Broken Arrow — Northeastern State University will host high school juniors and seniors early next year to celebrate their interest in becoming Oklahoma educators with the help of a new grant.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education awarded NSU $4,000 in funding through its Oklahoma Teacher Connection Collegiate Grant program to implement an outreach initiative to inspire the future generation of Oklahoma teachers.

With the funding, NSU will hold a workshop event geared toward high school juniors and seniors with an interest in the education field.

“A Day of Celebration at Northeastern State University: Becoming a Future Oklahoma Educator” will take place Feb. 2, 2024 on the NSU-Broken Arrow Campus. The programming for the one-day workshop is designed to inspire future educators through many engaging activities throughout the day.

The event will feature an Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist as a keynote speaker, as well as feature breakout sessions with other informative speakers. Additionally, NSU will provide information about funding opportunities, grants and scholarships at the event.

“NSU is proud to help students celebrate and foster their interest in becoming educators one day,” NSU President Rodney Hanley said. “This program will allow NSU to not only educate students on the teaching profession, but provide resources to set students up for success beyond high school graduation.”

NSU is expected to host 100 juniors and seniors for the event from selected school partners.

Dr. Meagan Moreland, NSU professor and grant project director, along with co-directors Dr. Kelli Carney and Dr. Jericho Hobson, organized the project with both student goals and state workforce needs in mind.

“We hope attendees will come away with an understanding of the importance of pursuing a teacher education degree to meet their career goals,” Moreland said.

To learn more about opportunities for aspiring educators at NSU, visit coe.nsuok.edu.