The
ENDEAVOR Newsletter of the Oklahoma City University Honors Program
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Director’s Corner
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Honors Class of 2019
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2019-2020 Honors Student Council
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Faculty Feature
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Sorority Spotlight
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Undergraduate Research Day 2019
Pictured: Gold Star Building, home of the OCU Honors Program
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SPRING TWENTY-NINETEEN | 2019
DIRECTOR’S CORNER elcome to the spring 2019 edition of the Endeavor, the semi-annual newsletter of the Oklahoma City University Honors Program. Whether you are a current student or alum, a faculty member or administrator, or other friend of the program, we are happy that you’ve taken a moment to see what we’ve been up to this past semester. In the pages ahead you’ll see features on current students, our 26 cum honore graduates, and our new Honors Student Council Executive Board. This year’s Undergraduate Research Day included a diverse array of posters, performances of original creative works, and oral presentations. You can see a list of the winners on pg.14. For more information about the event, including abstracts on all student projects, visit www.okcu.edu/academics/research/ undergraduate-research-day. A special thank you to the Provost’s Office for their support of this annual event. Spring is an exciting time of the year for the Honors Program. We celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our graduating seniors and wish them the very best as they move into various jobs and graduate programs. At the same time, we begin the process of welcoming an entirely new cohort of honors freshmen. The peer mentors, Dr. Heine, and I are already making plans to give them a warm and inviting welcome to the Honors Hall in Goldstar and to Banning Hall in August. Thank you for staying in touch, and for your valued support. Karen Youmans, Ph.D. Honors Program Director
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HONORS CLASS OF 2019 Class of 2019 This year’s honors senior dinner was held on Tuesday, April 16, at The Press. The 26 cum honore graduates enjoyed an evening of food and celebration with several members of the honors faculty. Celia Tedde received the Outstanding Honors Senior award and Sammi Bronow received the Distinguished Service in Honors award. We are so proud of all our seniors and cannot wait to see what they do next. Cum Honore Graduate Bios: Sammi Bronow is an economics major from Ellicott City, Maryland, and the 2019 Silver Letzeiser Medalist. Over the past four years, she has served in various leadership capacities, including chapter president of Gamma Phi Beta, student assistant director of the University Honors Program, and lead scholar of the Steven C. Agee Economic Research & Policy Institute. In 2018, she received the Economic Club of Oklahoma Award and traveled to China with the Doers Program. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a career focusing on economic research and business management. Kyla Bruegel is a film and studio art double major from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During her time at OCU, she wrote and directed a short film for her senior capstone, was a part of two art shows including the Symbiotic Art and Community Exhibition, and spent a summer learning about art history in Lyon, France. Following graduation in May, Kyla will be heading to France to intern at the Cannes Film Festival before traveling to Taiwan in July with the Doers Program. Kyle Copp, from Ft. Worth, Texas, is a fall 2018 graduate with a major in cell and molecular biology and a minor in chemistry. He was a member of the OCU Cross Country and Track teams for four years and was vice president of the Alpha chapter of Tri-Beta. He received a Tri-Beta national grant to conduct his research project, “The Use of Enclosure Space on Long-Tailed Macaques” alongside fellow students Tesa Martin and Madison Snow and faculty mentor, Dr. Laurie Kauffman. That work was presented at both the National Tri-Beta Conference in Monterrey, California, and the American Society of Mammologists Convention in Manhattan, Kansas. Kyle spent one summer studying abroad at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus and another traveling to China with the Doers Program. He plans to enroll in medical school in the fall of 2020. Elizabeth Edem is an economics major and mathematics minor from Edmond, Oklahoma. Over the past four years, Elizabeth hosted the creative art zine Six Three, served as the Oklahoma Senior Classical League ludi chair, and
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trained a photo recognition machine learning program. She also studied abroad for a year at the London School of Economics. In August, Elizabeth will travel to South Korea where she will spend a year teaching English before pursuing a graduate degree in International and Comparative Education. Natalya Fisher is an acting major from Spokane, Washington. Her accomplishments during her four years at OCU include receiving the Outstanding Junior of the Year Award from the School of Theatre, playing Squeaky Fromme in Assassins and The Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol for two years in a row at Lyric Theatre, and graduating summa cum laude. Immediately following graduation in May, she will travel to New York City to perform in the New York Showcase for agents and casting directors. This summer, she hopes to do some professional theatre before moving to New York to pursue her professional acting career. Isabella Granato is an acting major and psychology and directing double minor from Boerne, Texas. Some of her greatest collegiate accomplishments include beginning her lifelong journey as an artist, growing into an awareness of herself as well as the beautiful world and people around her, and being accepted into the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where she will become a Doctor of Psychology. Following graduation, Bella will move to the Windy City and begin her journey of becoming a clinical