OSU Institute of Technology’s annual Student Scholarship & Donor Recognition Banquet held on April 5, provided the opportunity for student scholarship recipients and donors to connect. The 2022 banquet celebrated 311 scholarships given to 278 OSUIT students.
The banquet dinner, crafted and hosted by the OSUIT Culinary Arts program, allowed students and patrons to get to know one another. They were able to share industry stories and experiences while learning how their academic investment has benefited student scholarship recipients.
Charlie Carroll, Associate Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations and OSUIT liaison from the OSU Foundation, expressed thanks for each of the corporate sponsors and affirmed the importance of the donors to the students and their futures.
“Each student with us tonight is being recognized for their academic achievements that earned scholarships provided by the donors with us tonight,” said Carroll. “Partnering with you allows OSU Institute of Technology to provide high-quality, technical education that equips our graduates with the skills and training needed to create a world-class workforce in today’s job market.”
This year’s featured donor speaker was Kodiak Gas Services. Cory Roclawski, chief human resources officer, and Craig Collins, executive vice president and general counsel, spoke to those in attendance about how important technical careers are.
“The path into skilled trades is not easy, and some students might be second-guessing if this is the right career path; I’m here to tell you that the trades are essential, and your technical education at OSUIT will prepare you for a bright future,” said Roclawski.
Kodiak is the largest, privately-owned contract compression company in the United States. They currently operate in all of the major basins in the U.S., with over 2.6 million in revenue-generating horsepower. Kodiak’s mission is to provide best-in-class contract compression services to the upstream and midstream segments of the oil and gas market. It’s not the size of Kodiak that gives them strength; it’s their integrity. From the very beginning, Kodiak has dedicated themselves to the principle that client, company, coworkers and community can all succeed together.
“The endowment we made to OSUIT is a physical demonstration of Kodiak’s commitment to supporting opportunities for those that seek out technical or trade schools, as they are the core of our industry and the people who power Kodiak,” she said. “Providing opportunities to access high-quality education is critical to empower the future generation of gas technicians.”
Collins shared that in 2021, Kodiak created the Kodiak Cares Foundation with the mission to create positive change and support employees, charities and organizations in the communities where they operate and call home.
“Education transforms lives and society. We, at Kodiak, believe that investing in the young minds of the future is our responsibility to ensure the natural gas industry is continually advancing,” said Collins. “OSUIT graduates go on to have significant careers in the natural gas compression industry, and we’re lucky to be a partner in both the programs and students’ success.”
Trenton Shaw, from Ada, was this year’s student speaker. He is a recipient of the GPA Midstream scholarship and is pursuing an Associate in Applied Science in Pipeline Integrity from the School of Engineering & Construction Technologies at OSUIT. Shaw will graduate Spring of 2022 and is excited to start his career in the oil and gas industry.
“Receiving the GPA Midstream scholarship has impacted my life in many ways,” said Shaw. “Coming from a family of four children, my parents couldn’t just pick one kid who gets money to get an education; this scholarship has helped my parents and leaves me with little to no debt upon graduation.”
He shared with the room the importance of education that was instilled in him from a young age. As a child, his mother would pack up him and his siblings and take them to class with her so she could attend college.
“My parents set an example that no obstacle will stop you from obtaining a degree,” said Shaw.
OSUIT President Bill R. Path closed the evening with a thought for students to remember throughout their life.
“As a general rule, we spend the first half of our adult lives longing for success and the second half longing for significance. Some of our greatest and most significant contributions to life can come in later years,” said Path. “I hope you remember this time in your life and one day are able to come back to this banquet as a donor with the opportunity to share your story of success with a student scholarship recipient.”
To learn more about becoming a scholarship contributor for OSUIT students, contact Charlie Carroll with the OSU Foundation at 405.332.6298 or visit the OSU Foundation website at osugiving.com/your-passion/osuit.
If you are a student interested in more information on receiving scholarships at OSUIT, contact the Student Financial Services Office at osuitfinancialaid@okstate.edu.