Darren Brown
You may have seen Darren Brown’s series on KWTV entitled, “Tales of Native Oklahoma,” or perhaps you’ve seen one of his many interviews. Brown, a photojournalist for 20 years, has won numerous journalism awards.
Brown feels privileged to be able to photograph, observe and tell the stories you see on the local news. He attributes much of his early training as a journalist to Rose State College. He graduated from the college in 1985 with an Associate in Arts degree in Mass Communications. The program provides students with entry-level training needed to work in television production as well as provide the lower-division courses necessary to transfer to a four-year institution.
“When I attended RSC broadcasting classes I knew I was getting the best training,” Brown said. “Professor Skip Leckness allowed me the freedom to be creative and the freedom to handle the camera, which built my confidence. After I graduated from Rose State I attended Oklahoma University and was better prepared than other students. I was already familiar with operating a camera and that gave me an advantage in my broadcasting classes.”
After graduating from OU in 1987, Brown has been continually behind a camera working as a cameraman, tape operator, and later as a reporter. He has worked at Fox 25 News in Oklahoma City, KAUZ in Wichita Falls, Texas, KOB in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and KWTV for 13 years.
A native of Midwest City, Brown is half Chochiti Pueblo Indian, one fourth Choctaw Indian, and half Caucasian. Being Native American he is intrigued by stories of accomplished Native Americans and hopes in the future to tell more of their stories.
“My profession is story telling and I shoot stories that I hope people can learn from,” Brown said. “I meet so many interesting people and see so many things it’s almost too good to be true. That is why I always have a smile on my face.”
Article provided by Donna Syth, Rose State College Public Relations
Rhonda Bushnell
A gleaming smile is one of the first things you notice about Rhonda Bushnell, dental hygienist. When Rhonda was growing up, she neglected her mouth and that resulted in her loosing some of her teeth. She didn’t know about flossing, regular cleaning, dental exams, and the proper diet for strong, healthy teeth.
Bushnell was a young, struggling 17-year-old single parent with a young daughter and no health insurance. She was fighting an uphill battle to make ends meet with no education and no prospects of a good job. “I wanted more for myself and I wanted to provide a good life for my daughter,” said Bushnell who was determined to change her life for the better.
After receiving her GED, Bushnell enrolled at Rose State College and two years later she graduated in 1999. Just before finishing her classes at Rose State, Bushnell did extensive research on the dental hygienist program. In 1998, Rose State College’s Dental Hygienist Program was ranked sixth in the nation.
Graduates scored higher on their state exams and more of their students passed the exams than the majority of schools in the nation. She decided if she was accepted to RSC dental hygienist school she would have the opportunity to do something with her life.
Bushnell worked extremely hard for two years to graduate and to pass her state boards and has been a full-time dental hygienist at the Dental Depot in Midwest City since 2001.
“Rose State College gave me the confidence and the skills I have today! Professors like Janet Turley never made classmates feel inferior; we were all a team trying to reach our goal. I love the career I have chosen. Due to problems I have had with my mouth, I now have the opportunity to educate patients and help them so I can prevent this problem from happening to them. I feel I am giving back to the community that gave me so much. Everyone should have a healthy smile,” said Bushnell.
Article provided by Donna Syth, Rose State College Public Relations
Glen Cabarcas
It takes years of training and dedication to become a Navy pilot, but Lt. Glen Cabarcas, Rose State alumnus, has done just that. Cabarcas flies the Navy’s E-6B Mercury. He is in charge of ensuring the safety of his crewmembers during the squadron flight missions in the U.S. and overseas. This is just one of the many duties of Cabarcas as a Navy Pilot. The Boeing E-6B serves as an airborne command post and communications center for the U.S. strategic forces and is used as the communications source to relay for fleet ballistic missile submarines, ICBM’s, and strategic bombers.
“I learned so many things at Rose State College that help me everyday in my job. I am thankful for the educational foundation I received there. I wouldn’t have been able to obtain my goals in life without Rose State College,” said Cabarcas.
Born in Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico, Cabarcas grew up in Florida and after graduating from high school enlisted in the Navy. It was after he was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in 1995 that he became aware of various programs offered at Rose State that could advance his career and his education in engineering.
“Rose State professors really care about their students. They provided me with the tools to be proactive. Professors like James Gilbert and Dr. Jamie Graham always made the time to help me and really took an interest in my goals. I still keep in contact with both of them even now that I have graduated,” explained Cabarcas.
In June of 2001, Cabarcas graduated from Rose State College with dual Associate Science degrees in Physics and Pre-engineering. Cabarcas then went on to the University of Oklahoma and later received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Northern Florida.
Upon graduating from the University of Northern Florida in May of 2003, he was commissioned as an Officer in the United States Navy. He completed his Naval Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida and Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. Cabarcas was designated as a Naval Aviator in December 2005 and then returned to Midwest City as a pilot in Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) and now flies the Navy’s E-6B Mercury.
“Being a little older and more mature than the average college student only made me take my education more seriously and appreciate it more. Rose State is a major contributor not only to my scholastic achievements, but also milestones accomplished in my military career,” said Cabarcas.
Article provided by Donna Syth, Rose State College Public Relations
Terrance Grayson
Terrance Grayson has spent many hours volunteering and coordinating the mentoring program at Telstar Elementary School and the students put together a book to show their gratitude. As a special gift, the Telstar students presented him with a Thank You Mr. Grayson Book containing drawings and letters of appreciation for his many hours spent at their school.
“This special book from the Telstar students was heartfelt and it will always have a special spot in my office,” Grayson said.