psychologist (PsyD) while continuing to create art. Renee Griese is a fall 2018 dance performance graduate from Chantilly, Virginia. During her time at OCU, she performed with the American Spirit Dance Company, appeared in OCU’s production of On the Town, and worked as a performer at Frontier City. After graduating a semester early, she moved to New York City where she spends her days auditioning and working at a pilates studio. Upon moving to NYC, she booked a job with Sharon Playhouse and will be spending the summer in Connecticut performing in Crazy for You and Beauty in the Beast. Maridith Grimsley is an entertainment business major from Social Circle, Georgia. She served as director of publicity and promotions for the inaugural Miracle Marathon this spring and was named Greek Member of the Year for the 2017-18 academic year. In the spring of 2018, she won her category at Undergraduate Research Day with her work on dance education for students with autism. She also served as assistant company manager and production assistant for the American Spirit Dance Company and worked as a Gold Star Ambassador during her time at OCU. She will be moving to Orlando to work for the Walt Disney Company. In the future, she plans to attend law school and become an entertainment lawyer. Caroline Hawthorne is an acting major from Los Angeles, California. During her time at OCU, she started her column, “The Crazy Kazoo Lady,” performed lead roles in both an opera and a musical, and spread interfaith awareness around campus as a member of the OCU Jewish Stars. Next year, she will be doing an acting 4
apprenticeship before moving to Chicago to pursue theatre or attend graduate school. Tom Hoblin is a December 2018 music theatre graduate from Mokena, Illinois. Three of his biggest collegiate accomplishments include graduating early, appearing in many music school productions, and graduating summa cum laude and cum honore. He plans to continue working as talent coordinator in the Oklahoma City Dodgers marketing department before attempting to break into the television business, where he hopes to work in news or sports broadcasting. Katelyn Jassoy is a music theatre/vocal performance double major from Chicago, Illinois. Over the past four years, she placed first in college musical theatre at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition, placed second in college classical voice at the Oklahoma State NATS competition, and was selected to perform in the 2019 New York Showcase. Katelyn has been accepted for live auditions at Northwestern University, The New School, and Manhattan School of Music for vocal performance master’s programs, but she will be taking a gap year in New York City to pursue musical theatre before enrolling in graduate school. Maya Johnson is an instrumental education and percussion performance double major from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During her time at OCU, she was a winner of the 2018 OCU Honors Concerto Competition, had the opportunity to meet and work with notable artists in the percussion field through the Great Plains International Marimba Competition, helped organize and update the percussion ensemble music archive in the Ensemble Library, and was in charge of archiving recordings of every student, faculty, guest artist, and major ensemble in the Ensemble Library. Following graduation, Maya plans to explore teaching opportunities in Oklahoma schools while attending graduate school at OCU for a master’s degree in percussion performance. Later in life she hopes to also earn a degree in non-profit arts administration leadership. Aimee Jones is a nursing major from Choctaw, Oklahoma. Three of her most significant collegiate accomplishments include researching diets and their effect on lung development in postnatal growth restricted rats with the Native American Research internship program, serving as vice president of OCU’s Native American Society for two consecutive years, and serving as membership director of OCU’s Student Nurses Association. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She hopes to contribute to health education and disease prevention for pediatric and maternal/infant populations and work closely with and promote the health of Native American populations. Brenna Long-Wheeler is a mathematics major and chemistry minor from Norman, Oklahoma. Some of her most significant collegiate accomplishments include being initiated into Order of Omega in 2018, serving as Alpha 5
Phi’s 2017 director of academics, and presenting her capstone on the history of women in mathematics and their accomplishments. This fall, she will begin her graduate program in data science and analytics at the University of Oklahoma. Dawson Macleod is an acting major and directing, design & production, and interfaith studies triple minor from Austin, Texas. Throughout his time at OCU, he was an NCA National Cheer Champion, served as Co-/Associate Artistic Director for Out of the Box, and performed Shakespeare at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival during his time abroad in summer 2018. After graduation, Dawson will move back to Austin and pay off his student debt by the beginning of 2020. In the meantime, he plans to start a multimedia production company focused on producing local, individual, entrepreneurial ventures in music, literature, poetry, visual art, and internet videography. Angela (Kelly) Pan is a nursing major from Edmond, Oklahoma. Over the past four years, she has served as president of the Student Nurses’ Association, nursing senator of the Student Government Association, and treasurer of Phi Mu Epsilon Epsilon. Following graduation, Kelly plans to return to Project Transformation as a summer intern before finding a nursing job at a hospital. Tammy Phillips is a cell and molecular biology major and chemistry minor from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the 2019 Gold Letzeiser Medalist. Some of her major collegiate accomplishments include earning a full-ride scholarship to OCU as a Randall Great Plan Scholarship recipient, completing over 500 hours of volunteering, and getting in to medical school. After graduation, Tammy will be enrolled in the MD program at the University of Central Florida. Tammy is proud to be a first-generation