If you are a yoga practitioner, you might have
experienced some of the benefits of yoga: sleeping better, getting fewer
colds or feeling more relaxed during stressful times. But there are
many more life-altering rewards to be gained when practiced frequently,
such as reformed mental and physical states of being.
For its physical benefits, yoga has shown to increase flexibility,
muscle strength and tone. Research also shows that yoga practitioners
have improved respiration, as well as better levels of energy and
vitality.
Most yoga sessions include breathing exercises,
meditation and postures, called asana or poses, that stretch and flex
various muscles, protecting the body from injury and improving athletic
performance. Yoga can also help with weight reduction and help in
maintaining a balanced metabolism.
Even though practicing yoga burns fewer calories than traditional
exercises such as jogging or swimming, yoga can increase one’s
mindfulness on the way they relate to their body, helping them become
more aware of what they eat and making better food choices.
If one is trying to lose weight, it’s important to choose yoga
classes that challenges the body and supports weight loss goals, such as
Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Bikram—types of yoga that focus on strength-building and cardiovascular exercise.
According to studies published by the British medical journal The Lancet, clients with hypertension had their blood pressure dropped as they engaged in yoga regularly.
The benefits don’t stop there, as a recent study from the University of Illinois showed
that practicing yoga for 20 minutes can also improve brain function.
Participants of the study focused better on their mental resources,
processed information more quickly and held more pieces of information
whenever they were practicing the breathing exercises.
Exercises in general help decrease levels of depression,
but yoga specifically has proved that if practiced on a regular basis,
it can help decrease depression drastically. Some of these poses,
including the Cobra, Bridge or Supported Headstand, can be extremely
calming to the mind.
Yoga asana is a key
component to breathing well and can contribute to a state of calm,
where the mind and body connects and releases the attachment of worries,
problems, fears and circumstances.
Patients who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
and frequently experienced nightmares and flashbacks were able to
be significantly more at ease overall whenever frequently practicing
yoga.
Developed in India over five thousand years, yoga proves to help
clear the mind and break bad habits, eliminating negativity and
diminishing stress.
Despite of 67,761 signatures in favor of putting medical marijuana on
the ballot this November, University of Central Oklahoma students
should not expect to be able to vote on this debated issue.
Oklahomans for Health collected the signatures to State Question 788, where medical marijuana would be implemented and would allow doctors to prescribe cannabis products to patients in need.
The original ballot question was modified and rewritten by Attorney
General Scott Pruitt. Supporters of medical marijuana believe the change
to the ballot question was made to evoke a “no-vote” from voters.
Supporters say the new wording of the state question misleads voters to
believe the petition would also allow the recreational use of cannabis,
instead of strictly medical use.
Joe Dorman, board member of Oklahomans for Health, said that the
nonprofit believes the new language of the petition is more vague than
the original, and there are hopes the Oklahoma Supreme Court will accept the original ballot title.
According to Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, State Question 788 on Ballotpedia.com:
The original first sentences of the proposal read:
“This measure amends the Oklahoma State Statutes. A yes vote
legalizes the licensed use, sale, and growth of marijuana in Oklahoma
for medicinal purposes.”
The revised version reads:
“This measure legalizes the licensed use, sale, and growth of marijuana in Oklahoma.”
“[The altered version] is very misleading. It does not give a clear
picture of what the proposed language would do. This is specifically
dealing with medical marijuana. The first part of the description leads
people to believe that this is a question for full legalization of
marijuana, and that’s not true,” Dorman said.
According to the Encyclopedia of American Politics, the Secretary of
the State, Chris Benge, deemed the ballot title as insufficient and
asked Pruitt to rewrite it.
Once the petition is completed, the attorney general has the ability
under the law to rewrite or re-frame the ballot title if the he or she
does not see it as a proper description.
Following a revision, the petition is sent to the Supreme Court, and
in a period of 10 days the organization that proposed the state question
can ask the Supreme Court to accept the original version, the modified
one, or to write their own version, Dorman said.
Pruitt said the wording of the state ballot was changed because no
medical conditions were listed. He wanted to inform voters by providing
an accurate description of the measure’s effects, Pruitt said.
“The proposition itself states there are no qualifying medical
conditions, and while a physician has to sign-off on an application for a
license, nothing in the law provides a physician will monitor usage,”
Pruitt said.
