I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Parks and Wildlife Law Enforcement at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), with the goal of becoming an Oklahoma Game Warden. I began my college journey at Rose State College, where I earned my associate’s degree while completing general education requirements. Transferring to SWOSU was the next step in reaching my academic and professional goals. Since transferring to SWOSU, I have focused my efforts on courses pertaining to law enforcement, natural resources, and outdoor education. These courses have not only deepened my understanding of the role a Game Warden plays, but they have also expanded my horizons and exposed me to experiences that have altered my way of thinking. In addition to academic pursuits, I have had the opportunity to contribute to my community in a variety of ways. This year I was privileged to serve as the Outreach and Education chair of the SWOSU chartered chapter of Quail Forever. After earning my bachelor’s degree, I plan to serve as a Game Warden for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. This role will allow me to protect natural resources, enforce wildlife laws, and serve the community. I am passionate about conservation and public safety, and I want to dedicate my career to ensuring future generations can enjoy Oklahoma’s wildlife and natural resources. Financial support would make a meaningful difference in helping me complete my degree without taking on excessive debt. Since I am funding my own education, I am intimately aware of the financial responsibility of college. I am working to stay focused in order to achieve my goal, and receiving assistance would allow me to concentrate fully on my studies and professional development. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced academically was passing calculus. Despite struggling with the subject, I refused to give up. I studied hard, hired a tutor, and eventually passed the course. Even after changing my major and no longer needing the class, I pushed through because I wanted to follow through on the commitment I made. That persistence will continue to drive me through future challenges in both academics and my career. In addition, over the last several semesters I labored to bring my GPA back up to a respectable average after I allowed it to sink while wrestling with Calculus. Through this labor I was able to achieve the Vice President’s Honor Roll last spring, and the President’s Honor Roll in the fall and again this spring. Transferring to SWOSU has given me the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. In addition to the classes required for my major, I am minoring in World Languages, where I am studying Spanish. As Spanish is commonly used in Oklahoma, being able to speak and understand the language will allow me to connect with the people in the community. I am committed to gaining the education and experience I need to serve Oklahoma as a skilled and dedicated law enforcement officer.

@adriannam.t

Across the street lived Trinity, She liked to play things differently than me. My favorite tool set was misused On the poor teddy that was bruised Instead of building benches, We were sewing stitches. I think we performed a lobotomy, Me and that girl, Trinity.

Fencing ( A Christian's Purpose, and the Journey to Realize it and Live for God ) ( The Quest ) Shall my yawp be largely lost? Or will I stand against the gale No matter what the cost? Do I stand up or lie down, What is my call? When is the time to defend with my all? These answers evade me, As does sweet sleep. But the hole in my soul Leaves me stumbling and weak. These puzzles I seek, Discern for me, Lord Train me to be Your sharp-edged sword. ( The Fight ) Without Him, we're just specks of dust Floating around, chasing after our own lusts. But with Him, we're warriors, conquerors, defenders Liberators, bringing the Truth to those who don't know our Savior So teach me, Lord Write on my heart Your everlasting Word Train me to be your sharp-edged sword. - A. M. T.

My mom once described me as a "Renaissance Woman", as a play on the term "Renaissance Men", which described men during the Renaissance who could be considered professionals in more than one subject, such as Leonardo da Vinci, because of my varied interests and activities. Aside from more traditional hobbies such as playing instruments and singing, I love to write poems, practice karate and swordsmanship, traipse through the woods and read as many books as I can. I am also involved in my church, and several clubs on my college campus. Currently, I serve as the Vice President of our Student Senate, the Public Representative for the Alpha Eta Alpha chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and I am a co-leader in the Rose State Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) Worship Team. In Student Senate, we are primarily concerned with bridging the gap between students and administration, but we also participate in higher education advocacy, both in conjunction with other colleges and on our own at the State Capitol. This experience has taught me to not be afraid to reach out to people who have positions that are higher than mine with my ideas and questions. They are people just like everyone else. Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society that works to recognize academic achievement and provide leadership opportunities through volunteering in the local community. Recently, our chapter completed our Honors in Action project, which is a community volunteer project based on hours of research on a topic. This year the topic was how play is important in different aspects of our lives. Through our research, we learned how play can positively affect young children, and we decided put on an interactive reading of a book to first and second-graders at Positive Tomorrows, a school for children experiencing homelessness. Although this was not my first time volunteering with Positive Tomorrows, this experience opened my eyes to the difficulties facing these children and has led me to volunteer there more often and advocate for others to volunteer at Positive Tomorrows as well. As a co-leader of the BCM Worship Team, I am responsible for scheduling our singers for each week and collaborating with the other co-leader to decide on our song list for each week and which keys we will be playing in. As I just recently took on this active role, I am quickly adjusting to the extra expectations and challenge of working with an unfamiliar partner. This responsibility has so far taught me to be flexible, while still planning for events ahead of time. I hope to use the skills I have learned from these experiences to advocate for the causes I believe in, help more organizations like Positive Tomorrows, and continue to hone my talents to glorify God.

As a child, I was always enamored with my father's construction work. Many times when I was young, I would insist that I was going to follow in his footsteps by owning and operating my own construction company. As I aged, I began drawing and designing structures and machines. I drew bridges, robots, and even a couple of inventions of my own. Through my library's lego robotics club, I discovered that I enjoyed solving problems. The club pitted teams against a storyline that had us searching through archaeological ruins that we had to both build and navigate. Soon after that experience, I realized math was not as big of a monster as I had once thought. The different formulas and laws began to make sense and my brain began to make connections that I never thought it would be able to. When I solve a problem, whether it is a math problem or an everyday problem, everything clicks into place and the resulting feeling is immensely satisfying. With these revelations, I decided to aim for a degree in engineering, specifically civil engineering, or ocean engineering. Civil engineering deals with the design, maintenance, and construction of amenities, roadways, and other systems that help civilization to run smoothly. Civil engineers design and construction workers build. In this field, I would be able to design bridges, stormwater systems, and even roadways. Becoming a civil engineer would allow me to achieve a dream close to my childhood dream of following in the footsteps of my father. On the other hand, ocean engineers combine oceanography with engineering to design and maintain structures and equipment that operate near and in the ocean. Like many people, I have a deep fascination with the ocean and especially boats. When I was young, I would build boats out of scraps of styrofoam and send them sailing down the street in the rain. One year for my birthday, my sister gifted me a block of styrofoam, a roll of duck tape in my favorite color, some sticks and a scrap of fabric. I was so excited about these seemingly random items, that I kind of hurt my grandparents' feelings since I was not nearly as excited about the presents they bought me. Becoming an ocean engineer would open the door for me to work on real, ocean-faring vessels. It could also give me the chance to work on systems that help to prevent flooding, like the levees and seawalls in New Orleans.