Patty Lester, a Northern Oklahoma College employee, recently received the Making It Work Day Spotlight award from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council.
Lester was one of 15 Oklahomans honored, along with three businesses and organizations, at the 30th annual Making It Work Day at the Capitol on March 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, which was held at The Credit Union House of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, also recognized nontraditional students.
Lester, a financial aid counselor, has worked at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid for more than 20 years, helping all students with their financial aid needs, said Kelly Vinson, director of Project Achieve at NOC, who nominated Lester for the award.
Lester guides students through the FAFSA application process and advises them about scholarship opportunities, Vinson said. She also works with Project Achieve to provide students internships in the NOC finance department. She assists Project Achieve students pursuing business and administration degrees, teaching them skills specific to their programs and providing employment references, Vinson said.
“Patty has been a vital part of Project Achieve’s advisory board, providing up-to-date information regarding the financial side to attend college,” she said. “Whenever Achieve has questions regarding our college students’ status, Patty is always there to assist.”
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.
“Making It Work Day is one of my favorite award ceremonies, as it allows for those graduates, community partners and instructors who have excelled to be recognized for their hard work,” said KayTee Niquette, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families coordinator at Oklahoma CareerTech. “It is an event that is traditionally held at Oklahoma’s state Capitol, but regardless of location, our awardees are allowed to shine.
“Listening to the stories of many who accept their awards is nothing but inspirational, and OkCTEEC is very excited to host this event once again, so that special projects programs with both the Oklahoma Department of Career and Education Technology and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education might be highlighted.”
She serves as an adviser for OkCTEEC, along with Jennifer Bielli of Oklahoma Human Services and Gina McPherson of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
“On behalf of OkCTEEC we are very excited to celebrate another year of Making It Work Day,” said Robin Shambaugh, OkCTEEC president and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Journey 2 Success Delaware County coordinator. “It is our privilege to honor and recognize our outstanding graduates, instructors and business and industry partners along with our community and agency partners across the state of Oklahoma. We would like to congratulate our students and partners for their determination, hard work and dedication this year.”
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.