According to Dorman, medical conditions were not included in the
state question because he believes that doctors have the expertise to
discern whether or not a patient needs to use cannabis products. Dorman
also said he did not want to leave some medical conditions out.
“The reason we wrote that, in the way we did, is many other states
are seeing problems with having to go back and amend the law, just
because medical conditions have been left out. We framed [the
description] this way, to give doctors full discretion and authority to
prescribe for conditions they think it will help,” Dorman said.
According to the Encyclopedia of American Politics, the original
ballot title states that a “Yes-vote” would legalize the licensed use,
as well as the sale and growth of marijuana in Oklahoma for medical
purposes. The rewritten version of the ballot removes the “medical
purposes,” out of the phrase.
Also, the previous state question affirms that the use of medical marijuana must be approved by an Oklahoma Board Certified Physician.
In the rewritten version for a physician to give a patient access to
medical marijuana, the phrase “must be approved,” was modified to “must
recommend the license.”
When asked if medical marijuana should be implemented in the state of
Oklahoma, UCO’s Criminal Justice student, Marcus Payton said, “I think
[marijuana] can be used medically. There are a lot of benefits for it,
as long as it’s strictly used in certain areas, like hospitals
designated for those users. But nowhere outside of that.”
Even though the signatures were collected within 90 days, some state
officials believe that Oklahomans for Health did not allocate enough
signatures within the limited time, and advised them to get signatures
earlier.
“Those state officials are incorrect. We collected, and there was
enough time to go through the entire process and everything would go
smoothly. But unfortunately it just wasn’t the case,” Dorman said.
Due to several criticisms of the rewritten ballot question, many
supporters attended the rally, Pack the Capitol for Legal Medical
Cannabis, earlier this week. The event organized by Oklahomans for Change
hoped to help and inspire others on being involved in the political
process and show their displeasure on several fronts, including the
rewording of the ballot.
More than 100 people were present at the rally, chanting “let us
vote” at the State Capitol on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 at 4:30 p.m.
Attendees of the event and Oklahomans for Change members wanted officials, including Gov. Mary Fallin and Pruitt to know there is a large support to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
Seniors with disabilities made up the majority of the crowd at the
rally. Several speakers at the rally talked about their severe medical
conditions including lupus, cancer, and epilepsy while other attendees
spoke about their frustrations after having the petition modified.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be on the ballot this November,
because of trickery at the capitol. And there’s a problem with the
attorney general changing the title of the question to make it appear
that it’s recreational use and not medicinal. That’s a barrier,” Walter
Jacquis said, an attendee at the event.
According to a study released in the Journal Health Affairs, in
states where medical marijuana is legal, the number of prescriptions
given for painkillers and other classes of drugs fell drastically
comparing to states that did not have a medical-marijuana law. In the
study, the average doctor in a medical marijuana state prescribed 265
fewer doses of antidepressants each year, 486 fewer doses of seizure
medication, 541 fewer anti-nausea medications, and 562 fewer doses of
anti-anxiety medication.
Although the question will most likely not make it on the ballot this
November, Oklahomans for Health believe in the chances for the petition
to be on the ballot in the June primary election in 2018, or during the
general election that same year.
With a mission to connect and create a memorable experience on the river, Central’s Boathouse has received great feedback for its sculptural qualities. The boathouse received the American Architecture Award 2016 granted by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, earlier this month.
The American Architecture Award is dedicated to recognized excellence
in architecture and urbanism in the United States, highlighting new
developments in design and honoring commercial, interiors and urban
architecture.
The award is organized by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of
Architecture and Design, The European Center for Architecture Art Design
and Urban Studies, and the Metropolitan Arts Press, to study national
and international architectural building and landscapes.
“We are honored to accept the American Architecture Award on behalf
of the University of Central Oklahoma,” said Principal Architect at
Elliott + Associates Architects, Rand Elliott.
Central’s boathouse was finished by 2015, winning national
recognition along with the other 74 recipients of the awards, selected
from 380 buildings and architectural projects.
The discipline of art and rowing are now portrayed at Central’s
Boathouse, along with an inclusion of an art gallery, a musical, a live
performance stage, an outside water stage and a private conference room.
“The American Architecture Awards represent the best architecture in America. We are happy to represent Oklahoma and are proud to be among such an illustrious list,” Elliott said.