college graduate as well as the first in her family to attend graduate school. Danielle Pike is an acting major and directing minor from Houston, Texas, and the 2019 Bronze Letzeiser Medalist. A national merit scholar, Dani was selected as the junior class marshal for the School of Theatre last year and has had the pleasure of performing in over twenty different shows and readings at OCU, culminating in a mainstage performance in THE WOLVES. Following graduation, she plans to teach children and perform at the incredible Queensbury Theatre in Houston. Eventually, she plans to move to Chicago to further pursue a performance career and hopes to obtain an MFA in acting. Abbey Renner is a biomedical science major and Spanish and chemistry double minor from Edmond, Oklahoma. Over the past four years, she won a national championship with the OCU Women’s Basketball team, served as the president of the Beta Beta Beta biological honor society, education vice president of Gamma Phi Beta, Stars 101 chair for New Student Orientation, and in a number of different leadership roles across campus. Abbey also participated in biological research, including her work on bacteriophage as a replacement for antibiotics and 6
her capstone presentation on the evolution of lactase persistence. She enjoyed traveling with different groups throughout her time at OCU, including her travels to Taiwan with the Doers Program, to Boston and Monterey Bay to present her research, and to Alaska and Yellowstone for ecological field studies. Following graduation, Abbey plans to apply for medical schools and hopes to enroll in fall 2020. Catherine Simmons is a music/psychology double major from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. While at OCU, she was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, worked her way up in the ranks of the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre to become a detective, and wrote the undergraduate handbook for the psychology department. Following graduation, she plans to continue her work at the dinner theatre and with OU’s medical school as a standardized patient actor as long as she can. No matter where life takes her, she plans to keep performing for the rest of her life. Madison Snow is a biomedical science major from Carnegie, Oklahoma. During her time at OCU, Madison logged 200 volunteer hours in the local community and received the Tri-Beta research grant to study and present her findings regarding the use of enclosure space by long-tailed macaques at Mindy’s Memory Primate Sanctuary with Dr. Laurie Kauffman, Kyle Copp, and Tesa Martin. She also traveled to Belize on an OCU religious life mission trip, to Taiwan with the Doers Program, and to England for a semester abroad. After graduation, she will be enrolled in the class of 2021 Physician Assistant Program at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa School of Community Medicine. Jordan Tarter is an English literature/writing major and philosophy minor from Edmond, Oklahoma. Over the past four years, she served as SGA president, won the first Leo Wernecke Essay Award, and resurrected and became chapter president of Students Against Sexism in Society. This last year she proposed, wrote language for, and implemented a new SGA executive position called the secretary of diversity and inclusion. Following graduation, Jordan plans to attend law school and seek out internships with a focus on entertainment law. Celia Tedde is a music theatre/vocal performance double major from San Diego, California. Her major collegiate accomplishments include serving as president and founding member of the OCU Jewish Stars, playing Susannah in Susannah, serving as an honors peer mentor in 2017, and contributing to a roundtable discussion on Honors Music Theory at the 2016 National Collegiate Honors Conference. Celia also served as the national auditions coordinator for the Bass School of Music for the past two years. Last month, her presentation on female representation in musical theatre solo repertoire won the Race and Gender category at Undergraduate Research Day. This summer, she will appear in Lyric Theatre’s production of Titanic before moving to New York City in the fall. Brianna Thomas is an American dance pedagogy major from Lenexa, Kansas. Her most significant accomplishments include creating of a non-profit theatre company, a viable dance studio plan, and reaching technical proficiencies in all three dance styles and performing with the American Spirit Dance Company in four shows despite being injured 7
during her freshman year. This year, she had the privilege of working in the Community Dance Center, where she got to teach and inspire many amazing students, ages five to adult. She is grateful for receiving some of the best training in the nation here, and she is grateful for her honors projects that taught her even more about the amazing craft she gets to do for the rest of her life. After graduation, Brianna will be moving back to the Kansas City area to pursue teaching at dance studios and working with local dance teams. Joe Wathika is an economics major and Chinese minor from Edmond, Oklahoma. During his collegiate years, he was awarded the Boren Scholarship to study abroad in Taiwan, participated in the OCU-Doers Cultural Exchange Program in Taiwan, and competed in Ethics Debate Team Nationals. Following graduation, Joe plans to enroll in a master’s program in Taiwan or China. Katy Yates is an acting major and directing minor from Abilene, Texas. Over the past four years, she has directed and assisted a total of nine shows (including one that won APO awards for Best Direction and Best Out of the Box) and performed in 16 other shows. For the past two years, she has loved being a member of NSO and the OCUImprov troupe. Since her freshman year, she has been actively involved with the Oklahoma Children’s Theatre where she has performed in shows and contributed to the creative process, taught at multiple local elementary schools, performed as a costumed character for various community events, and served as a summer camp counselor. This summer, she will teach at the Oklahoma Children’s Theatre summer program and will be a member of the OKC Dodger’s Blue Crue for their 2019 season. In August, she will move to LA to pursue acting.
