Student Spotlight: Mia Feehan

Friday, May 17, 2024

Media Contact: Aaron Campbell | OSU-Tulsa Communications Coordinator | 918-594-8046 | aaron.ross.campbell@okstate.edu

Class of ’24 Oklahoma State University-Tulsa graduate Mia Feehan is not one to shy away from a good opportunity.

She’s the first OSU-Tulsa Honors Award graduate with a 4.0 GPA, an Outstanding Senior in the College of Education and Human Sciences and a decorated member of several student organizations — all while holding down a full-time job. But if you told her she would accomplish all of that back in her first year at Tulsa Community College, she might not believe you.

“I didn’t do honors at TCC, I just always thought it was something I wasn’t smart enough to do,” she said. “But when they pitched the OSU-Tulsa Honors Award at a President’s Leadership Society meeting, I thought, ‘this actually sounds doable.’”

Education and Excellence

While making plans for her future education, Feehan started looking through degree paths from TCC to OSU, and saw one that caught her eye.

“I kind of stumbled into public health, actually,” Feehan said. “It sounded like something I wanted to do and aligned with a lot of my classes so I thought, 'OK, I’m going to prepare for this.'”

Her preparation paid off, and then some. By the time she arrived at OSU-Tulsa, Feehan was determined to make the most of her undergraduate experience.

She was invited to be a part of the President’s Leadership Society, an elite group of high-caliber students who receive recognition, networking opportunities and mentoring during their time at OSU-Tulsa.

She joined the African American Student Association, where she helped build campus community, assisting with events like the campuswide Game Night, which earned the Program/Event of the Year Award in the inaugural Student Life Excellence Awards.

At that same ceremony, she also earned the Emerging Leader Award in her role as president of the Health Promotion Club, where she led the group through charitable work, community-building and intramural sports. She found ways to turn the Health Promotion Club mission into action, working with local food banks and reproductive health organizations to give back to areas in need. The club also participated in the OSU-Tulsa Cowboy Tree, buying gifts for children in need over the holiday season.

“We helped a lot of local students,” she said.  “For example, we had a member who graduated who went to work at TPS as a coach for track and field, and one of his students didn’t have shoes. So we used some of our funds to get that student a pair of shoes for track.”

Ambitions and Honors

Feehan’s ambitions also pushed her to pursue the OSU-Tulsa Honors Award, a new award from the OSU Honors College made specifically for the Tulsa campus. In the spring graduation commencement ceremony, she was recognized as the first graduate to earn the award.

Her extra honors work led her to shadow professionals in her field, research niche topics in the realm of Public Health and to complete an internship with the OSU Center for Rural Health.

“I had some really good experiences with Honors,” Feehan said. “When I started, I thought it was something I couldn’t do. But your professors will really work with you and it’s definitely been achievable — I would tell everyone to consider it.”

Now that Feehan has graduated from OSU-Tulsa, she has her sights set on physician’s assistant programs, which she said her OSU-Tulsa education has prepared her well for.

“Public health seems like a really good background for PA school. I notice we get a lot of specialized things in class that other degree programs might miss out on," she said.

When Feehan thinks about what she’ll be bringing with her in her future endeavors, she reflects back on what she’s learned in her classes at OSU-Tulsa.

“One of the first classes that I had, I think that will stick with me forever,” she said. “It was the first class that asked me to look at my environment and see what things are missing, what barriers there are — that is the foundation for a lot of things.”

That lesson — to look for what is missing around you, and then work to make a difference — has been a guiding light for Feehan, helping her earn the accomplishments, honors and recognition she is proud to have today.

To learn more about the public health program at OSU-Tulsa, visit tulsa.okstate.edu/publichealth.