ] I can assure you it would work out well. I would carry my bias into it.
[KINDLER] I love it.
[HARROZ] It was so fun. It's great to have the opportunity to watch the team perform. By virtue of this job, I get to have pretty good seats. It's a ball to watch all the discipline and work that we know goes into being a gymnast. Then to perform at that level, to have the team chemistry that you create, the energy and trues, joy that they have. It is so much fun to watch as a fan. It's fun to watch you perform at this highest level. Now with five national championships, you are a massive part of what makes OU so special. I hope you know how grateful we are to have you.
[KINDLER] Thank you so much.
[HARROZ] I want to conclude by saying this which is, everyone has their KJ story, everyone who loves you. But I spent six years working in DC, tried forever to get into the Oval Office, for some reason never did. Then the one chance I had was actually because of you, because you and the team won the national championship for your fourth. We went there to celebrate the team. I totally tagged along.
[KINDLER] Totally.
[HARROZ] Then the President liked the team so much. I knew he invited everyone to go to the Oval Office and I just tagged along.
[KINDLER] That's so awesome.
[HARROZ] Personal impact. Thank you for letting me do that.
[KINDLER] Maybe we'll get to go again this fall.
[HARROZ] I know.
[KINDLER] We would love for you to tag along.
[HARROZ] That's right. President (Joe) Biden, if you're listening and you most certainly are.
[KINDLER] I'm sure.
[HARROZ] It's time to invite KJ, the team and all of us and the SoonerNation to the White House.
[KINDLER] That's right.
[HARROZ] Thanks a lot KJ.
[KINDLER] Thank you.
[HARROZ] I Appreciate you.
Finally, OU athletics has had an incredible Spring with women's gymnastics bringing home it's fifth national title and our men's team finishing second in the nation. For the first time in program history our women's tennis team was named champion of the Big 12 Conference.
In just this past week, men's golf won the Big 12 Championship. Our reigning NCAA championship softball team is poised to dominate the College World Series.
Congratulations also to coach Mark Williams and the men's gymnastics team as they finished up as the national runner up.
I want to congratulate our men's golf head coach Ryan Hybl for his second big 12 title as our head coach. It's OU's 18th conference title overall. We look forward to our team's performance at the NCAA regionals hosted at our own OU Jimmy Austin golf course. We'll be rooting hard for coach Hybl and the team to bring our school our third national title.
I want to congratulate our women's tennis coach, Audra Cohen for being named Big 12 coach of the year and look forward to her team in the NCAA regionals, as well as following anothergreat Big 12 Tournament run.
Thank you everyone for listening to conversations with the president. I want to thank our three guests, Parker, Devin, and Shannon. I wish them good luck as they prepare to graduate and begin their lives after graduating from OU. Thank you to coach KJ Kindler for stopping by to join the show. She's a true legend. Don't forget to subscribe to conversations with the president. I'm looking forward to our next conversation.
Thank you.