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2019-2020 HONORS STUDENT COUNCIL Old And New Faces In The Honors Student Council my time is spent studying. I am excited to finish my Senior year here at OCU and with the Honors program. What is your favorite part of the Honors Program?
Secretary: Kristen Olmstead
I am a rising Sophomore BM in Vocal Performance Major. The Honors program has challenged me and given me opportunities to grow in my pursuit of knowledge while also giving me an education outside of the music school.
Treasurer: Vladislav Izda
I am a rising Senior BS Cell and Molecular Biology major who has been a part of the Honors program for three years as both an Honors Peer Mentor and HSC Secretary. My main focus is getting into medical school so most of
My favorite part is that I have made some good friends in the Honors Program, it is a great community in which we all share our search for knowledge.
Why did you join the Honors program? I joined the honors program to be challenged in my classes and to be in classes that are more discussion based rather than lecture based.
I just recently declared my major as BS Dance Management, so I am excited to get started with those classes next year. I am also enrolled in some Business classes I’ve been interested in taking but wouldn’t have been able to take if it weren’t for the Honors early enrollment.
Vice President: Claire Griese
“I am a rising junior BS Dance Management major. As Vice President, I hope to assist the President in President: Derek Bryant getting Honors students more involved with the “I am a rising sophomore Honors College and on the Biochemistry major who is OCU campus in general. I excited to serve as the HSC am also the Administrative President. Besides being Vice President of Gamma involved in the Honors Phi Beta at OCU, program, I am also the a Performer for the Secretary and Big Brother American Spirit Dance Coordinator for Lambda Company and Student Chi Alpha, the Historian Choreography Show, and for Tri-Beta, a New Student part of the Pep Dancers Orientation Leader, a team.” member of the SGA senate, and an Honors Peer What is something you are Mentor for the incoming looking forward to next year? freshmen class.
Zac Zubia – Student Assistant Honors Director
I am a rising junior music/ pre-med major who plays the euphonium. I am also the Internal Vice President for Lambda Chi Alpha as well as a Walker Hall RA. I am originally from California but have lived in Oklahoma for the past 10 years. I’m excited to serve as the next Honors Stu Pro and I’m looking forward to a busy year as I prepare for both my recital and the MCATS.
