Community College Award Winners

Rep. John Pfeiffer; Allison Garrett, chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education; and Diana Watkins, interim president of Northern Oklahoma College; recognize NOC students Grant Biggers, Autumn Leist, Sage Wilcox, Alejandra Pena and Danielle Buttrum.

by Rep. John Pfeiffer

I was able recently to recognize several students from Northern Oklahoma College who won awards for their academic achievement by the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges.

Grant Biggers, of Enid; Autumn Leist, of Ponca City; Sage Wilcox, of Dover;  Danielle Buttrum, of Garber, were part of the OACC’s All-Oklahoma Academic Team Program. Alejandra Pena, of Enid was awarded a OACC President’s Tuition Waiver.

Sage Wilcox also was named the New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar at the OACC Ceremony. This award is given to the student receiving the highest All-USA Academic Team application score in each state who is planning to enter the workforce after completing a certificate or associate degree.

 The All-Oklahoma Academic Team Program provides statewide recognition to outstanding two-year college students. To be eligible, students must be nominated by their college president to the All-USA Academic Team. Nominees must be eligible to graduate during the academic year and hold a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average out of a possible 4.0 on all college-level coursework completed in the past five years. Oklahoma is one of 39 states participating in the All-USA Academic Team Program. The State Academic Teams were introduced in 1994 to provide scholastic recognition to community college students, while promoting excellence at two- year colleges.

Each year Presidents of Oklahoma Community Colleges select deserving students from across the State of Oklahoma to receive a $1,000 tuition waiver, which may be applied to tuition for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic school year at $500 per semester. The President’s nominees are selected for their outstanding academic achievement and their leadership ability. Nominees must be a graduating high school senior or attend a community college. Certificates will be presented to all the tuition waiver students. The Oklahoma Council of Two-Year College Presidents takes great pride in celebrating the achievement of these outstanding students and wishes them well in their career aspirations as they create a better life for themselves and their families.

Also last week, we hosted Aero Oklahoma Day at the Capitol last week. Military members, aerospace companies, private and commercial pilots, airport managers, municipal officials, drone pilots, educators, flying clubs, and the many users of the Oklahoma Airport System met with lawmakers and other elected officials. This reminds us of Oklahoma’s strong aviation heritage and shows us firsthand how the industry continues to solidify our state as a worldwide leader in aviation, aerospace and defense. This is a vital economic engine for our state, serving as Oklahoma’s second-largest industry. It has a significant impact on the lives of our citizens.

In the meantime, I have several bills still going through the committee process and budget conversations are continuing to occur.

As always, if you have concerns about bills, or problems I can assist you in solving, please reach out to me at [email protected] or call my office at 405-557-7332.