Three Seminole State College federal grant programs recently combined forces to accompany several students on a tour of Tinker Air Force Base. The event was sponsored by Student Support Services (SSS), STEM Student Support Services (STEM SSS) and GEAR UP.

“We wanted students to get a firsthand look at the second largest industry in Oklahoma—aviation,” Janna Wilson-Byrd, Director of SSS and STEM SSS, said. “There are a multitude of career opportunities for civilians at Tinker. Students learned about options available in business, engineering, health sciences, computer science and many others.”
The students were shown several types of 3-D printers capable of making new airplane parts, computer programming for missile heads and computer simulations for airplane maintenance. At each stop along the tour, Tinker professionals spoke about the level of education required for each position.

Dr. Katie Ward, FMS Chief within the Legacy Tanker Division at Tinker Air Force Base, helped set up the tour. She also spoke with the students about scholarships and internships available at varying points of their academic journey.

Sundry Rey, a sophomore Health Sciences major said, “I can get so much help from the base to pay for school, which is my number one worry.”

Leah Martin, GEAR UP Coordinator, said, “What an amazing experience. The tour was interactive and informative. I hope we can take more students in the future.”

The College’s SSS Project is 100 percent federally funded in the amount of $294,725 annually. The STEM SSS Project is also fully funded by the federal government in the amount of $261,888 annually. Both projects serve first-generation, economically disadvantaged and disabled students. For more information, contact Janna Wilson-Byrd, Director of Projects, at 405-382-9642.

GEAR UP is a federally funded grant hosted at SSC. GEAR UP, or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Student / parent coordinators work with a cohort of students beginning in sixth and seventh grades and mentor that group through their first year of postsecondary education. For more information, contact Jeremy Strickland, GEAR UP Director, at 405-382-9681. Further details about all grant programs at the College can be found at sscok.edu.