JUST IN
More Than My Hometown
In the spring of 2017 I graduated from Stillwater High focused on one thing- to get out of Stillwater . I accepted a leadership scholarship at the University of Oklahoma , completely against my loyal and true mother ’ s wishes . After a quick first semester in Norman , it was very clear that my home was where my heart was . I missed the kindness of Stillwater , a place where strangers wave as you pass by , a place where everyone is greeted with a smile and an open door .
In the fall of 2021 I graduated from OSU with a Bachelor ’ s in Strategic Communications and this time I was set on making a difference in the town that shaped me . In February I started my dream job as Communications Coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce . This job gave me exactly what I wanted , an opportunity to serve the community who served me for so long . A community that was safe , I could walk to and from Westwood each day without my parents worrying if I would make it home . A community with amazing teachers , when my classmates and I witnessed a tragedy at the Junior High , the staff were the first people to help each of us mourn and move forward . A community with state of the art healthcare , making scary surgeries like getting my tonsils removed a lot easier . A community that gave my parents good jobs and opportunities to support me and my siblings . A community with well trained law enforcement that are focused on the security of this town .
Not everyone gets the opportunity to see the town they grew up in from a different perspective . Working for the Chamber has given me just that . I get to support and work alongside the people I mentioned before , the ones who have truly made a difference . Putting together this magazine has given me even more insight on the place I call home . Thank you to everyone who let my intern Emily and I step into their lives and learn about their businesses , their projects , their families and their passions . I ’ ve heard before that it ’ s the people who make the place , and here in Stillwater the people are unmatched .
I ’ m proud of my hometown , and even prouder to work here as a young professional .
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COMMERCE | 2023 Profile Magazine of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce