Raven Wade is a young woman on the move, and a scholarship from the Foundation at OCCC helped keep her on course toward what was once only a glimmer of a dream. With the financial assistance from the Kayla Fessler Endowed Business Scholarship, she graduated from OCCC and is now pursuing her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma City University. Her plans include working in the nonprofit sector and law school.

Raven spoke passionately about the importance of her scholarship at the Foundation’s recent scholarship fundraising lunch, during which generous donors contributed more than $30,000 in scholarships for OCCC students. She shared that the scholarship allowed her to purchase her textbooks, while previously she was limited to using textbooks on loan for use only in the OCCC Library. She also talked about how the scholarship provided a boost to her confidence. Being selected for the scholarship helped her understand that others recognized her potential and invested in her future. She’s laser-focused now on completing her educational and career goals so that she can invest in future OCCC students by establishing a scholarship herself.

The Kayla Fessler Endowed Business Scholarship honors a retired accounting professor at OCCC and was funded by Randy Thurman. Mr. Thurman is a graduate of OCCC and Oklahoma State University who serves on the Board of Trustees for the Foundation. He calls Professor Fessler the best professor he ever had, and his endowed scholarship in her name will fund scholarships in perpetuity.

If you would like information about supporting OCCC students with a gift for scholarships, contact our experienced Foundation staff. You may be surprised at how easy and inexpensive it is to establish an endowed scholarship to support students like Raven. Call our office at 405-682-7591 or email foundation@occc.edu.