East Central University alumna Sarah Jones has always been drawn to telling stories about people. That is why she wanted to a journalist. The Byng High School graduate enrolled in mass communication at ECU in 2011. She selected the college because it was close to home and family and offered affordable tuition. “Originally, my plans were to go to ECU for my general education classes and then move to a larger university for my journalism classes,” Jones explained. “After I started school I realized that the university classes were challenging, and my professors were extremely knowledgeable about the industry." She quickly decided to stay at ECU. Jones filled her free time with activities that
Growing up in the streets of Chicago, Raúl Font’s goals were simple: find a way to eat, don’t get in a lot trouble and learn to get by without resorting to illegal activities. Simple and straightforward goals for a six-year old. What Font didn’t figure out was how to stay out of trouble. While enrolled in a Catholic School in Chicago, Raúl seemed to always be the last one released. Staying after school for community service/detention was habitual. By the age of 11, his family moved back to Puerto Rico to be closer to family. Raúl continued his challenges with structure escalating to dropping out of school in the sixth grade for a semester. Soon after, Raúl finally came across a sport and a c
Education is interwoven throughout Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker’s life. Both of his grandmothers were teachers. His father and mother, Tim and Isabel, held doctoral degrees and they were professional educators. Isabel taught at Northeastern State University. Growing up in Tahlequah, Baker recalls his life around the university. “Our home was just blocks away from the college and you had to walk through campus to get to town,” Baker mused. He recalls watching the NSU teams play sports and playing a few pickup games of football himself. Baker worked full-time at a local department store while attending NSU. His grandfather insisted on paying for his books and tuition. “Educ
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Regional University System of Oklahoma. It was created and elevated to constitutional status in 1948 through a vote of the people to limit legislative control over university issues. I'm proud to say that our universities have grown and evolved to meet the changing needs of our students and workforce. All six regional universities started at or near statehood as teacher certification schools. Today they are four-year institutions offering degrees ranging from education and pharmacy to forensic science, optometry and aviation. The institutions are nationally recognized for outstanding programs, instruction, research and leadership initiatives. Our c