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FACULTY FEATURE Dr. Eric Heine This semester’s faculty feature is none other than Assistant Honors Director and music professor Dr. Erik Heine! When he is not attending honors committee meetings or teaching music theory, you can often find Dr. Heine running around campus. Recently, he took his passion for running to a whole new level. This past September, Dr. Heine and his wife officially incorporated Team Hoyt Oklahoma, a nonprofit organization focused on assisting disabled athletes competing in running marathons. Inspired by their eldest son, the Heines organized Team Hoyt Oklahoma’s first race, the Lucky Run 5k, which took place this past March. We sat down with Dr. Heine to learn more about his own life, as well as how OCU students can contribute to Team Hoyt Oklahoma to better the lives of disabled athletes in our local community. What is the best part about being a music professor at OCU? The most challenging part? The best part about being an OCU professor is getting to watch students grow in unpredictable ways, watching students make connections from one class to another, and then getting to follow them as they succeed beyond the borders of OCU. The best part is the colleagues with whom I get to work, both within the Bass School of Music, and campus-wide, in my work with the Honors Program. I truly enjoy the people that I see every day in my building, and I deeply cherish the friendships that I’ve made across departments, including athletics. How did you find your passion for music? I believe I always had a passion for music, but I never realized how deeply it ran until my sophomore year of college. I was majoring in Chemistry at the time and had recently added a Music minor. In February, while in the depths of the second semester of Organic Chemistry, I realized that I just didn’t care about O-Chem, and that I’d rather be studying and playing music. Additionally, I had already found compositions that moved me at that age, such as Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije, and film scores such as John Williams’s music for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, Randy Newman’s The Natural, and Trevor Jones/ Randy Edelman’s score for Last of the Mohicans. Once I started taking music theory courses, I found it both fun and interesting, and I was good at it. I started playing piano at the age of 5 and studied all through high school. I started playing the oboe in 5th grade and played it through my master’s degree. I started playing percussion in high school, including writing all of the pit percussion arrangements (for marching band) my senior year of high school, and ended up selecting percussion as my major “instrument.” I continued playing percussion through my master’s degree as well. I also played handbells all throughout my youth, as my mom was a significant performer on the national level. Are you currently working on any research projects? If so, what about? I’m actually in the process of clearing all of my projects off of my desk. However, I have a number of things waiting to be published. I have a book chapter that concerns the use of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto and Chopin’s First 10
Piano Concerto in the films of Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show), a book chapter that concerns “Western” music in sci-fi/Western film hybrids (Cowboys & Aliens, Jonah Hex, John Carter, Logan), and a pedagogy chapter that explores using film music examples to teach a specific harmonic relationship called chromatic mediants. I also contribute approximately six articles per year to Film Score Monthly. My February article is (somewhat) controversial –– Hans Zimmer’s Top 12 film scores. My (forthcoming) April article takes a look at the best scores of 1989, a wonderful year for cinematic music, and a round number (30 years ago). I have yet to receive my next assignment(s) for FSM. I’m actively working to not take on more projects right now, but in midFebruary, a friend unofficially pitched an idea, and I’m already thinking about that project. We’ll see if it comes to fruition. How does the Honors Program influence the study of music at OCU? Describe the intersection between honors and music. The Honors Program and the Music Program are natural partners. We typically have enough freshmen in the Honors Program to populate an entire section of Theory I, between 15-18 students. Because of that large cohort, we are able to offer multiple courses as Honors sections and Honors hybrids, as well as work on contracts, because we typically have 2-5 students within a section to work on a project. In fact, I have four Honors students in my Film/Television Music Analysis course this semester who are all collaborating on a single project, which is very exciting. Honors students tend to be more curious than other students and want to find deeper connections between topics and ideas, and that is truly exciting to me, as a faculty member. It allows me to meet with students outside of class to provide a deeper level of understanding of a topic, and I feel that both students and faculty feed off of that energy. In addition to your music profession, you’re also an avid runner. What has been your biggest motivation as you’ve ran thousands of miles, including the 2018 Boston Marathon? Yes, I run quite a bit. I suppose several things motivate me, but it depends on the task at hand. My primary motivation is to stay healthy for my spouse and children, particularly my older son, who is disabled. I need to be here for him as long as I can. Sometimes the motivation is as mundane as “I need to run today, because I need to run.” Sometimes the motivation is because I get to push my son in his adaptive wheelchair on weekends (and weekdays in the summer). I set personal time goals for various race lengths and try to make my training work to allow me to achieve those time goals. I have a friend in Delaware who is a semi-professional runner. I’m paraphrasing him, but he likes to say that he has a gift, and that it is important for him to share the gift with others (he also pushes people in wheelchairs). I certainly don’t have the natural gifts that he does, but we do share the common mission of sharing our gifts with others, whether they are family or not. I hope that through my example, students can see that their faculty can lead a healthy lifestyle, and can achieve things that may, at first, seem unobtainable. I’m currently training for the OKC Half Marathon at the end of April, with a time goal of under 1:30:00, pushing 11
