One Day More

It was another early morning (just 7 am—we were all thankful it wasn’t 5:30 again though) for us and we immediately jumped on the bus to head to Enid. As soon as we arrived, we went straight to Leonardo’s Discovery Center. They recently finished half of their 6 million dollar renovations to the Center—we had the chance to pet a chinchilla, participate in a life-sized operation game, and play in Adventure Land, the world’s largest man made play place! It was nice to stretch our legs and imaginations at this interesting attraction!

After Leonardo’s, we drove to St. Mary’s hospital and heard from the hospital’s CEO Stan Tatum and a sales representative who showed us with 3D printed bones of the leg what a knee replacement looks like! There was a lot of drilling, many turned heads, and multiple questions after we were shown what really happens in the surgery. Stan Tatum, CEO of St. Mary's, talked to us about the health care industry, how politics are affecting the hospital and its doctors, and what he hopes the future will look like.

We left the hospital and headed straight to the Central National Bank of Enid Center. Many of you might know it as the Enid Event Center, but the name was officially changed on Tuesday! We were given a tour of the facility before being fed a delicious pasta lunch. The city of Enid was a great place to visit and we were so thankful for their hospitality.

It was then time to hop back on the bus and head back to where the journey began—Oklahoma City.

Our first stop was to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum in remembrance of the victims of the Oklahoma City Bombing on April 19, 1995. The museum had just completed many new renovations including a new interactive forensics lab in which the students were able to not only study the forensics behind the case, but also apply skills and techniques to solve the crime. Walking throughout the museum was an experience unmatched by any other for some of our students. Even through tragedy, the resilience of the Oklahoma Community stood powerful and mighty.

Following the museum, we soon made our way to the Oklahoma Blood Institute for blood typing and information regarding the importance of blood donation throughout the state of Oklahoma. Each student had the opportunity to determine their blood type and even receive a free t-shirt from the blood institute!

After blood typing we made our way to Cattlemen's for our final dinner together as a class. We dined on steak, potatoes, and some incredible pieces of pie. During the final portion of our dinner, Lee Anne's husband Renzi shared with our students the opportunity they had to make a difference in Oklahoma right here and right now. He spoke of building his career and company in Oklahoma and those opportunities have afforded him great success. He asked the students what traits define a leader and what issues are facing the state of Oklahoma. It was incredible to hear of how their experiences within Youth Leadership Oklahoma opened their eyes to the fantastic areas of our state. 

We finished up dinner and made our way to the hotel for our great tradition of a 1980s themed dance to end a fantastic week together. The costumes were incredible and the students truly enjoyed the fun night full of great fun and photo booth pictures. We had a few special guests arrive mid-dance as Lee Anne and Katie danced into the ballroom in full 80s gear while sporting a mullet wig. Photos are definitely attached for your entertainment.

Today was a great day and we are looking forward to an awesome finish tomorrow!

Halfway There

We began the day in Tulsa with a wake up call almost three hours later than the day before and those few hours of sleep were truly a gift. The students enjoyed the night in our hotel in downtown Tulsa and woke up ready to start the day!

Our first stop of the day was at one of the three Educares located in Tulsa. Educare specializes in teaching and training children from birth to three years old in order to make sure the transition into the school system goes smoothly. We walked through the facilities and saw different classrooms specializing in certain age ranges and other areas. The teachers try to emulate a home life in which the child feels supported, encouraged and empowered. As we walked through the classrooms we were greeted with smiling faces and lots of high fives from children of all ages. We loved getting to see the students learn in such new and innovative ways! Our students had some incredible questions for the faculty and staff at Educare and it was awesome to see some of them share the passions and aspirations for working with children someday.

After Educare, we heard from directors of Camp Anytown, which is put on by The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice. Camp Anytown is a camp for high schoolers to come together in a peaceful setting and bring their individual experiences of their diverse cultural, ethnic, religious, racial, and economic backgrounds. The directors led activities for our students to open their eyes to the diverse backgrounds of our group and grow respect and awareness for each other in a new way.

We drove straight to our lunch at El Guapo's after our diversity training. We enjoyed delicious fajitas and chips and salsa before heading to our next stop.


After our lunch we made our way to the FabLab, an engineering firm full of creative and innovative technological software. From 3D printers and more, our students were able to experience how technology is being used within inner-city communities and beyond.

We left Tulsa and made our way to Stillwater for a stop at the Eskimo Joe’s Printing Press with CEO and Founder, Stan Clark. Stan shared with us the story of how Eskimo Joe’s was founded in Stillwater almost 41 years ago and how the company has expanded into what they are today. We toured the facility and saw firsthand the process of t-shirt creation. Traveling through the production facility as t-shirts, we made the rounds all the way from the graphic design department to the finishing room. The finishing room is where employees fold shirts manually to reveal a special piece of the logo on each shirt while also making it easy for buyers to sort through their shirts.  This process sets Eskimo Joe’s apart from other retailers and it exemplifies the interest this company has in doing the most and the best for their customers.

