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“I gained much more than just a degree from NOC. I gained lifelong friends, mentors and a passion to change the world.”

Being from a small high school, I wasn’t quite sure what career path I wanted to take or what careers were out there upon graduation. Attending Northern Oklahoma College was one of the best choices I have made. The faculty and staff took a vested interest in not only my academics, but also my personal life. Although, I graduated from NOC two years ago, I still stay in contact and get advice from my previous professors and advisors.

I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C., Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland because of my involvement with different programs at NOC and those trips have shaped me into who I am today. These trips sparked my interest in traveling and since graduating from NOC, I have gone on to travel to New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas and Nicaragua, through different leadership events, including building projects with Habitat for Humanity. Traveling has provided me a whole new perspective on life.

I am proud to be a part of the NOC family. I will be forever grateful to the faculty and staff at NOC who invested their time in me. The PLC program at NOC helped me acquire the leadership skills and confidence that have helped me become involved in many leadership organizations later at UCO and in the Edmond community.

Some people might see NOC as a stepping stone to attend a four-year college. For me, it was a launching pad that continues to open up doors that I never knew existed. I gained much more than just a degree from NOC. I gained lifelong friends, mentors and a passion to change the world.

After NOC, I continued my education at UCO where I graduated in May with my Bachelors in Finance with a focus on insurance and risk management.

This past year, I partnered with Yusuf Shurbaji, a Strategic Communications major from Edmond; he and I competed in the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition, an annual statewide collegiate entrepreneurial competition that stimulates real-world process of researching a market, writing a business plan and making a presentation to potential investors. He and I took 2nd place in the High Growth Undergraduate Division and won the interview portion. Our team “Heart Optic” presented a business plan to manufacture the Heart Bar, a medical device that enables continuous CPR during image-guided procedures and ends caregiver exposure to x-ray radiation. The device was invented by Randall Clowdus, a co-managing partner of our Heart Optic team.

Our win allowed us a seat at the Tri-State Competition this past May, in Las Vegas, where we took first place honors in the Undergraduate Division.

This opportunity has bridged the gap between studying theories and actually applying it to your own business. The competition not only validated everything I have learned in school up to this point, but showed me I am capable of more than I thought possible.

I’m currently working as a Financial Analyst for MidFirst Bank in Oklahoma City. I look forward to applying my business education out here in the real world and for more opportunities to travel and see the world.

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