my son. That averages out to 6:53/mile. We’ve been in that ballpark for runs over 10 miles, so that goal is in sight. I’d love to break 18:00 in a 5K with him. Our current best is 18:51, so we have some work to do. I need to get in better shape! Finally, and I haven’t really said anything about this yet, but, I’m doing one last event for myself. I’m running the 24 The Hard Way race in October. I ran the 12-hour version in 2016, and won it with 71.85 miles. I’m hoping to clear 120 in 24 hours this time. I’m already thinking about strategies for it, and I have two amazing crew members lined up to help me achieve it: my dad, and a former member of the U.S. national 24-hour race team. Tell us about your nonprofit organization, Team Hoyt Oklahoma. In February of 2018, I talked to my wife about starting a non-profit organization like my friend in Delaware, to assist disabled athletes compete in running races. We had no idea it would happen so soon. We planned our trip to the Boston Marathon Expo around when Dick and Rick Hoyt were speaking. They are a father-son duo who have competed in over 1,000 events, including triathlons, as well as over a dozen Boston Marathons. While they were speaking my wife and I noticed a number of people in the room with Team Hoyt [city/state] apparel, and we quickly discussed making a pitch to Dick. We had our 30-seconds, and a month later, we were approved to start Team Hoyt Oklahoma. Team Hoyt Oklahoma’s mission is to promote inclusion of disabled athletes in running and other endurance events, and to enhance the lives of individuals, families, and the greater Oklahoma community. We received our 501c3 status in September of 2018, and are having our first official race on March 10, 2019, the Run Lucky 5K. It’s so exciting to be able to share the gift with others, and to find other people willing to serve as someone else’s legs in order to allow that assisted athlete the chance to participate, be included, and experience the joy of running. We’ve had so many wonderful encounters with people, as well as some less-than-pleasant encounters, but the more visibility that we have, the more accepted we will be. Our dream is to have 10 wheelchairs lined up at the start of an event. Something like that would simply be extraordinary. How can OCU students get involved with and support Team Hoyt? Students can get involved in any number of ways. We are always looking for sponsors for wheelchairs. Each chair costs approximately $5,000, but there are benefits to sponsoring chairs. As a non-profit, we are always accepting monetary donations to cover race entry fees and other expenses. More directly, students can recommend someone to be an assisted athlete (a rider), and students can also apply to become assistant athletes (a pusher). I have friends who have pushed people in races, and it has changed their lives in ways they couldn’t have predicted. When a person pushes a chair, that person is giving his or her legs and body to someone else, and it has profound effects. I can’t say in what ways a person will be affected, as it differs from person to person, but it is a memorable experience, and typically people want to do it multiple times. We do require a small fee and a background check from our assistant athletes, but we feel that the minimal cost is offset by the opportunity to do something positive for disability inclusion.
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Anything else you’d like to add? I enjoy the opportunity to serve as the Assistant Director of the Honors Program. Dr. Youmans is such a pleasure to work with, and she is one of my best friends, not just on campus, but overall. I cherish the fact that I get to work with such motivated and talented and intelligent students on a daily basis, and I hope that I have new ideas and new ways to look at issues to offer. I also hope that I give a positive message to students every day and notice students who need more attention. Honors students tend to be highly dedicated, which can often lead to some burnout and mental health concerns. I want students to know that I see them, and that I am available to help. OCU is a wonderful place, and I’m so pleased to be here and lucky to work with the students. And, I’m probably faster than you over any distance longer than 100 meters!
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SORORITY SPOTLIGHT
For the first time on OCU’s campus, all four sorority presidents are members of the Honors Program! We sat down with Sireene, Victoria, Emily, and Carolann to learn more about Greek Life and how the Honors Program has shaped their collegiate leadership careers. What inspired you to run for Chapter President? Sireene: The minute I stepped foot in Alpha Phi, I knew I wanted to run for Chapter President. The continuous love and support I get from each of my sisters inspired me to run and be the greatest president I can be for them and our chapter. Last year’s Chapter President, Joanna Whipple, also told me how she could see me being the next president and how I would improve Alpha Phi on the OCU campus. I already had the thought of running, but Joanna’s words led one to run. Victoria: I wanted to run for Chapter President because I wanted to serve in a role which would allow me to give back to my chapter. I have really grown as a young woman and leader throughout these past three years, and I really credit that to Alpha Chi Omega. I wanted to be able to serve and give back to my chapter, even a fraction of what it has given to me. Emily: Since I joined Gamma Phi Beta as a freshman, I have always felt empowered by women who mentored me in this organization to take on leadership positions and be a mentor to others. I knew I wanted to be President because I wanted to lead our chapter to a more philanthropic focused future, inspire and mentor younger members, and be a representative for Gamma Phi Beta in the Greek and Oklahoma City community. Carolann: Honestly, it sounds a little crazy, but when I went through recruitment as a potential new member, I had a moment sitting in Phi Mu watching the preference ceremony where I had this gut instinct that I would be Phi Mu’s president one day. While I kind of laughed it off at the time, I have such a passion for this organization and for serving my sisters. After I finished my term on the executive board as Membership Director, I knew I wanted to continue to
