A partnership between the University of Central Oklahoma’s new Community Outreach Program and the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City Inc., will help Oklahomans earn their General Educational Development certificate, or GED, while UCO graduate students earn valuable teaching experience.
Through the partnership, Trina Arnold, a UCO student from Midwest City pursing her Masters degree in secondary education, began teaching a GED course at the Urban League of Oklahoma City’s headquarters in September, with students ranging between the ages of 18 and 24 years old.
After learning that the Urban League had lost its funding to secure a professor to teach a GED course this fall, UCO’s Community Outreach office worked with the university’s College of Education and Professional Studies to help come up with a solution, said Stacy McNeiland, director of UCO’s Community Outreach and Special Projects.
“We immediately knew that we might be able to help remedy this challenge. After much discussion and brainstorming ideas, we determined that a current graduate student could really appreciate the opportunity, experience and challenge of teaching such a course,” McNeiland said.
“Dr. Kathy Brown recommended one of her current students, Trina, for the position, and after evaluating her skills we found her to be a perfect match for teaching the course.”
UCO purchased the professor manuals and information for the GED course and equipped Arnold with the tools necessary to build a course curriculum before she started the course at the Urban League.
Having taken a 20 year break between high school and pursuing her college degrees, Arnold says that she understands what it means to have a college degree when it comes to getting a job after years of “just getting by.”
“My life experience helps me understand how important higher education is when it comes to landing a job that does not kill you by the end of the week, so I feel like I can relate to students,” she said.
“All of the students that have come to take the GED course have great potential to go onto college and become whomever they choose to be. I want to make a difference in their lives and help these young adults open new chapters, and I am learning just as much from the students as they are learning from me.”
After graduating with her masters, Arnold plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Educational or Instructional Psychology so that she may move on to a career as an educator.
An affiliate of the National Urban League, the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City is a United Way supported agency that serves over 15,000 clients annually.
UCO has established a longstanding relationship with the Urban League to assist with the projects and programs that need help, and was recently recognized by the organization as a Lifetime Member.
McNeiland said that the goal of UCO’s Community Outreach Program is to continue to make a strong and positive impact within the community so youth can see that higher education is and can be a reality.
“Our efforts through the GED course are just one step in many that we are taking with the Urban League. At the end of the day, our goal is to help prepare all students for the best futures possible,” McNeiland said.
Groups and schools interested in working with current or upcoming program initiatives can contact UCO’s Office of Community Outreach at 974-2734.
For more information, contact McNeiland at smcneiland@uco.edu.
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