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After traveling to Eskimo Joe’s we made our way to America’s greatest university—Oklahoma State! We trekked across campus and toured largest student union in the country (This is actually true!) Following the tour we made our way to Eskimo Joe’s for dinner!

We were treated to cheese fries, a glorious entrée, and milkshakes at Eskimo Joe’s. After eating and shopping around, it was time to check into our hotel for the night. There were lots of snacks, Frisbee games, and fun at the pool before everyone called it a night. It’s an early one in the morning with a big day of excitement ahead!

The Marathon Day

Our marathon day was off to an early start as we departed from our hotel at 5:45 am to make our way to Ft. Sill in Lawton, OK for our day as a soldier. Physical training with drill sergeants always creates quite the sense of anxiety within the group of students but pretty soon they experienced that their forty five minutes of training was not all that bad.

The class began their experience with a quick lesson in military formations and marching as they were led to their workout location by our three drill sergeants. As we began our morning exercises, soldiers continued their cadences and Basic Training objectives all around us. Our students were able to witness the military in action, seeing the hard work and dedication necessary to defend the freedoms we all cherish. Our morning exercises consisted of push-ups, set-ups, and a few sprints around the parking lot. The students were active listeners and although it may have been difficult, continued to keep their spirits high and work hard to accomplish any task the drill sergeants presented to them.

Following our morning physical training we made our way to chow, marching in line to the military cadences led by our drill sergeants. The drill sergeants recommended hair cuts to a few of our guys and the best quote of the morning was from Mia Malone of Noble, OK “I mean no disrespect drill sergeant but has anyone ever told you that you resemble

After breakfast we made our way to Engagement Skills Training in one of the Ft. Sill virtual facilities. Within the EST facility our students were placed in a fictitious environment in which they were approached by virtual targets. The students had to heed careful instructions to use their weapons (virtual arsenal—no live ammo here, folks) successfully. The technology was able to create different environments based on location, weather conditions, and more. The software told participants how many shots they took but also their accuracy rate. 

We ended our time at Ft. Sill visiting another facility full of virtual training simulations and incredible software. The Director of IT shared with us the multiple uses of simulators that allowed soldiers to perform all sorts of different tasks. One simulator modeling an abandoned home in the Middle East could have a set temperature somewhere in the low fifties and could increase all the way to one hundred degrees in order to model a variety of weather climates. Directors for these programs told our students that a variety of individuals used this software for training, from soldiers at Basic Training to members of Seal Team 7 just recently.

Leaving Ft. Sill is always an incredible eye opener that while we spent one early morning there, soldiers are there daily waking up early and training to protect our country. I had many students share with me of their appreciation not only for their experience this morning at Ft. Sill, but ultimately for our military who choose to serve on daily basis. It may have been an early wake up call, but it was a wake up call well worth the experience and newfound appreciation for our military.

On our way out of Lawton, OK we stopped for lunch at Wayne’s Drive-In owned and operated by Wayne's grandson, a Leadership Oklahoma graduate of LeeAnne’s class. Students were treated to a great lunch of hamburgers and a good story of a business built on family values and pride in a community. Joe had originally lived out of state, but later had the realization of how much he loved Lawton, OK and the appreciation he had for the state of Oklahoma. Joe is currently in the works of opening a new restaurant in the next few years and he shared a few trays of chicken nuggets that would be a headliner on the restaurant’s menu—a solid choice considering the nuggets were devoured in less than 10 minutes.

I call this day the marathon because not only are we on the bus by 6 o’clock in the morning, but we also travel from Lawton to Sulphur and from Sulphur to Tulsa all within the span of an afternoon. They are both long trips, but the students have found a way to utilize the time to really build some great friendships within the class!

We soon found ourselves in Sulphur, OK at the Chickasaw Cultural Center. This museum just six years old hosts a variety of information about the Chickasaw Tribe and their history within the state of Oklahoma. Students were able to tour the museum and interact with volunteers in the living village. Members of the Chickasaw Tribe demonstrated social dances traditionally used by men to select their significant others from the women in the tribe. They also demonstrated a traditional stomp dance passed on from generation to generation to preserve the heritage and history of their tribe. It was a great afternoon spent at the Chickasaw Cultural Center and we walked away with some stellar gift bags and amazing cookies.

    

We ended Day 3 strong and spent our evening in downtown Tulsa to reenergize as we prepare for the next few days ahead! We are looking forward to the many more adventures along the way. 

Facing the Giant

Stepping out of your comfort zone whether you are a soon to be senior in high school or a senior adult is never the easiest thing to do, but leadership is about embracing the challenge and facing the giant. Today we began our first full day of the Youth Leadership Oklahoma experience and within minutes friendships and connections were beginning to blossom. From large cities to small towns, this group consists of students from a variety of backgrounds with incredible accomplishments and ambitions. It is exciting to watch them connect with other leaders who may share their passions or who may have that different opinion worth listening to.