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be involved on a high level. I felt like I still had more to give my sisters and Phi Mu and I’m so grateful for everything they have given me. So far, what would you say is the most difficult part of being Chapter President? The most rewarding part? Sireene: The most difficult part of being Chapter President would have to be not being able to do all things Alpha Phi every second of the day. You have to learn to use your time wisely and realize that you have other things like school and work that need to be a priority as well. The most rewarding part would have to be having the privilege of serving my sisters and making a memorable year for them. Victoria: The most difficult part of being Chapter President so far has probably been learning how to balance school, work, Alpha Chi, and other extracurriculars as well. However, the ability to serve my sisters and chapter certainly makes up for it! I think one of my favorite experiences so far as president has been to attend a national conference where I was able to represent Gamma Tau and connect with other Alpha Chis from around the country. Emily: As Chapter President, I am the figurehead of the organization. This means being the go-to person for questions, conflicts, or big decisions. I always tell my executive council, “I won’t always know the answer, but I will always have your back.” I often feel like I don’t really know the right answer or decision to make, but sometimes there just needs to be someone brave enough to make a choice. Being President means making difficult or unpopular decisions—but trusting myself to know I’m making it for the betterment of the organization. However, this position is so incredibly rewarding. It allows me to make connections with people that I might not have met otherwise and teaches me lessons about handling conflict and communicating to large groups of people. I love making decisions that make our organization stronger and inspiring other members to take on leadership positions to help shape the future of our chapter. I love the family that Gamma Phi Beta has given me, and I love the bond I have with my executive council who are just as passionate about building a better future for our sisterhood. Carolann: The most difficult part is keeping up with everything that is happening within and relating to Phi Mu as well as being a full-time student and performer. I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to do a multitude of things and have all of these outlets for growth, but it can be hard to stay on top of every detail. I have definitely had to learn to be patient with myself and forgiving if things don’t always go exactly as planned. There are so many rewarding parts, but I think the most rewarding is having the chance to help grow our sisterhood and bringing sisters together. Whether it’s making mac and cheese, preparing for an event, doing an activity during chapter, or just waving at sisters hanging out on the quad: it is so special knowing that I get to be a part of their Phi Mu experience and I hope that I can have the same impact on my sisters that the upperclassman did on me when I was a freshman. If you could describe your sorority experience in three words, what would they be? Sireene: Encouragement, leadership, friendship. Victoria: Empowering, supportive, friendship. 15
Emily: Passionate, empowering, family. Carolann: Supportive, loving, inspiring. How has being a member of the Honors Program influenced your leadership skills and on-campus involvement? Sireene: The Honors Program has continuously pushed me to be the best in my academics and in my leadership on-campus. It has influenced my leadership skills by allowing me to be with other leaders like myself and learn how to take the skills I have learned through academics and implement them into my involvement and leadership at OCU. Victoria: I think one of the best aspects of the Honors Program is the ability to connect with students and peers that I might not have met otherwise because of being in different majors or programs. Just having the ability to network with so many other students has definitely contributed to me being more involved on campus. As far as leadership skills, I would also have to say that one of my favorite parts about honors classes is that they tend to be more discussion based. This has really given me the ability to learn how to listen to and be more open-minded towards other opinions and views. I think the ability to truly listen is one of the most important characteristics for a leader to have. Emily: The Honors Program has taught me about critical thinking in difficult situations and doing more than is just a “requirement� for the job. Honors students are committed and dedicated to going above and beyond to do what’s right. The honors program has given me peers and mentors who believe in my abilities and push me to be a better student and leader. Carolann: Being a part of the Honors Program has really pushed me to think critically in and out of class. Because of the discussion-based class style, I have definitely become more confident in using my voice when I have something valuable to add to the discussion. The Honors Program has also given me some of my best friends and chances to make friends with people on campus outside of both my major and Phi Mu. How has the Honors Program shaped your college experience overall? Sireene: The Honors Program has shaped my overall college experience by allowing me to set the highest of goals and be able to achieve them. It pushes me to be the greatest student and leader I can be for myself and for OCU. I am so thankful for the Honors Program and the encouragement that is continuously given to each student. Victoria: Enrolling in the Honors Program has been one of the best decisions of my college career. I enjoy the small class sizes and the discussion-based format of the classes. I feel as though the honors courses that I have taken have also taught me skills that will be valuable in graduate school and beyond. 16
Emily: The Honors Program puts people together who truly care about education and are passionate about learning. Being in a classroom setting with students who are excited to discuss different topics and engage in intellectual conversation always makes me want to learn more. Last year, I was an Honors Peer Mentor, which meant I got to mentor freshman honors students and plan their first-day experience in the honors program. This experience was so much fun, because I got to meet so many wonderful people and tell my story of what the Honors Program has offered me. I have gotten scholarships from the Honors Program, and I got to attend an Honors Conference in Atlanta. This summer, I will be studying abroad in London, and I will receive Honors credit by vlogging my experience. This program has made such a positive impact on my college career. Carolann: I love being a part of the OCU Honors Program. It has given me the opportunity to feed my academic self and engage in intelligent discussions with a diverse group of people who are all passionate about different things. Dr. Youmans has also become such a wonderful mentor to me and I am so grateful for her guidance and support whenever I need it. Because of Honors Orientation, many of my first OCU experiences were with my classmates in the Honors Program and it has been a consistent part of my life here.
