A woman in a green dress stands at a clear podium speaking during an event. She is positioned between the U.S. flag on the left and the Oklahoma state flag on the right. The background features a tall wooden panel wall with two green plants placed in front of the podium.

OSU hosts Pathways to Promise Summit

Monday, September 8, 2025

Media Contact: Page Mindedahl | Communications Specialist | 405-744-9782 | page.mindedahl@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University welcomed students, families and community partners to the Pathways to Promise Summit on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.

Designed for students in grades 8-12 and their families, the summit offered tools and resources to help them navigate college, career and technical education opportunities. Participants included students from OSU’s Orange Strides Talent Search and Upward Bound programs, both part of the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Programs, along with parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, superintendents and local officials.

“As a proud Upward Bound alumnus and recipient of Oklahoma’s Promise, I understand the barriers faced by many low-income, first-generation students,” said Terrance Krush, coordinator of Upward Bound. “I’m grateful our students have the opportunity to take part in the Pathways to Promise Summit, where they can be inspired to become the first in their families to graduate and eventually give back to their communities.”

The event began with check-in and refreshments, followed by welcoming remarks from Diana Garrett, director of OSU’s Orange Strides Talent Search. She greeted students and families from participating Talent Search and Upward Bound schools, including Agra, Carney, Cleveland, Cushing, Guthrie, Pawhuska, Perkins-Tryon and Woodland.

“This summit is about meeting families where they are with essential tools, practical information and encouragement,” Garrett said. “Our goal is for every student to leave with a clear understanding of their opportunities and the confidence to embrace them.”

Dr. Clyde C. Wilson Jr, associate vice president for the Division of Access and Community Impact, also shared opening comments.

“As a first-generation college student, I too know how much it means to have someone there to open doors for you,” Wilson said. “The Pathways to Promise Summit is our way of showing students that college is possible, and that OSU, along with the other schools here, is ready to help them every step of the way.”

The program featured a keynote address by State Rep. Cyndi Munson, a first-generation college graduate and Oklahoma’s Promise recipient. Munson shared her personal journey of overcoming financial barriers and underscored the importance of persistence, advocacy and opportunity for students facing similar challenges.

“There’s nothing I’m more passionate about in Oklahoma than providing tuition for students, especially first-generation students or those who can’t quite figure out how to pay for college, because I was that student,” Munson said. “Oklahoma’s Promise gave me the chance to see college as possible when it felt out of reach.”

Carney High School senior Noah Ellyson, a longtime Talent Search participant, also spoke, followed by a financial aid presentation and recognition of the summit’s resource fair partners. The fair allowed families to connect directly with representatives from colleges and support organizations.

The summit highlighted the importance of expanding access to higher education through programs such as Oklahoma’s Promise, which provides tuition assistance to students from low-income families who meet academic and conduct requirements. Widely recognized for breaking down financial barriers, the program continues to create opportunities for low-income students across the state.

“Resources like Oklahoma’s Promise and Oklahoma Money Matters make it possible for students across Oklahoma to see college as an attainable goal, not a distant dream,” Wilson said. “This summit helped families understand how to use those resources so that cost isn’t the barrier that holds them back.”

In keeping with OSU’s land-grant mission to expand educational opportunity, the Pathways to Promise Summit reinforced the goals of Orange Strides Talent Search and Upward Bound by fostering collaboration among families, schools and support organizations while prioritizing outreach to first-generation and low-income students. As part of the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Programs, these initiatives give students not only the tools to pursue higher education but also the belief that their goals are within reach.