Chief Gary Batton addresses the students and families who attended the 2015 Choctaw College Connect as the Choctaw royalty and education department leaders look on. He spoke to support the students pursuing their educational goals.
Choctaw College Connect Introduces Students to Their Dream Universities
By Brandon Frye
Choctaw Nation
Durant, Okla. - In a yearly effort to bring students and universities together, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) held the 2015 Choctaw College Connect (CCC) event at the Choctaw Event Center in Durant on Nov. 7.
CCC is a service offered to Choctaw citizens at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Interested attendees from all over converged on the location in the early morning, and perused the event floor until the afternoon.
As a rare opportunity for young Natives, a wide mix of state, regional, and highly selective colleges like Dartmouth, Cornell, Oklahoma State University, Brown, Carl Albert State College, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, East Central University, Notre Dame, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and Vanderbilt (among many others) stationed representatives across the center with the express purpose of recruiting Choctaws. These recruiters explained why their college was the right fit, and how to apply and enroll.
This diverse cast of schools sets CCC apart from other college fairs, as it recognizes the varied interests of tribal members and multiple pathways in reaching their goals.
Chief Gary Batton spoke to the students in attendance, urging them to take full advantage of everything offered during CCC.
“I can see nothing but pride and success, our culture and our history, with you,” Chief Gary Batton said, addressing the students. “We need to make sure you seize today, help you find opportunities for your future.”
Over 400 Choctaw students and their parents did just this, making use of the opportunity.
Lauren Rowland, Director of the Choctaw Nation College and Career Retention Program, had a leadership role in planning and putting on the event. The way she sees it, CCC is quite remarkable.
“Every year college representatives pour into Choctaw Country with the specific goal of recruiting our tribal members to attend their institutions,” Rowland explained. “Tribal members attend from all over the country, some traveling from as far as Hawaii! That alone speaks volumes about the caliber of this event and the significance tribal members find it has in their college planning.”
Rowland gave credit to a team effort, which made the event possible. She said the entire Education Department selflessly gave of their time and resources to support and promote CCC, as well as volunteer at the event.
Kathy Carpenter with Special Projects in the Education Department, and Allison Britton, Director of the Higher Education Program, also played pivotal roles.
“It was just a few years ago when most of us thought it was difficult for a student from southeast Oklahoma to attend an Ivy League college,” Carpenter said. “We found that’s just not the case.”
In offering the CCC event, Choctaw Nation education staff like Rowland and Carpenter hope young Choctaw students realize the same thing–it is entirely within reach to attend a university, even in the Ivy League.
As an added incentive for students to attend, three scholarships of up to $1,000 were awarded as door prizes. This year, John Sokolosky, Jerai Billy, and Paula Talley received scholarships.
CCC offers something for tribal members at every stage of the college planning process. High school students may come to connect with Choctaw Nation education programs such as High School Student Services and the Higher Education Program to gain information about available resources. Someone who has already made applications to schools may come to introduce themselves to the representatives from those schools, visit with the Chahta Foundation about scholarships they should apply to in the spring, and attend a breakout session on what to expect their first year in college. Someone working towards an undergraduate degree may come to talk to representatives from graduate or professional schools, sit in on a breakout session about graduate school admissions, and visit with CNO Human Resources about internship opportunities.
Thomas Williston, Speaker of the Choctaw Tribal Council, spoke to the students and parents during the event. He addressed the importance of having a purpose.
“Everyone here got here by way of a purpose. And you got here by the purpose of your ancestors a long time ago, and the thoughts and hopes they had for the future–and their future is you, each and every one of you,” Williston said. “You as leaders of tomorrow, future parents and grandparents, you’ve got your lives ahead of you, and the Choctaw Nation is here for you.”
Though this year’s event has come and gone, students should plan to attend next year’s CCC. For more information, visit Choctaw College Connect. Remember to pre-register for the event. Additionally, the CNO Higher Education Program can be reached at 800-522-6170, ext. 2518.