About Us

In keeping with the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma’s mission to provide students with tools needed to transform their lives, the Center will build bridges across communities.

The goal is to empower Oklahoma youth by giving them the tools and guidance needed to demonstrate that their lives matter, and that they can make positive social change for themselves, for their communities and for our state.

Community mentors who share a personal investment in working with young people are essential for the success of the Center and its mission. These people serve as role models who have an understanding about the obstacles these young people face.

The Center is committed to providing academic scholarships for underserved students who are interested in the fundamental issues of what constitutes community and what factors serve as obstacles for community-building.

Students will research the complexities of socioeconomic inequalities through the lens of their own academic majors while applying historical strategies to address social justice issues that impact everyday life.

Externships and internships exist as another mechanism that can provide students with venues to apply what they have learned through Center curriculum to real-world situations and to help prepare them for the workforce. 

Building connections within and between communities allows young people to see commonalities with others, and that they have the power to transform and heal because their lives do matter.

Center students must demonstrate a commitment to community by giving back through service and volunteerism in order to maintain their scholarship status in addition to demonstrating academic achievement.

The Center will establish relationships with various community stakeholders and design projects so that students can apply situational assessment and problem-solving skills as mechanisms of transformation and healing.