Jan Oldham, BPA member and student at Kiamichi Technology Center, Stigler, OK was named Business Student of the Year for Region 4 by the Association for Career and Technical Education at their convention in December, held in Las Vegas. Jan has demonstrated the determination needed to be successful after hitting the bottom in her life several years ago. She has journeyed from serving time as a convicted felon to helping and inspiring others as an outstanding professional. Jan is a single mother, a super leader, and a wonderful teacher who cannot be certified because of her conviction on a drug charge.

Jan served three years for drug use in an Oklahoma Correctional Center. She has been drug free for six years and is currently in her second year of study in the Business Management & Administration Program and Business Professionals of America membership at Kiamichi-Stigler. Jan is a straight-A student with perfect attendance, who holds down a fulltime job and makes time for two Office 2007 classes a week, plus attendance at her kids’ ball games and other school activities. Jan helps with drug counseling classes every Tuesday night and heads up the BPA chapter fund-raisers.

If fellow students have a lesson they cannot figure out, they know that Jan can. Fellow students seek her help as often as that of the chapter advisor, Nellwyn Calton. Jan enjoys teaching, and has been a source of inspiration for others in the drug counseling classes. She enjoys encouraging others. For two year, Jan has served as the BPA chapter reporter, and more recently has taken over as both the Treasurer and President because of vacancies in those chapter offices. She has competed in every BPA regional, state, and National Leadership Conference for the past two years and has trophies and certificates as mementos of her diligence. She has earned the Ambassador Torch Award and is serving as President of the local chapter of the National Technical Honor Society.

Jan plans to complete her Associates Degree next year—she has 18 credit hours to go and then it is on the Oklahoma State University to earn her Bachelors Degree. She has already earned 25 national Brainbench certificates and holds five Brainbench job roles. Other instructors at Kiamichi are calling on Jan when they have problems with their computers or software.

CELINA, Ohio—“Recently, I found myself reflecting back to October 15, 2005, the day that I thought my life took a drastic turn for the worse. A single mother with two teenagers, I had just learned that the company that I planned to retire from was discontinuing four managerial positions. Mine was one of them.”

For Bonnie Fox of Mendon, Ohio, a recent graduate of Wright State University-Lake Campus with an Associate of Applied Business in Office Information Systems, this point in her life more than 2 years ago would become the incentive not only to return to school, but to commit herself to studies. And her commitment, illustrated through her 3.66 grade point average, was recently rewarded when she was named the 2007 Outstanding Business Student in the Nation by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). The national award is presented annually to an outstanding business education student who possesses professional qualities and has shown school, community and student organization leadership.

Because of the situation that brought Fox back to school, winning the award is truly a meaningful victory in her life. Fox said, “I have proven to myself that anyone can achieve success, no matter what ‘walk of life’ they come from. I worked very hard to graduate with high honors. I feel a great sense of accomplishment.”

Fox is now employed with Mercer Health in Coldwater as an Administrative Assistant/Inpatient Staff Resource Coordinator, and knows that her accomplishment came at the sacrifice of others who helped her along the way. “My family was very supportive and encouraging, especially my mom. They understood that I had to remain totally dedicated to my studies,” Fox adds. “And the teachers at Wright State—Mr. Fulk, Ms. Laman, and Mrs. Elick—these three individuals showed me respect from the beginning, and their friendship and support was invaluable to me.”

“The Office Information Systems Program congratulates Bonnie on her accomplishments,” says Mr. Fulk. “We can all be proud to say we have had a tremendous part in her success.”

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