WILBURTON, Oklahoma – Members of the Eastern Oklahoma State College President’s Leadership Class visited the Oklahoma State Capitol on Wednesday, April 16, to give students firsthand exposure to the legislative process and to deepen their understanding of leadership within the context of state government.

During the visit, the group met with state lawmakers including Rep. Jim Grego, Rep. Eddie Dempsey and Rep. Ronnie Johns, as well as Sen. Warren Hamilton. Students received a guided tour of the governor’s office, and had the opportunity to attend Gov. Kevin Stitt’s weekly press conference. Following the briefing, the governor took a few moments to personally visit with the students. Sen. Hamilton also recognized the group in the Senate gallery.

“I consider myself blessed to be a part of Eastern Oklahoma State College President’s Leadership Class,” said Caden Goodson of Tushka. “In PLC, we meet monthly with our college administration, national, state and local leadership, plus other outside speakers who discuss different aspects of leadership. This past week, we were given the opportunity to visit our Oklahoma State Capitol and meet with several legislators. I loved getting to speak with both members from the House of Representatives and state senators who shared their valuable experiences and wisdom with us. This trip was not only educational, but also a lot of fun. I want to extend a huge thank you to President Wansick and Candace Raney for everything they do for our group, as well as to Jacob Sitton for joining us to capture these moments.”

PLC is a selective leadership development program at Eastern that provides students with experiences beyond the classroom through monthly meetings, service opportunities and interaction with local, state and national leaders.

“PLC is an amazing leadership opportunity that has opened many opportunities for me,” said Laney McAlester of Wilburton. “With the help of the college administration, we were able to tour the governor’s office, attend a news conference and were given a personal tour. It was a very unique experience within my college journey.”

Students participating in the Capitol visit included Goodson, Jacy Browne (Wilburton), Cyrena Bull (Buffalo Valley), Dristan Harber (Bennington), Maebrey Wallace (Allen), Addi Brown (Perkins), Maddie Littlejohn (Wilburton), Walker Chandler (Stratford), Averie Bain (Valliant) and McAlester (Wilburton).