According to The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design
website, the architectural concept behind UCO’s Boathouse was to connect
the beauty, grace and power of rowing with the lyric notes of jazz
music.
Another concept was to create a memorable, one of a king experience
on the river, integrating fine art on canvas and paper with the
sculptural qualities of rowing shells combined in a atmosphere filled of
emotional sounds, stated Central’s Boathouse website.
According to Elliott + Associates’ website, the team illustrates the
firms’ creative process and problem-solving focus while designing and
transforming buildings and landscapes; members of the team look for a
powerful idea to influence architecture.
UCO has aligned with the boathouse district and the arts movement to
perfect details for the crafty place. They also partnered with LINGO
Construction Services, Inc., Triad Design Group, Mark Eudaley Engineers,
Inc. and Determan Scheirman Engineers, Inc. for the construction of the
boathouse.
With technology on the rise, you don’t have to
travel to learn from somebody on another continent. A professor at the
University of Central Oklahoma gave students a Skype lesson with the
author of a book they read in class, allowing them to ask questions
about the book, and learn from an international point of view.
UCO’s Spanish Professor and Department Chair of Modern Language,
Diana Pardo, offered students with an interactive class and a Skype
lesson from Haitian author Evelyne Trouillot.
“I think it’s important to bring somebody to our
classroom, because we are bringing something that very few people in
Oklahoma know anything about. By bringing it to them, it becomes alive.
It becomes something that is more authentic and more original, as
opposed to just reading the book,” Pardo said.
The award-winning Haitian author has several books and novels
touching base in polemic topics. She is also known for writing from a
woman’s point of view.
Several of her works have been translated into German, English,
Spanish and Italian, and have also been published in magazines in Cuba,
France, Mexico and Canada.
The usually typical class started a little differently on Tuesday,
with Pardo welcoming the Haitian author to a classroom full of excited
students.
“We want to welcome you to our university, our class, our state, our country and we are going to do our best to make this a pleasurable encounter,” said Pardo.
Students of the African-Caribbean Literature class were offered a
Skype lesson where they could ask questions about a book they were
required to read in class, “The Infamous Rosalie,” including questions
about the characters in the book, the history of the Haiti, and well as
her inspirations to write a novel over slavery.
Over 20 students attended the class, and said they were thankful for the opportunity to meet Trouillot. “She really took me to a different world, and she inspired me to look at life in a different way,” said Jordan Moss, a UCO student.
A student in class, Kameron Ackerman, welcomed Trouillot with a
Haitian flag, while another student welcomed the author in French, her
native language. Students seemed well prepared and engaged to meet the
author.
“Reading the novel was great, but when we bring that person into our
classroom, somebody from Haiti, a country that we have a lot of
misconceptions about, we are trying to dispel a lot of these
misconceptions. It’s important that we bring that to Oklahoma, to keep
up with global competency, and to make sure our students know about the
world,” Pardo said.
The novel written by Trouillot, “The Infamous
Rosalie,” displays the story of Lisette, a Creole-born slave living in
Haiti, suffering struggles to maintain her dignity, while dealing with
the fears and traumas among the plantation masters. The novel also
focuses on the aspects of the Haitian Revolution.
“It was very eye-opening just to learn about slavery, but also what
woman went through. A lot of times you don’t get to read that in just
normal history books. It was really eye-opening,” said Azucena Yearby, a
student at UCO.
American businessman and Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, Donald Trump has voiced his opinion over women’s attractiveness, as well as their ability to execute work well.
Trump has insulted co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, calling her “unattractive both inside and out.” He has also stated that American singer and actress Better Midler is an “extremely unattractive woman.”
Each of these comments were stated by Trump via his Twitter account.
“It is disheartening to see that this is still happening. I really
thought we were passed the time where objectifying women was seen as
acceptable,” Jasmin Tartt, a member of American Association of University Women, said.
Over a month ago, Trump compared his wife with Ted Cruz’s wife in
side-by-side photos on his Twitter account. Along with the photos of
both women, he wrote, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Sinead Maguina, vice president of American Association University of
Women at University of Central Oklahoma, responded to Trump’s comments
regarding women, “If you can only [give value to] a person by their
looks, not only are you a narcissistic person – not only you are selfish
– but you are just very ignorant. A person’s attractiveness doesn’t
last forever. It does not, but your intelligence does. Your intelligence
will be with you until the day that you die.”
