student stories

OSU-Tulsa class of 2022 student Ricky Graham grew up in a family whose motto was “Make it to the NBA!”

He was an exceptional talent from a young age. In fifth grade, he led the Baby Hornets to victory at Tulsa’s Walt Whitman Elementary. After a move to the St. Louis area, Graham made the varsity team as a high school sophomore; by his senior year he was team captain.

Three OSU-Tulsa graduate students – Gianna Barolin, Debbie Bedingfield and Lauren Meyer – have created guidelines to help Oklahoma environmental scientists measure a pervasive household chemical many people do not realize is dangerous. The document is the first of its kind in the state of Oklahoma.

Shannon White credits much of her career success to her 2016 American Studies degree from Oklahoma State. She has been the program manager for Tulsa’s Riverfront Park, Gathering Place, since March 2017.  

Dr. Kim Castaldi, an Oklahoma State University-Tulsa school administration doctoral candidate, has spent more than 20 years in education.

From speech-language pathologist to director of federal programs and state director of special education, Castaldi has had many experiences. Still, she had one more goal to achieve … earning a doctorate.

The OSU Center for Family Resilience (CFR) team at OSU-Tulsa works to translate research about families and family life into strategies that help communities become resilient.

It’s easy to see that Cory Sales is driven to succeed – both in his career but also in being there for his family. Since 2014, the 40-year-old has earned two associate’s degrees and a bachelor’s degree while working full time and being a husband, dad and grandfather. Though he attended Oklahoma State University-Tulsa a little later in life, his drive to graduate led to his recently being offered the position of senior IT security analyst for all of the Creek Nation casinos in Oklahoma.

When Oklahoma State University-Tulsa’s Black Wall Street History course launched in August, instructor Quraysh Ali Lansana didn’t anticipate the majority of his students would have a direct connection to that history.

Earning a bachelor’s degree can be challenging for any student. But Bessy Valera faced more hurdles than most.

“Growing up in Peru, my mother made sure I knew the importance of education,” said Valera, a recent Oklahoma State University-Tulsa graduate. “Unfortunately, higher education in Peru was completely unaffordable.”

Valera moved to the United States in 1996. Despite the difficulties that came with a language barrier, she found a career and settled in.