As a Rose State College alumnus, Grayson is well-suited for his job as the College’s coordinator of the Connection and Re-Connection programs. He is responsible for informing elementary, middle school, and high school students to the opportunities offered by obtaining a higher education degree. Through various RSC outreach programs, students have a chance to visit campus, participate in campus activities, and learn about college curriculum.
“Once students see college students like themselves, they believe they can go to college too,” Grayson said. “We are here to teach them how to get into college and be successful once they get here.”
Grayson identifies with his students because when he graduated from high school, he thought his only options were to join the military or get a low-paying job. But after talking to Rose State College staff, he realized college was attainable. After graduating from Rose State, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from the University of Central Oklahoma. Later, he went on to get his master’s in rehabilitation and counseling at Langston University in Oklahoma City. He worked in Lawton for five years and then first joined the staff at Rose State as recruiting coordinator for the GEAR UP program.
“I love what I do. My biggest challenge with young people is cultural. They don’t think they are college material and they are not informed about financial aid, work study programs, scholarships, and grants. It is my job to reach out to them, encourage them and show them their potential,” Grayson said. “We want to build respect and appreciation for higher education. I try to be a light in their path. The rest is up to them.”
Article provided by Donna Syth, Rose State College Public Relations
Theresa Hopson
Theresa Hopson dreamed of the day she would have the time to focus on her education and career after her husband retired from the Air Force. After 18 years raising a family and moving from duty station to duty station, her chance arrived when her husband retired in 1999. Hopson went directly to her community college, Rose State College, and enrolled. “I liked the smaller class size and the friendly atmosphere of the college,” she said.
Hopson watched for years as computer technology advanced and became a valuable tool in the workplace and at home. With her interest in computers, her first class at Rose State was Introduction to Computers. Hopson said it changed her life. She went on to take more classes in computer science and finally enrolled in Computer Programming. “There was something that just clicked in my brain during that class,” she explained. “I loved it.”
Hopson graduated from Rose State in 2002 as a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and continued her education earning a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Southwestern College (Kansas) in May 2007.
Today you will find Hopson developing web based applications, tracking pilots’ certifications, and qualifications for the Federal Aviation Administration as a Senior Business Systems Analyst. In her spare time, Hopson is also working on her master’s degree at Southwestern College.
“Rose State College has instructors that honestly care about your education. A school is only as good as its professors and Rose State is far above one of the best in the state. I am where I am today because of the caring professors like Ken Dewey, Eileen Dewey, and Peter Van Der Goes,” Hopson said. “My children are now students at Rose State because they saw the type of education I received there and they wanted the same opportunity. It is becoming a family tradition!”
Article provided by Donna Syth, Rose State College Public Relations
Gloria Knight
Teaching has always been a love of Rose State College Alumnae Gloria Knight. Her mother and sister were teachers. But after Knight graduated from Midwest City High School in 1971 she went on to work in the business world. It was years later, after she was married and her children were older, that Knight discovered a renewed love of working with and teaching children. Knight was teaching vacation bible school one summer when she realized how much she loved and missed interacting with children. The thought kept reoccurring in her mind that she needed to be a teacher. And she was determined to do something about it!
Knight’s next step was to enroll at Rose State College. Feeling intimidated at first because it had been years since she was a student, she was instantly put at ease with the friendly and helpful staff in the admissions and records office. Rose State College was a perfect fit for Knight. It offered her the basic courses she needed to get an associate degree or the first two years of college credits before she went on for a bachelor degree in Education. Plus, it was convenient, the classes were small enough to get individual attention and the professors were accommodating. Knight found the classes interesting and challenging.
Professor Mary Ann Peters was Knight’s English Composition I and II instructor. “Professor Peters was such a comforting presence to me at that time in my life. She gave me the confidence and the tools to achieve what I needed. It was her constructive teaching techniques that I still practice in my classroom and in my life today. I appreciated her journaling techniques. Years later, those techniques helped me in a personal crisis when my mom had cancer. Journaling helped me get through and awful chapter in my life. I wrote down my feelings and my struggles. It helped me cope!”
Graduating from Rose State in 1994, with an Associate Science degree, she went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree a year later at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Today you will find Knight at Del Crest Middle School in Del City, where she has been teaching science for the last eleven years. Knight is also still active at Rose State College in the “Dare to Dream Team Footlocker Program,” a Rose State College program providing math and science instruction to the Oklahoma City and Mid-Del Public School system K-12.
Article provided by Donna Syth, Rose State College Public Relations
Michael Lovegrove
When Rose State College Alumnus Michael Lovegrove decided to attend college it was a life altering decision. He was 40 years old and had a high paying construction job, but he gave it up to accomplish his lifelong dream of becoming a history teacher. His quest began in 1990 when he decided to apply to Rose State College.
“I guess one of my biggest surprises was that the College accepted me as a student,” Dr. Lovegrove said. “I had not been to school since 1968 and they were letting me come back into a classroom. I was thrilled! I did everything I could to soak up as much knowledge as possible.”
While a student, Lovegrove dreamed of being a history teacher who focused not on dates, but on telling stories about how people in history lived and how they influence the world now. He used his age and experience as an older student to his advantage by understanding what tools are useful in the classroom. He believes the main tool is to have a love for what you do.
After graduating from RSC, Lovegrove attended The University of Oklahoma and earned his BA, MA, and Ph.D. He then applied for a job teaching history at RSC.
“I wanted to give back to the college that helped me launch my career in teaching,” Lovegrove said. “And I wanted to help others find their dream.” Lovegrove began teaching at Rose State as an adjunct professor in 1996, and as a full-time professor in 2000. If you peek into his classroom you see his students listening intently to his stories about our country’s past.
Article provided by Donna Syth, Rose State College Public Relations
