Seminole Nation Chief Lewis JohnsonMusician Frank Waln
Seminole State College will host Tribal Fest on Nov. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on campus. The event is organized and sponsored by the College’s federal grant programs: Student Support Services/SSS STEM, Talent Search, GEAR UP, NASNTI and Upward Bound.
Seminole State College’s Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) program has been awarded a supplemental grant award of $150,694. The grant proposal was written by NASNTI Director Kay Wallace and includes several initiatives to promote Native American language and culture.
“We are thrilled to receive this supplemental grant award,” Wallace said. “These initiatives will help us promote Native American language and culture and provide our students with unique opportunities to learn about their heritage.”
Seminole State College students recently had the opportunity to enhance their resume writing skills during the workshop titled “Creating Your Resume.” The workshop, presented by Dr. Katie Ward and sponsored by Student Support Services and STEM Student Support Services, proved to be a valuable resource for students seeking to craft compelling resumes.
Photographer Matika Wilbur will take to the stage to present “Celebrating Native Language and Culture” at Seminole State College’s Jeff Johnston Auditorium on Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is sponsored by SSC’s Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) federal grant program.
Wilbur, a visual storyteller hailing from the Swinomish and Tulalip peoples of coastal Washington, embarked on a journey in 2012 to change the way people perceive Native America through the power of photography.
The Seminole State College Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions federal grant program hosted the Osage ballet “Wahzhazhe” on Aug. 15 in the Jeff Johnston Fine Arts Auditorium.
Students, employees and community members enjoyed the performance, which depicts more than 400 years of the tribe’s history. Following the event, attendees had the opportunity to meet with the ballet dancers.
Two Seminole State College GEAR UP students were selected to attend the 2023 Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) in San Francisco, California, from July 16-19.
The two students, Benjamin Foster of Prague and Mandy Primeaux of Wewoka, joined 150 of their peers from across the country at the summit. The students and GEAR UP staff were able to experience and tour many cultural and historical sites, including San Francisco’s Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Prison, the Golden Gate Bridge and more.
From July 10 to July 13, the Seminole State College Talent Search/FOCUS grant program held their annual residential camp on the College’s campus. Forty-seven 9th and 10th graders from 15 different area schools were in attendance and were able to experience team building, leadership exercises, cultural activities and outdoor adventures.
During the camp, Talent Search/Focus students toured and watched a performance at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Students also enjoyed white water rafting at Riversport OKC (pictured) and a trip to Frontier City. For more information about the Talent Search Program, please visit http://www.sscok.edu/sponsored-grant-programs/talent-search/ or call 405-382-9709.
Seminole State College hosted a retirement reception for Talent Search Director Mary Ann Hill and Upward Bound Head Coordinator Ronnie Williamson in the E.T. Dunlap Student Union on June 26. Co-workers, family and friends gathered to celebrate their careers and wish them well on their retirements.
Ronnie Williamson (left) and Mary Ann Hill (right) will retire from SSC at the end of June. Williamson served one year as an Advisor for the Talent Search grant program before working under the Upward Bound grant. He is looking forward to spending more time golfing, swimming and running following his retirement. He resides in Seminole. Hill has been employed by SSC for 32 years. In addition to her role as the Director of the Talent Search grant program, she also is a past President of the Professional Staff Association. She is active in the Seminole Humane Society and resides in Seminole.
The Seminole State College Talent Search/FOCUS federal grant program hosted Coaster Camp on June 13 and 14 for eighth-grade students. During the engineering camp, students worked together, problem solved and built their own rollercoasters. Jenny Davidson, a geometry and trigonometry teacher at Wewoka High School, taught hands-on lessons related to force, energy and motion.
Students were then able to apply those lessons on a larger scale with a visit to the Frontier City theme park in Oklahoma City. “We cannot brag on this group enough. They worked hard, communicated well with their teammates and solved problems together. We’re proud of these future engineers,” Talent Search Advisor Angela Harjo said. For more information about the Talent Search/FOCUS program, visit sscok.edu/sponsored-grant-programs/talent-search or call 405-382-9703.
On June 1, the Seminole State College Talent Search/FOCUS federal grant program hosted a trip for 90 sixth graders, SSC students and staff volunteers, and high school mentors to see the Lion King musical at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
The SSC Talent Search/FOCUS Program, along with volunteers from SSC Student Support Services Program, attended the OKC Broadway production of Hamilton and enjoyed Logan’s for lunch. “This event was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we were so excited to offer to our upper classman participants from our area high schools. We plan to have many more similar events in the future,” Talent Search/FOCUS Advisor Angela Harjo said. For more information about the FOCUS Program, please visit sscok.edu/sponsored-grant-programs/talent-search or call 405-382-9703.