The Republican Party presidential candidate is no stranger to grading
women on looks, according to multiple sources. Because of these
comments, Trump’s campaign has brought with it a lot of conversations
over sexism and sexual assault.
During an interview with The New York Times, Trump made comments on model Heidi Klum’s appearance, saying, “Sadly, she’s no longer a ’10.'”
“Being graded based on your look, it’s pretty saddening and can be very hurtful.
I’m definitely more empowered than I was in the past. And I’ve spent
time in the military, so I’ve been around guys talking like this. But
being where I am today, I definitely try to make a point in letting them
know it makes me uncomfortable. I feel everyone should be able to feel
this way and say something,” Tartt said.
During the first presidential debate, American politician and nominee of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, called out Trump for his history of misogynistic comments. In particular, she brought to light the former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who he has called “Miss Piggy.”
Trump also insulted Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski in a Twitter attack, calling her “neurotic.”
“I’m not an object. I don’t dress the way I dress to impress boys. My
intelligence is worth more than anything, and so those comments kind of
depreciate what a woman is. We are not just a pretty thing you can look
at. We are working women, we are mothers, we are CEOs. For him to say
that, that’s just saying women are just an object, and that’s not OK. I
don’t know who taught him morals,” Maguina said.
Tartt explained that a lot of men use this type of behavior: offending women and covering it up by saying it’s all a joke.
“I think a lot of people try to make excuses for this type of behavior because they play itoff
as a joke — the ‘boys will be boys’ culture that we live in today. It’s
not even just about sexual, explicit things. It’s about what is behind
it, because sexual assaults happen every day, and it’s mostly on women,”
Tartt said.
“Just because you say some offensive comments and then say it’s a
joke, it’s really not [a joke], because you thought about it, and you
said it. It’s not funny to me, and it’s not funny to anybody else,”
Maguina said.
The New York Post emerged with a
videotape displaying Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women. In
the video recorded a little over a decade ago, Trump said, “You know I’m
automatically attracted to beautiful women. I just start kissing them.
It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a
star, they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab them by the pussy.
You can do anything.”
Since the leaking of the video, Trump has been accused of harassment
and assault by a number of women who came forward to share their stories
of alleged misconduct.
“Him commenting that the sexual comments that he made were just
locker room talk is basically giving permission to everybody to just
mistreat women whether it be physical, or mental or at the work place,”
Maguina said about the leaked tape.
When asked how to educate the male population over this touchy topic,
Maguina said, “Just say, ‘Hey, you know what, I don’t appreciate that.
Can you please not say that again? Because it’s not nice.’ Don’t be
afraid to stop them and say, ‘That’s not okay for you to say.’ They
don’t have people that tell them that, because some girls just ignore it and go on with their day. I think we just need to be stronger as women,” she added.
The new program will allow employees learn about business etiquette,
reputation management and professional communication, said Karen
Youngblood, executive director for Customized Education.
The Workforce Advantage Program will address information on
generational differences, dressing professionally, entitlements,
punctuality and honoring hierarchy. The program will also discuss
texting and social media in the workplace.
UCO’s Customized Education partnered with the State Chamber of Oklahoma to provide innovative instructions to keep learners engaged with real-world scenarios.
At the summit Youngblood heard from organizations, associations,
non-profits and businesses that there was a need to improve soft skills
to get employees boardroom-ready.
“All of [the employers] were saying the same thing. They were saying
our young employees coming out of college don’t have soft skills. They
have good talent; they have good technical skills; but they don’t have
the soft skills,” Youngblood said.
According to Youngblood, soft skills are basic
skills needed in the workplace including how to properly handshake, look
somebody in the eye, use silverware, write a professional email, along
with other traits.
The program is opened to anyone but is designed for new or advancing
professionals, typically someone that is new to a company or has
received a new position.
“We are not going to teach rocket science, but we are going to teach
the business perspective and expectations that people don’t tell when
you go in … We are trying to bridge that gap so that employees are even
more valuable to employers,” Youngblood said.
The new program is intended to help employees convey
a positive image and serve in the upper-level management of the
organization. Professionalism, customer service and collaboration will
also be studied throughout the program.
There’s no age requirement for the Workforce Advantage Program.
Students that finished high school, received a bachelor’s degree, or
even a master’s degree are all welcomed to take these valuable classes.