OCU Greek Life is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to tradition sorority/fraternity stereotypes. What sets our community apart? Victoria: I think my favorite part about the Greek Life community on our campus is the small size. It really makes Greek Life feel more connected and like a true community. Emily: OCU Greek organizations are very philanthropic-focused. We each have our own charities that we actively support, and we participate in other organizations’ philanthropies. We also focus heavily on sister and brotherhood and creating a supportive and empowering environment for members. We will get groups of members together to attend a sister’s soccer game or dance performance or send flowers or a card to a sister who is going through a difficult time. Our Greek Life focuses heavily on having positive relationships with the other organizations, because we share the mindset that if each organization succeeds, we all succeed. Carolann: I think one of the things that sets our community apart is that all of the Greek organizations at OCU are so supportive of each other. I have close friends in every single other organization and I know that I can rely on them to come to our events, just as I will support theirs. We genuinely want each other’s organizations to succeed, because when one organization succeeds, all of OCU Greek Life succeeds. I also think most of us in Greek Life here see our chapters as homes for us to grow and learn in, but they are not in any way limiting us to just our chapter. I am so proud to see my Phi Mu sisters, and other Greek students, hold leadership positions in other campus organizations because it truly is the best example of how well-rounded all of our members are.
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Though you are all leaders of separate organizations, all four chapters share a common goal: empowering women and furthering various philanthropic missions. Where would you like to see OCU Greek Life in four years from now? Sireene: In four years, I hope to see OCU Greek Life continuing to grow by recruiting men and women from diverse backgrounds, majors, and cultures to enhance diversity and inclusion within Greek Life. I also hope to see less competition between the sororities and more collaboration. We are all more similar than different and I believe that with great leaders and ideas anything and everything is possible. I hope OCU Greek Life continues to empower women and men and continue the amazing philanthropic missions from each of the Greek houses. I see a bright future for OCU Greek Life and am so thankful to have been a part of it. Carolann: I would love to see our numbers continue to grow as more and more students realize how many benefits there are to Greek Life. I hope that our four chapters continue to grow closer and work together to make sure that we continue to do our best to be good representatives of OCU Greek Life to the rest of the campus community. Most of all, I hope that our members continue to love their organizations and strive every single day to live out the values that these organizations gift to us.
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2019 OCU’s 19th annual Undergraduate Research Day was held on March 29, 2019, and was an amazing success! There were over 20 entries for posters, performances, and presentations that spanned many diverse fields of study from sciences to fine arts. Congratulations to all participants for their excellent work. Category winners received $150 cash prizes, while the Grand Prize winner received a cash prize of $350. This year’s Grand Prize winners were Makenna Smith, Grover Wheeler, and Jasmin Enchassi, who presented their poster “Behind Bitcoin.”
POSTER WINNERS: Natural Sciences: Juliana Soper, “Association Between Stereotypic Behavior and Social Play in Western Lowland Gorillas” Social Sciences: Makenna Smith, Grover Wheeler, and Jasmin Enchassi, “Behind Bitcoin” PRESENTATION WINNERS: Interdisciplinary Race and Gender Issues: Celia Tedde, “I Enjoy Being a Girl: A Quantitative Study of Gender Roles in Standard Musical Theatre Repertoire” Fine and Performing Arts: Ashely Freeman, “Hold on Me” Natural Science and Health: Breann Stavinoha, “Development of Molecular Assays to Identify Hybrids between Two Sympatric Species of Deermice” Interdisciplinary Humanities: Kaylila Pasha, “International Child Slavery: Pakistan” Political, Computer, and Social Sciences: Anna Delony, “A Rhetorical Analysis of Narratives on the Death of the Mangas Coloradas”
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