MCALESTER, Okla -- Class time to combat training, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections cadet academy is not for the timid. But this grueling 6 week course is easier when your best friend is right by your side for encouragement. According to Matthew Scoggins, “I definitely could not have made it without her. Being there, she was my support and my rock.” Adriana Stotts-Scoggins added, “He was a big help. I was breaking down. I felt like I was about to die and he kept saying it will be okay, it will be okay.”
Adriana and Matthew are more than friends. They are also husband and wife. The duo were among doc’s most recent batch of graduates. Adriana said, “We had to maintain our poster and professionalism. After that we were able to congratulate each other. Inside we were hoopin’ and hollerin’ yep. We did it.”
Matthew is now assigned to Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Adriana works only a few hundred yards away at Jackie Brannon. She said, “I think he worries more about me. I know he can handle his own.”
Joining the agency just seemed like the logical career path. Matthew’s mother-in-law is a ODOC lieutenant. “I have to get used to not calling her mom when I see her.” said Adriana.
The couple call their new career “a bounty of blessings”.
And they encourage others looking for new opportunity to consider the DOC family. Matthew Scoggins said, “Give it a shot. You never know. There are guys who said they’d be here a year. They’ve been here 25. You never know. And you just might meet the love of your life.”
