- Caddo County OSU Extension recently received the Outstanding Business/Industry Partner Award from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council. Pictured are, from left, Bryce Fair, OSRHE associate vice chancellor for scholarships and grants; Ranel Lasley, extension family and consumer science and youth development educator; Joyce Richey, extension nutrition education assistant; Becki Foster, Oklahoma CareerTech chief of staff; and Patrick Klein, Oklahoma DHS chief officer and division director of adult and family services.
The extension service was one of four businesses and organizations honored along with 14 individuals at the 26th annual Making It Work Day at the Capitol on Feb. 13. Making It Work Day recognizes individuals who are committed to removing barriers to success for single-parent families by providing educational experiences for students beyond the classroom. The presentations were made at a ceremony at the Oklahoma History Center. The ceremony also recognized nontraditional students.
The Caddo County OSU Extension Service Center has provided the Healthy Plate nutritional instructional curriculum to students at Caddo Kiowa Technology Center in Fort Cobb for 22 years. It began as an adult enrichment activity during CKTC’s lunch break, but is now incorporated into the early care education curriculum and culinary arts program, said Ronda Weaver, CKTC work prep coordinator, who nominated the extension service for the award.
Joyce Richey, extension nutrition education assistant, presents lessons every week to CKTC’s adult basic education and work prep programs, in addition to presenting the Healthy Plate curriculum in other agencies and schools throughout Caddo County. Ranel Lasley, extension family and consumer science and youth development educator, presents Checks and Balances lessons to work prep students at the office in Anadarko once a year.
“These educators are joined by David Nowlin, extension educator for agriculture and youth development, and Denis Parr, administrative assistant,” Weaver said. “These four committed individuals fill the gap when it comes to coordinating leadership and development activities for youth and adults in Caddo County.”
OkCTEEC is affiliated with the administrative division of the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education. The council advocates for students pursuing nontraditional careers and for resources for educating single parents.
“The mission of OkCTEEC is to increase the awareness of collegiate and technical education by focusing on high expectations and full participation for all students and employees in career and education in Oklahoma. The Making It Work Day Ceremony is held to recognize those individuals, programs and business partners that have worked so hard throughout the year as well as bring a direct awareness to state senators and legislators,” said KayTee Niquette, Work Prep and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families coordinator at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.
She serves as an adviser for OkCTEEC, along with Lisa French of the Department of Human Services and Gina McPherson of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
“Making it Work Day is our annual opportunity to spotlight the investment and hard work that is being done to empower our students who are single parents and most often first generation students who dream and want to pursue higher education,” said Lisa D. Brown, OkCTEEC president and director for career transitions at Oklahoma City Community College. “We encourage them to aspire to set goals as never before, take the steps to achieve those goals and then gain the confidence and success of completing those goals.
“Making it Work Day is their red carpet moment to celebrate these successes and to show and not just tell Oklahoma that this program and its funding is well spent and valuable to the lives of these individuals, not for that moment but for a lifetime. I often relate what we do to the story of the butterfly that finally leaves the cocoon being transformed as confident, beautiful, strong and free to soar.”
OkCTEEC’s purposes include promoting and supporting career and technology education, increasing its effectiveness, promoting research in the field and in educational equity, developing leadership and advocating for equity and diversity.
For more information about OkCTEEC, visit okcteec.org. For more information about the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, visit www.okcareertech.org.