The program is designed to be a 90-day session, with three Thursdays
and three Fridays over a period of three months. Classes will take place
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday.
Classes will cost $1299, and discounts may be applied.
Research shows that employees that want to stand out
will need to polish soft skills and be able to leave a strong
impression. After three months of classes, students will receive a
professional certificate as a way to stand out from the crowd, said
Youngblood.
The Workforce Advantage Program has a lifetime guarantee, where
employees are able to retake classes again without any cost. Companies
also may offer to pay for the training, as research has proven the
long-term profits.
“Our goal is really to make sure the employee has that additional
edge, that additional standout, that additional boardroom-ready
functionality so they stand out among other peers,” Youngblood said.
As a woman in America, I take advantage of my rights and
I understand the history of our challenges. Even with previous
disadvantages and economic injustice, we have accomplished many rights
throughout the last century.
Our grandmothers have fought for our rights, and under American law,
women won the right to vote on August 18, 1920, which opened many doors
for our future. Instead of being the secretary, we became the boss.
Women in America were expected to stay home with the children, cook
for the family, and raise the children to be good citizens. That
archetypal concept, however, has drastically changed in the last few
decades. Stay-at-home dads became more popular, and mothers received an
education and the means to follow a career and be successful in a
professional field.
Even though women have faced inequality during the last century—and
have fought through it—gender gap still exists in America and throughout
the world, especially in the workforce.
Women generally earn 79 cents for every dollar men earn for exercising the same jobs.
According to Women’s Law Center (CWLC), African-American women in
2014 were paid 60 cents for every dollar white men earned, while
Hispanic women only earned 55 cents.
Women’s rights have started to progress, but the question remains: Have women taken sovereignty over their bodies?
From my viewpoint, popular media still limits women’s role by
including an intense scrutiny and emphasis on their looks. America has
oversexualized the female body and praised men for their work ethic,
discipline and overall professional attitude.
In a social experiment video on YouTube, two different women
were observed. One, a breastfeeding mother, received bad looks and mean
comments such as “shame on you” from those passing by her.
The second, a
young woman wearing an extremely cleavage-bearing shirt and
tight-fitting clothes, was praised by men for how beautiful she looked.
She received a positive reaction, even though she exposed the same
amount of skin as the mother did, who was sitting quietly and feeding
her infant.
Mothers have the right to breastfeed in public and shall be excused
from jury duty upon request, according to the Oklahoma State Law.
It’s conflicting to see people shaming mothers for feeding
their infants in public while they have the right under the law to do
so. The same people that despise women’s right when it comes to
breastfeeding, take their children to the mall, and let them see photos
of Victoria’s secret models who are often showing more skin.
I long to see the day where women and men will be equally respected
and admired by society—a day where women will be admired for her efforts
to better the society, instead of her looks and extravagant eyelashes.
After all, equal means equal, right?
The University of Central Oklahoma’s effort to help students engage with each other and the community around them has brought national recognition among prestigious colleges and universities.
The Wall Street Journal Times Higher Education College Ranking ranked UCO sixth place in the Top 10 list compiled for student engagement. UCO was the only public-regional university ranked on the Wall Street Journal’s Top Schools for Engagement list.
“It was a very prestigious recognition that we received, and we were absolutely delighted that other people discovered it. It was really a testimony to what goes here with our students, our faculty and our staff to receive this ranking,” said Jeff King, executive director of Center for Excellence in Transformative Teaching and Learning.
Over 100,000 colleges and universities around the nation were surveyed on questions over student engagement with staff, faculty, organizations and programs offered by these institutions. Other questions highlighted students’ satisfaction with their college experience.
For each institution, 50 students were given a survey. The institutions, however, were not notified about these censuses.
“What I like about this is that it’s based on not just data, but also on interviews. We didn’t know they were interviewing our students. We had no idea,” UCO President Don Betz said.
The engagement ranking was derived from seven questions. Survey questions included how challenging classes were, the level at which classes prompted critical thinking, the students’ connections to the school, and interactions in the community.
“What these people were trying to do with their particular survey was to get more of a read on what [a UCO student’s] actual experience was like, among all other indicators that they were collecting. And as it turns out, the University of Central Oklahoma ranked extremely highly in how much students are engaged with their education, with their faculty, with other staff on campus, with organizations and service learning, and so forth,” King said.
