The semester is in full swing! In August, HSP welcomed its newest First Year Cohort at the First Year Welcome. Our newest Scholars met everyone over a delicious meal at the Henderson-Tolson Cultural Center.
As per HSP’s value of community care, many scholars have already hit the ground running with promoting service to their communities. Whether that is volunteering with the Fiestas de Las America's Parade or helping out at the Regional Food Bank, HSP is always making moves to support the campus and community!
Our 2024-2025 Impact team was also able to introduce themselves and their visions for the year. HSP is so excited to see what Setara, Subah, and Jordan have planned for the year!
Setara Khan, Service and Advocacy Chair
Setara Khan is a Fourth-Year Henderson Scholar with a passion for being active on campus, studying Microbiology with a minor in Psychology on the Pre-Med track. Fun Fact: Setara has played 5 different intramural sports at OU!
As the Service and Advocacy Chair, she oversees community service and outreach opportunities such as hosting the Volunteer Fair and promoting leadership within HSP. Setara is particularly passionate about civic engagement, emphasizing her work with OKVotes as a form of community care.
According to Setara, one of her favorite parts of being on the Impact Team is getting to witness all of the work that goes into running HSP. She hopes that the program can continue to be a space for Scholars to grow, personally and professionally. She loves how HSP is a space to learn from leaders and changemakers her age. As a Pre-Med student, she has noticed and loved how fellow Pre-Med Scholars readily share resources and advice when it comes to medical school.
Subah Chowdhury, Peer Mentor Chair
Subah is a Fourth Year scholar majoring in Social Work and Biochemical Sciences, planning to do a Masters in Social Work. You can find her reading, cleaning, shopping, or painting her nails!
Within the Impact Team, Subah oversees the Peer Mentorship program, providing guidance to this year’s Mentor/Mentee pairings. Subah says her favorite part of working on the Impact Team is collaborating with her peers, Jordan and Setara, and seeing the continuous program enhancements firsthand. This year, she hopes to see HSP expand its campus presence and increase scholar representation among different spaces at OU.
Jordan Gandy, Small Group Chair
Jordan Gandy is a Fourth Year in the accelerated Masters of Accounting and Legal Studies program from The Colony, Texas. You can find Jordan playing basketball, working out, playing video games, or reading his Bible.
As Small Group Chair, Jordan is focused on cultivating relationships while supporting individual Scholars’ leadership abilities. This year, he hopes that HSP can continue to foster a close-knit, loving environment.
This past month, Henderson Scholars of all backgrounds celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. Third Year Miranda Renteria was recently awarded the title of Miss Multicultural-Warr Acres, showcasing her passion for her Mexican culture. Through this position, she will represent the city of Warr Acres and its efforts to bring together cultures from around the world.
In August, HSP got together for the annual All Scholar Retreat. Bonding with their small groups, developing community care skills, and growing their leadership, the weekend was full of activity and fun. The annual Chant Battle at the end of the weekend brought out each small group’s creative energy, with the Thorough family emerging victorious.
One of the biggest themes of the retreat was “Scatter Joy,” the phrase coined by former Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at OU Kristen Partridge (KP). As a mentor and light to many students, she has impacted HSP and the University as a whole. This year, HSP plans to take inspiration from KP and continue spreading her mission.
Want to shoutout a fellow scholar's involvement or leadership on campus? Fill out the following form or contact the HSP Newsletter Editor.
Newsletter Editor:
Nathalia Mireles-Mota, Class of 2027
Email: nathalia.mireles.mota@ou.edu
About the Henderson Scholars Program
In 1999 there was a vision to honor Dr. George Henderson by establishing a scholarship program in his name. This vision became a reality in 2001, the Henderson Scholars Program officially came into fruition. For more information visit ou.edu/hsp.
