Two Oklahoma high school seniors have been named Chancellor Hans Brisch Scholars for outstanding leadership, civic involvement and academic talent.
Katherine Cockreham, Woodward High School, and Nathan Lindsey, Healdton High School, will each receive a $2,000 award through the Chancellor Hans Brisch Scholarship program.
The Chancellor’s Scholars Program was created in 1990 with private funds. The program was renamed in 2006 to honor Brisch, who served as chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education for 15 years. Brisch retired in 2003 and passed away in February 2006.
The 2018 Chancellor Hans Brisch Scholars were selected from nominations made by high school principals statewide.
“These exceptional students have distinguished themselves both academically and through community service,” said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. “The State Regents congratulate this year’s honorees, who join an elite group of leaders committed to making a difference in the lives of others. We wish them continued success as they begin their college experience.”
Cockreham has been heavily involved in her community through participation in various service projects, such as volunteering with Run for the Shelter, assisting with local food drives, mentoring elementary school children and regularly visiting and playing music for the patients of local nursing homes.
She also initiated and organized the Stars of the Future project for the Little Sahara area, which allows children with disabilities, ages 2 to 7, to experience the Special Olympics atmosphere before they are old enough to compete. Each “star” receives a participation medal at the end of the day.
Additionally, she has served as a Quad County 4-H Camp counselor, where she provided comfort to homesick campers and developed and conducted camp workshops. She also works with the Woodward County Cloverbuds, which targets children who are interested in 4H, but are too young to join. In her work with Cloverbuds, Cockreham facilitates workshops, organizes crafts projects and keeps children on task during the meeting.
She has been recognized as a Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership (HOBY) award recipient and a Woodward Rotary FFA Chapter president of the Health Occupations Students Association, and is a member of the Woodward County 4-H Ambassador Team. She is a member of the Oklahoma Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, National Honor Society and Superintendent’s Honor Roll. She is an Academic Letterman, Golden “W” Award recipient, HOBY Academic All Star and is ranked first in her class. She will graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and plans to attend Oklahoma State University in the fall.
Lindsey initiated and implemented Stomp Out Hunger: Bulldogs Helping Bulldogs. Stomp Out Hunger is a project that helps supplement the food pantry at Healdton High School to ensure there is enough food to send home with kids who are involved in the backpack program. Through this project, Lindsey stocks the pantry, fills bags, and delivers backpacks of food to the various school sites for distribution. As part of the initiative, he organized five food drives and 10 fundraisers, which raised more than $2,000 in support of the 32 families served through the program.
In addition to his Stomp Out Hunger project, Lindsey serves as an Explorer with the Healdton Volunteer Fire Department, which includes responding to medical, fire, and vehicle accident calls and working community service projects, such as July 4 fireworks, driving Santa around town on the fire truck to pass out candy, working in the oilfields, and putting out and picking up American flags on nine holidays throughout the calendar year. He has accumulated over 500 community service hours with the fire department, 240 community service hours with Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) by helping with several community projects, and 100 community service hours with the Student Council by participating in blood drives, canned food drives, and Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
He is active in 4-H with projects such as planting flowers at the local school and alumni center, teaching workshops to fifth-graders on citizenship, and fundraising. He has served as a county delegate for 4-H Day at the State Capitol and as an Oklahoma delegate for Citizenship Washington Focus. He will also represent Oklahoma at the National 4-H Congress this fall.
Lindsey was inducted into the 4-H Key Club; the Creek County Junior and Senior Hall of Fame for his project work, leadership, and character; and the Carter County Senior Hall of Fame for his outstanding leadership and project work in the community. He is concurrently enrolled at Murray State College and will have 18 college hours when he graduates high school. He is president of the Student Council, vice president of Carter County 4-H, Volunteer Fire Department Explorer Program’s Assistant Chief, and a member of Student Leadership. He has been recognized as an American Woodman Life U.S. History Award recipient; Top Student in Anatomy, Physiology, and Biology; and a Blue Ribbon Scholar. He will graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and plans to attend Oklahoma State University in the fall.
Brisch Scholars are academically talented high school seniors with outstanding leadership ability and a commitment to the enhancement of their communities as demonstrated through their involvement in high school and/or community programs or projects that have resulted in an improvement of the learning environment of the school or the social betterment of the community.
In the 28 years since its inception, the Chancellor’s Scholars program has provided scholarships for 99 deserving students. Private gifts, including professional honoraria from the current and past chancellors, support the program, which honors not only Brisch but the office of the chancellor and all individuals who serve Oklahoma in that position.