Sooner Spirit Abounds in Mounds

We all know OU is unlike any other university around. Our school is steeped in rich tradition, but there’s a new tradition around campus, and especially Gaylord, that’s starting to take shape: Hand-delivering admission boxes.

This unique and personalized acceptance letter is more than just a photo opportunity, it’s a character study in what makes the University of Oklahoma so great. Greg Anderson (class of 1984), former public relations student and current secretary of education for the Muskogee Creek Nation, was invited on the admissions box delivery of a lifetime to one of his very own students in Mounds, a small community just south of Tulsa.

Anderson said he got a call one day asking if he’d like to deliver a box to a student named Christina Townsend.

“I just think it’s a great idea because you’re involving alumni in a way that’s not just receiving a letter in the mail,” Anderson said. “While it was very unexpected, it was so cool to be a part of. I was so surprised when they called me. The first feeling you get is, ‘Am I really deserving of this?’ To be recognized by a university that I love and respect so much is incredible.”

Anderson coordinated with Christina’s teachers and counselors to pull off the surprise. He said once they arrived at the school, they called Christina out of class and surprised her with balloons and her very own admissions box to OU.

“She was overwhelmed with joy,” Anderson said. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. I felt so honored and privileged to have the honor to represent OU and Gaylord, and to pass along this opportunity to a senior in high school.”

Christina had been convinced that she’d been rejected from OU. So when she walked out into the hallway and found out the opposite was true, the emotions were real and raw. Anderson said it was extremely special being able to watch someone else’s dreams come true, especially as a first-generation student.

“Christina has always wanted to go to OU. Watching another person’s dream come true is pretty cool. She’s worked so hard and has overcome so much to reach her goal of attending the university and is very deserving,” he said.

Anderson was also the convocation speaker at the May 2019 ceremony, where he was also able to award his daughter, Alex Anderson, with her public relations degree. He says there’s nothing he loves more than being able to give back to a place as special as Gaylord College.

“I’m so happy that Gaylord is doing so well. I’ve been to the new building several times and am blown away by the resources students have now. They’ve given me every opportunity to succeed and I hope [current students] take advantage of all the opportunities they’ve been given,” he said.

He leaves current students and alums with these wise words: “Basketball coach Jim Valvano once said, ‘My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.’ I am convinced that if you believe in yourself, others will too. If you have confidence in who you are, there is no end to what you can accomplish. So much of who we are and what we achieve is because someone believed in you and encouraged your dreams. The OU faculty and student programs prove this to be true by providing the support, education and direction in what we perceive as the right path of life, but your true direction and life success will be determined by your own desires, commitment to your goals and the motivation to succeed.”

If you’d like to deliver an admissions box to a student in your area, contact Lee Reynolds (leereynolds@ou.edu) or Katy Koontz (katykoontz@ou.edu)!