Students Receive More Than $100,000 in Scholarships; Sam Presti & Patricia Fennell Receive Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY – APRIL 25, 2024 – Ninety-two Oklahoma high school students earned more than $100,000 in cash scholarships and tuition grants through the Oklahoma Scholarship Competition and were recognized at the annual Scholarship Awards Assembly on April 24 at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame | Gaylord-Pickens Museum. Additionally, Sam Presti and Patricia Fennell were presented with the 2024 Lee Allan Smith Oklahoma Legacy Awards in recognition of their volunteer, civic, and community efforts.
This February and March, 787 high school students registered to participate in the Oklahoma Scholarship Competition and take an online Oklahoma history examination to qualify for more than $700,000 in scholarships. Of those, 16 students earned cash scholarships and 76 students earned tuition grants to 28 different Oklahoma universities and colleges. In total, 92 students in 41 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties earned more than $100,000 in scholarships.
Individual donors, along with Oklahoma colleges and universities, provided the cash scholarships and tuition grants in the counties of their choice. In addition to schools statewide offering tuition grants to students in various counties, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma Christian University, Cameron University, Southern Nazarene University, Rose State College, Tulsa Community College, the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma made tuition grants available in all 77 counties.
“Our scholarship competition rewards Oklahoma students who understand the rich history of our great state with a way to make future learning opportunities more affordable,” said Shannon L. Rich, president & CEO of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
“Pairing the awards assembly with the Lee Allan Smith award presentation allows students to hear from inspirational leaders in the community, encouraging them to dream big. Showing students what can be achieved within our state's borders is vital to building pride and investing back in our state.”
The 2024 Lee Allan Smith Oklahoma Legacy Awards were presented to Patricia Fennell and Sam Presti, two individuals who exemplify intentional generosity that greatly benefits the people of Oklahoma today and for generations to come. This namesake award honors those whose efforts are similar to the life-long efforts of Lee Allan Smith.
Patricia Fennell is the first Latina to be inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame (in 2023) and the first to be appointed to the NASW Insurance Trust. She also is the founding executive director of the Latino Community Development Agency. The agency was created to promote social, cultural, educational, and economic development in the local Latino community. Fennell developed an innovative “one-stop” community service center, providing oversight of 23 successful programs housed within the agency targeting Latino children, youth, and their families, which was featured during the President’s Summit as one of 50 exemplary teaching examples in the United States. Under her leadership, the annual operating budget has grown from $42,000 per year to $2.5 million.
As an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Social Work, Fennell instructed graduate students, presented to medical students on holistic treatment approach, and defined the role of a social worker.
Sam Presti earned his degrees in communications, politics, and law in 2000 from Emerson College in Boston, as well as the distinction as the Emerson College’s first Rhodes Scholar Nominee. Presti began his career as a video intern for the San Antonio Spurs and advanced to an executive position in just seven years. In 2007 Presti joined the staff of the Seattle SuperSonics before the relocation of the team to Oklahoma City. Today Presti continues to lead the Thunder’s basketball operations efforts with great success and enviable foresight. Presti’s involvement and support of the people of Oklahoma is evident in his requirement for the OKC Thunder players and staff to connect with the story of April 19, 1995, the effects, and how the team can reflect the values of this on the court.
Over the last 12 years, through Presti’s Forward Thinking Leadership Program, more than 600 Oklahoma City high school students have developed leadership skills through curriculum Presti helped create. Presti’s influence and commitment continued across the state in the summer of 2020 when he and his high school friend Mike Johnson, an executive with CAA Sports, launched the Thunder Fellows Program. Located in the Historic Greenwood District of Tulsa, the program creates new opportunities in sports, technology, and entertainment for black students in the Tulsa area.
MEDIA KIT: Photos from the event of scholarship recipients and Lee Allan Smith Award recipients
2024 Oklahoma Scholarship Competition Recipients.pdf
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ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1927, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame tells Oklahoma’s story through its people. From diverse statewide programming to the historic Gaylord-Pickens Museum, the organization creates an enhanced sense of pride for all Oklahomans. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was created to honor extraordinary Oklahomans and to provide educational programming for students of all ages. Induction to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is recognized as Oklahoma’s Highest Honor. For more information, visit www.oklahomahof.com.
