CASC employee honored at Making It Work Day
Ramona Smith, Power I Program director at Carl Albert State College, recently received a Making It Work Day Spotlight Award from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council.
Smith was one of 17 Oklahomans honored, along with three businesses and organizations, at the 29th annual Making It Work Day on Monday at the State Capitol.
Making It Work Day recognizes individuals who are committed to removing barriers to success for single-parent families by providing educational experiences for students beyond the classroom. The ceremony, which was held in the rotunda at the Oklahoma State Capitol, also recognized nontraditional students.
Smith has worked for the Power I Program for 19 years, starting as the program specialist before becoming director over the CASC campuses at both Poteau and Sallisaw. She is the director for LeFlore, Haskell, Latimer and Sequoyah counties and runs the program according to the Department of Human Services and federal guidelines, said Dylana Marcaurelle, Power I program specialist, and Brenda Parker, Power I officer manager, who nominated her for the award.
Smith goes out of her way to help students and takes time out of her day to assist those who are struggling, helping them solve their issues, Marcaurelle and Parker said. They added that many students return to ask Smith for advice after they have graduated from the program.
OkCTEEC is affiliated with the administrative division of the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education. The council advocates for students pursuing nontraditional careers and for resources for educating single parents.