With a generous gift, AT&T will help thousands of students at Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) become more successful. The college received a $15,000 AT&T Education Aspire grant that allows OCCC to expand the administration of the StrengthsQuest program. AT&T presented the grant to the college at an event Aug. 19 in the college union.

“Education has been a priority for AT&T for more than a century, and we believe that when we invest in education, we are making our communities stronger, safer and more economically viable,†said Steve Hahn, president of AT&T Oklahoma. “We’re proud to support StrengthsQuest, an OCCC program that helps college students learn how they can use their talents to achieve academic, career and personal success. “

The OCCC Office of Student Life has been using the StrengthsQuest program with student groups and classes at OCCC for the past five years. Individuals who take part in the StrengthsQuest program experience a mind shift, helping them refocus from the traditional view of strengthening their weaknesses to fully embracing what makes them strong and unique. One of the key messages of the program is the idea of conserving time and energy by focusing more on their strengths. StrengthsQuest is a proven tool used by more than 600 institutions of higher learning in the U.S. to assist with persistence and retention, especially with at-risk and minority populations.

Over the past four years, student life has been able to administer StrengthsQuest in only a handful of Success in College and Life (SCL) classes because of cost. The AT&T Education Aspire grant allows them to purchase codes for 1000 students and provide training for four staff members to enable them to present workshops for these students as part of the SCL course. The content from these workshop sessions greatly helps personalize and connect the course curriculum throughout the semester.

OCCC serves more than 28,000 students each year. The college offers a full range of associate degree programs that prepare students to transfer to baccalaureate institutions while other degree and certificate programs prepare students for immediate employment in a variety of fields. At OCCC, students receive a quality education with small class sizes, dedicated teachers and leadership opportunities. Students can choose from more than 80 major fields of study and participate in any of the 40+ clubs and organizations and attend events such as the annual Arts Festival Oklahoma. For more information about OCCC, visit www.occc.edu.