“Thank you to the scholarship donors for believing in me and my dreams and allowing me to prosper. I cannot wait for my son to attend OCCC when he gets older!”

Rosa Teus, graduate of the Class of 2021, majored in Psychology and Spanish at OCCC. Rosa is an exceptional scholar who comes from humble beginnings. “My parents couldn’t even afford to buy me a bag of chips when I was young,” she said.

Rosa was pregnant with her son when she was 17, and delivered the baby on the last day of school. She became a single mother at age 18. The reality did not slow the young woman down. Instead, she worked hard to raise her child and become a licensed esthetician.

In 2019, Rosa enrolled in OCCC. She was officially a college student at age 26. Access to an equitable education has always been a challenge for her, but Rosa never gave up her dream. She knew that this was the only way to make her life better. During her time at OCCC, Rosa participated in the Student Connecting with Mentors for Success (SCMS) program, which aims to improve the academic achievement, retention, and graduation rate to underserved student populations. “No matter what issues I had, I always got the best advice from the mentors. This place allowed me to grow. We laughed and cried together. They even named my son as an honorary member of the program! It was a supportive environment.” Rosa said.

Rosa had been an outstanding student at OCCC. She received several scholarships, such as, Gamel Endowed Scholarship and Women of the South Primary Provider Scholarship. She is now going to University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) pursuing the Bachelor’s degree in psychology with the President Leadership Council Scholarship, which is one of the most prestigious scholarships that can be awarded to a student at UCO. “My future plan is to keep working on education, and open a nonprofit giving support to homeless people or to open a school to help the community. I believe more you give, more you receive. God has been blessing me with so many things, so I would like to help others who don’t born with fortune.”

There are many touching stories happening at OCCC. We appreciate the kindness from our donors. Your every gift is to help students like Rosa to grow and to better their lives. To make a donation to scholarships, please click here.