: Choctaw Scholarship Advisement Program :

The Peer Advisement Program was instituted to help assist and support Choctaw Students during their college years. Our main goal is retention. We hope to ensure that each and every Choctaw student completes a degree plan, regardless of any obstacles or struggles they may encounter while attending a college or university.

The Peer Advisement program utilizes the services of upper-classmen who are housed in the Office of the Native American Department for each of the participating campuses. This close relationship with the Native American Department enables Choctaw Nation Peer Advisors to have immediate access to information concerning diversified scholarships, internships and fellowships that are available to Native American students. This direct link to the Native American organizations, clubs and governments can be utilized by our Peer Advisors for the students they serve through this valuable department.

We are confident that the Peer Advisement Program will make a difference with Choctaw student retention rates and additionally will provide opportunities that students might have over-looked.


	Casi Dennis is the Peer Advisor for Choctaw Students attending the Eastern Oklahoma State College. Because of her involvement in numerous school activities, she lives on campus in the dorms for Native American students. She spends her free time in her hometown of Clayton, Oklahoma, with her family and friends. Casi is a sophomore and is working toward a degree in pharmacy. After graduating from Eastern, she plans to attend The University of Oklahoma where she will earn her degree in pharmacy and can use her education to serve the Choctaw Nation. E-mail:cadennis@eosc.edu Phone: (918) 465-1743 Fax: (918) 465-2431

	Lauren Palmer is the Peer Advisor at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. She is twenty-two years old, married, and a proud Choctaw tribal member. Lauren grew up in Durant, Oklahoma where she was very involved in her high school, church, and community. She has lived in Norman, Oklahoma for the past four years while working on her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education at the University of Oklahoma where she holds a senior status. E-mail:rowland@ou.edu Phone: (405) 325-6873 Fax: (405) 325-7493

	Jason Derek Coleman is the Peer Advisor at Carl Albert State College. He is the first of his family to attend CASC and neither of his parents nor his older brother finished college (although his dad went for a while), so he plans on becoming the first to finish and obtain not only his Associates, but his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees as well. Jason is a business major and, after he graduates from Carl Albert, he will major or double-major in accounting and/or finance. Jason is an active member in Rotaract, intramural sports, and Phi Theta Kappa E-mail:jdcoleman@student.carlalbert.edu Phone: (918) 647-1374 Fax: (918) 647-1369

	Jerrod James is the Peer Advisor for Choctaw Students attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma where he lives with his wife, Laura, and their infant daughter Jocelyn. Jerrod is from Broken Bow, Oklahoma and is currently working toward a masters degree in School Counseling. He obtained a BA in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) from SOSU in December 2007. E-mail: jjames66@student.sosu.ed u Phone: (580) 745-3238 Fax: (580) 745-7516

	MaLinda Thompson is a peer advisor at Oklahoma State University. She is from Hugo, OK and graduated from Hugo High in 2003. After graduating from high school, MaLinda attended Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, OK, where she received an Associates in Psychology in May 2005. Following graduation MaLinda and her husband, Jayson, moved to Stillwater to continue their education at Oklahoma State University. After two years at OSU, they both graduated in May 2007. At OSU MaLinda received a Bachelors degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is currently furthering her education in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders and will obtain a Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in May 2009. E-mail:malinda.thompson@okstate.edu Phone: (405)744-4408 Fax: (405) 744-5212

	Shauna Williams is one of the peer advisors for the Choctaw Nation Scholarship Advisement Program at Oklahoma State University. She is from Smithville, Oklahoma, where she graduated from Smithville High School as co-valedictorian, but she is currently living in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She graduated from Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, OK in May 2005 with an Associates degree in Business Administration and then transferred to Oklahoma State University. Shauna is a senior at OSU and will graduate in December 2007 with a Bachelors degree in General Business. After graduation she plans to stay at OSU and work on her MBA. E-mail: shauna.williams@okstate.edu Phone: (405) 744-4408 Fax: (405) 744-5212

	Twauna Williams is a Peer Advisor for the Scholarship Advisement Program at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. She is a proud Choctaw from Smithville, OK where she went to Smithville High School and graduated co-valedictorian in 2003. Twauna has an A.S. degree in business administration from Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, OK. She is a senior at OSU majoring in general business with minors in marketing and management. She plans on starting graduate school at OSU next spring to work on her M.B.A. E-mail: twauna.williams@okstate.edu twauna.williams@okstate.edu Phone: (405) 744-4408 Fax: (405) 744-5212