Beth Rogers, an Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology employee, recently received the Outstanding Community Partner/Agency Award from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council.
Rogers was one of 17 Oklahomans honored, along with three businesses and organizations, at the 28th annual Making It Work Day at the Capitol in a virtual ceremony May 6. 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 ceremony also recognized nontraditional students.
Rogers is a social service liaison and deaf interpreter at OSUIT and helps operate Pete’s Pantry, through which she provides food, personal hygiene products and clothing to students at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology and Green Country Technology Center, said Katie Quillin and Fran Colombin with OSUIT MPower, who nominated Rogers for the award.
Rogers works with several large food banks to make sure she has food and supplies for students, they said. At Thanksgiving, when an MPower student found out she couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving because her children had been exposed to COVID, Rogers drove back to campus and collected food for the student and her children, Quillin and Colombin said.
Because of Rogers, students don’t have to be afraid they won’t have food, and MPower has a reliable partner to help students in times of need, they added.
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.
“OkCTEEC is always privileged to honor those who have chosen a career path that is nontraditional and those individuals or partners who have assisted them in their quest,” said KayTee Niquette, Work Prep and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families coordinator at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. “This year is a transitional year that everyone seems to be working through, so students and others have been doing an exceptional job meeting in person and through a hybrid model.”
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.
“All of us continue to navigate through the continuing pandemic, facing new challenges each and every day,” said Kelly Vinson, OkCTEEC president and director of Project Achieve at Northern Oklahoma College. “Our students have shown tremendous strength and determination navigating through the many challenges they face along the way. It is a great honor to recognize these students, who have excelled and are continuing to reach their goals.”
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 https://www.cteec.org/okcteec. For more information about the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, visit www.okcareertech.org.