Governor Mary Fallin has complimented UCO’s administration for being recognized nationally for helping students connect with each other and the world around them. Fallin said UCO efforts are similar to her Oklahoma Works initiative, which aims to ensure Oklahoma students have the necessary education and skills to enter the workforce prepared and well-equipped.
Betz believes education is the single most significant factor in the long-range development of the opportunities for students, along with the development of character, which is influenced by education.
Betz said he receives feedback from employers articulating that UCO students are very engaged, alert, adaptive and eager to learn.
“But ultimately what it is, to me, is affirmation and encouragement that the pathway we are on is a pathway that is worthwhile. [A pathway] that serves not only our students, but our society, our communities, the metro area and the state of Oklahoma. And if we do that in the right way, especially with our costs here compared to many across the country, we think that we are, in that way, serving students as best as we possibly can. So we are encouraged; we have to be,” Betz added.
It’s noted that the results show a clear divide between public and private institutions, highlighting that private colleges are more prompt to receive high rankings, as public schools have more restrained spending.
“We are just again very, very pleased, and hopefully we can continue to serve our students and the community very well,” Betz said. “I can thank the entire faculty and staff of the institution—those people that get up every day and come here with a passion for what they do and a belief in the possibilities of creating opportunities for our students. And I also thank the students. They were the ones that did the reporting.”
Alumna and current student at the University of Central Oklahoma, Lisa Gray collated over $28,000 in donations to implement a new playground at Horace Mann Elementary School (HMES). After two years of acquiring donation money, the school opened the new playground Monday, Oct. 24.
At the ribbon cutting celebration, hundreds of students were amused as they pulled off the covers veiling the playground. Students at HMES were on fall break when the new playground was placed and properly installed.
Gray’s son currently attends the school and will be able to use the playground before he moves to high school next year. Gray didn’t implement the new playground for her son, but rather for the future generations that will be able to access the new structure.
HMES Principal, Mitchel Ruzzolli, said that Gray saw the need to help other students instead of just helping her own child. He recognizes Gray’s passion to help the community and improve people’s lives.
Gray’s journey to utilize the new playground started when she was promoted to president of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at HMES two years ago.
One of her goals and ideas was to replace an outdated and out-regulated playground that wasn’t fulfilling the students’ expectations.
“One of the reasons why I’ve seen a need for [a new playground] is that we are actually a healthy-lifestyle school. They fund us well for the kids to be active, but as a parent, I felt if the school is doing their part in providing and pushing the healthy lifestyle skills, what can we do as parents to help?” Gray said.
After taking her role as the president of PTA, Gray decided to look for playgrounds and was shocked by their high cost. The original one she was looking at cost $70,000. After several weeks of research, she found a company in Florida with fairer prices that was willing to ship the playground pieces to be installed here in Oklahoma. A considerable number of parents got involved with fundraisers and became disciplined in raising money to improve the students’ school breaks.
The playground was purchased in May of this year, but money was still needed to establish it in Oklahoma City. According to Gray, foundations came together offering to pay for the installation costs of the playground.
The Aldridge Foundation, Cresap Family Foundation, Breit Company, along with the help from members of the community, Toby Tindell, Gregg Long and Holly Freeman, donated to the school and were engaged in the installation process.
After the outstanding donations, Gray decided to implement two soccer goals to the school.
“It was amazing that once people started hearing what we were doing here, they were coming forward and had no problem helping with that. I’m very appreciative. [It] not only helped the children get a new playground, which I know they are going to be super excited about, but it made me feel just a little accomplished because I made it my personal goal to make this project done before we left here,” Gray said.
The graduate student believes it’s important to give back to the community and help others succeed.
In June of this year, Gray started working at UCO at the Student Support Services-Lameta as a Retention Specialist helping students achieve their goals to their fullest academic potential.
“I love helping students. I was very appreciative that I got that job because now I’m able to help students at UCO. We help and cater to students that are first generation or are in financial need. To be able to do that at a university — for me it’s amazing because we have students that come in and this is the first time dealing with college, and their parents actually never dealt with it,” Gray said.
Gray said she hopes to continue helping students at UCO and students at other schools. She graduated UCO with a general studies degree and is now pursuing her second Bachelor’s in psychology.
“I think it’s important to give back to the community. I like to give back to students,” Gray said.