We ventured into Norman, OK to the OU Challenge Course for some team building activities including ice breakers, athletic challenges, and more. The students were divided into two large groups for the low-course activities in the morning.

             

After completing the morning activities, we sat together and enjoyed a great lunch provided by Jason's Deli. The students were talking amongst themselves about their high school leadership activities, interests, and probably the occasional idea of how they were going to change the world (which I truly believe this group can and will do!)

Now it was time for the high-ropes course, the gargantuan giant of fear for some! This challenge day is always interesting because personalities really start to appear between those who are the adventurous, rush to the top, set their eyes on the mission and accomplish it quickly type and the meticulous, patient, analytical type who hones into each step with great thought. However, no matter the approach, one cannot accomplish the high-ropes course without the team surrounding them on the ground. To me, this represents the support a leader must have no matter what kind of position they may be in. Whether the leader may be in a time of stress or celebration, the team on the ground is a constant reminder that relying on the support of others contributes to leadership in a great way.

During the time at the high-ropes course, I was able to talk to a group of ten or so students about their experiences in high school and their aspirations for future. I sat there thinking that three years ago during my YLOK week I had no idea the opportunities Youth Leadership Oklahoma would open up for me at Oklahoma State University and elsewhere. Returning as an intern I am able to speak from experience of the opportunity this program creates for each and every individual this week. Each of these students will grow from high school leaders, to campus leaders, to community and state leaders, and beyond. Throughout our conversations today I could sense that these students cared for something deeper than themselves or personal success, they truly cared for others and the future of our state.

We soon finished up our afternoon at the OU Challenge Course and made our way to the Sarkeys Foundation for dinner. Sarkeys is a nonprofit charitable foundation that supports the activities of public charities through direct grants and educational opportunities. They were excited to announce to us that they had just recently passed over the 100 Million Dollar mark of charitable giving since their inception.

Following dinner at Sarkeys, we were joined by Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Jim Winchester. He led the students in a You Be the Judge simulation in which they were presented with different cases and they were responsible for deciding the consequences necessary based off of the action. The students were incredibly interactive and actively participated by defending their decisions if challenge. It was a time for great debate and incredible conversation.

After departing from the Sarkeys Foundation we headed to Lawton, OK with our first stop being at Cameron University. Cameron University administrators served some incredible ice cream sundaes.(Parents, I ensure you that your children are being fed-- a lot) 

Dr. Ronna Vanderslice, Vice President for Academic Affairs and proud mom of YLOK Intern Jonna, spoke to the students of the opportunity presented to them through YLOK. She spoke of how this program since its inception has had over 83% of graduates continue to live in Oklahoma and serve in various areas. This was an incredible statistic and it made me realize the continuous impact this program will have on the lives of so many for years after the trip ends. It was an incredible presentation and we were so thankful for their hospitality!

This was our last stop for the night and we soon made our to our hotel for the evening in Lawton, OK. Tomorrow morning we will be departing from the hotel at 5:45am to head to Ft. Sill for our morning of physical training and touring the facilities. The students are anxious (and I definitely was too), but the experience is an incredible eye opener to the sacrifice that so many make to defend the freedoms that we all enjoy. I am excited to see what the students learn tomorrow at Ft. Sill and I cannot wait to share our daily journey with you! 

And Away We Go!

Across the state of Oklahoma, 51 of the most capable high school seniors began a journey of a lifetime today. The long-awaited day finally arrived--day one of YLOK! The day has come and gone; there were lots of new friends made, many laughs had, and fun memories made. 

After arriving to check-in at the Oklahoma Heritage Museum, the students were welcomed by Lee Anne Stone, our fearless leader! She introduced the program and leaders, went over the rules, and introduced students from last years class to say a few words. In a nutshell... They said the camp was their "favorite camp ever" and pumped everyone up for all the exciting things that this week has in store. It was time then to say goodbye to the parents and for the fun to begin!

To start the week off, it was necessary to begin the process of getting to know each other. So we decided the best way to do that was to do some rounds of speed dating! This fun activity allowed students to meet many new faces and learn something interesting about each person.

After speed dating, it was time for an activity called UZoo that teaches about leadership styles. We learned that each different leadership style is very unique and has so much to bring to the table. No matter what your "animal" is though, you have the ability to stretch into all categories and be anything you want to be!

The People-Loving, Bubbly Porpoises!

The Kind Koalas!

   

The Ambitious and Driven Lions!

The Analytical Eagles!

   

We concluded our time at the Oklahoma Heritage Museum with a delightful dinner and then we were off to the hotel! At the hotel, students had a blast playing Heads Up, Squares, and many other fun games with yummy snacks.

     

It's been a great first day and the fun is only getting started! Our day tomorrow starts in Norman and ends in Lawton--a long, exciting day. We can't wait to see what the day has in store for us! Until next time!