student achievement An Education Her plans to attend another college in Oklahoma dulled when the college misplaced her papers, costing Carr her scholarship funding. She was even less thrilled when the college refused to accept the “late” papers after finding them in another office on campus. So when the disenchanted Carr saw the Stillwater exit while driving south on I-35 to the other college, she turned, spontaneously deciding to attend the university she had only once visited. “I was a transfer student, and my biggest regret was that I didn’t start out at OSU,” she says. “It was the best experience, and I hope my own children will go there someday.” Carr, who graduated in May earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations, says OSU prepared her well. “Journalism at OSU is so hands-on and applicable to what we’ll be doing. The professors have worked in the field and know what they’re talking about,” she says. “I feel like I can go everywhere.” Armed with training and confidence and helped by A&S Career Services, Carr landed an internship with the National High School Rodeo Association in Denver, Colo., and turned the180-hour spring internship into a job custom-made for someone who has been involved with rodeo her entire life. “I grew up on a ranch. My parents have horses and cattle,” she says, “so it was a natural progression from how we made a living to our hobbies and recreation.” Carr’s knowledge of rodeo as well as her personality, appearance, horsemanship and communication skills have earned her the titles of Clearwater Rodeo Queen, Miss Logan County Rodeo Queen, Miss Oregon Trail Rodeo Queen, Miss Northwest and Miss Harvest of Harmony as well as the horsemanship and 1st runner-up titles in the 2004 Miss Rodeo Nebraska Pageant. As an employee of the NHSRA, which has a membership of 30 states, Carr wrote for the organization’s monthly magazine, NHSRA Times, and worked as organizer and media coordinator for the national rodeo finals. With a staff of eight, NHSRA coordinates events at the national level and annually awards high school and junior high finalists over $1 million in scholarships funded by corporate sponsors. “I was part of a small staff for a huge operation, and I loved it,” says Carr, who recently moved to Texas to start her own business as a freelance writer for local and national publications. “It was awesome to go back to OSU for graduation. Everyone else was going for job interviews, and I was going to work on Monday.” Eileen Mustain Disaster Changes Student’s Direction Although Kellie Carr didn’t travel the usual route, the rodeo queen from Nebraska is delighted to have arrived at OSU where she found just what she wanted. “In India, the impact of the tsunami had the heaviest toll on the state of Tamil Nadu, and the district of Nagapattinam had the heaviest casualties or victims,” Subanthore says. “So really Nagapattinam was the epicenter of the tsunami impact in India.” Subanthore’s family lives in the capital city near the coast. Approximately 6,000 of the 10,000 people killed in India by the tsunami were from this district. “My parents are there, and all the people I grew up with are there,” he says. “I spent my childhood there. It’s my people, and my heart went out to all of my people and my culture. I couldn’t even imagine what impact it had because those people were helpless. There are fishermen, shop vendors, villages that have been living by the shore for many generations.” Fit for a Queen Landing That Dream Job Amanda Brashears’ dream became a reality when she accepted a summer internship with the U.S. Department of State. Geography graduate Aswin Subanthore was on his way to Dallas to visit friends on Dec. 26, 2004, when he learned from National Public Radio about the tsunami that struck his home. courtesy Erika Contreras College of Arts and Sciences 18
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