Tulsa Tech Celebrates National CTSO Officers
News From Tulsa Tech By DR. STEVE TIGER
Superintendent
CREATING LEADERS: Tulsa Tech National CTSO Officers are, from left, Lauren Cole, FCCLA national vice president of public relations; Jada Holliday, HOSA regional vice president; and Mackenzie Oestreich, SkillsUSA national high school secretary.
Courtesy Tulsa Tech
In addition to the many career training programs available to students, Tulsa Tech also provides opportunities for students to participate in a variety of career and technical student organizations (’s) related to their particular career interest. These valuable groups allow students to develop leadership skills, network with professionals across the nation and be involved in numerous community service projects.
Tulsa Tech is a proud host to several chapters of ’s, including Business Professionals of America (), Association of Marketing Students, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Future Health Professionals (), Oklahoma Society of Radiologic Technologists (), SkillsUSA, Technology Student Organization (), and the National Technical Honor Society ().
Students begin by participating at the local level in various activities and competitions, with many participants advancing to district, state and possibly national ranks. For the 2016-17 school year, Tulsa Tech was honored to have three students elected to serve as national officers.
Lauren Cole, an apparel design student who recently concluded her term as FCCLA National Vice President of Public Relations, had always dreamed of the day she would be able to participate in the organization.
“I am a third generation FCCLA member,” Cole says. “My grandma, mom, and aunt were all involved in Future Homemakers of America (). My aunt was an advisor, and I was fortunate enough to get to attend many events with her as I was growing up.”
While the mission of FCCLA is to promote personal growth and leadership development through family and consumer sciences education, Cole is quick to point out that the organization is no longer just cooking and sewing.
“Homemaking skills are important,” Cole says. “However, I also felt it was important for me to improve my leadership skills and become more comfortable speaking in front of people. FCCLA has given me confidence, with opportunities that someone my age may not get to experience.”
Cole was recently invited by the Department of Education to travel to Washington, D.C., where she met with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and beginning this fall, the confident Claremore High School graduate will attend Northeastern State University as she begins her undergraduate studies in early childhood education.
Jada Holliday, a biomedical sciences student who served as Regional Vice-President for 2016-17, challenges students to explore the many benefits offered by participating in ’s.
“I would encourage other students to not only take a look at Tulsa Tech, but also find out about the many different ways to participate in student organizations,” Holliday says. “It only takes one spark to start a fire, and often that spark comes from taking a risk. I feel as students we owe it to ourselves to take that risk.”
The student organization provides a unique program of leadership development, motivation, and recognition exclusively for secondary, postsecondary, adult, and collegiate students enrolled in health science education and biomedical science programs.
Holliday, a recent graduate of Broken Arrow High School and recipient of the U.S. Presidential Scholars Award, will attend Baylor University this fall to begin undergraduate studies in biochemistry and pre-med.
“I strongly feel that both my work in the classroom and my involvement in have better prepared me for my college-level courses,” she says. “I know what to expect and I certainly have more confidence in my ability to succeed.”
Mackenzie Oestreich, a criminal justice student and outgoing SkillsUSA National High School Secretary, feels that her involvement in the organization both helped her reach her academic goals and created a treasury of memories.
“I have enjoyed being involved in SkillsUSA,” says Oestreich. “Serving as a national officer, traveling and meeting new people is probably the best time I ever had in my entire life.”
The Owasso High School graduate was awarded a scholarship to Northeastern State University, where she will begin undergraduate studies in political science, before hopefully continuing on to law school. The former state capitol page says she has enjoyed making connections with students from across the nation, meeting valuable industry partners, and being an ambassador for career and technical education. The only problem? It seemed to pass too quickly.
“It seems like yesterday,” Oestreich says, “when I was looking at photos of students in my classroom and thinking how I wanted to become a part of that. I am sad to see it end.”
On behalf of the Tulsa Tech family, and students, thanks to these amazing individuals for their exceptional service this past year and for being such incredible ambassadors and advocates of Oklahoma career and technical education.
If you’re currently looking for exciting classes for high school and adult students, quality business and industry training, or working toward a new career, Tulsa Tech invites you to visit today. For more information, please call 918-828-5000 or visit tulsatech.edu.
Updated 06-17-2017
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