LeFlore senior and junior GEAR UP students recently toured Carl Albert State College (CASC) in Poteau, Oklahoma. Hunter Sisemore, Lead Recruiter at CASC, greeted the students.
The tour began in Hemphill Hall, where the students visited the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Learning Resource Center. Students also visited several campus buildings, including the Gedosh Scholar Dorm, Health Science Center, Dr. Joe E. White Library, Ross and Artie Stivers Center, and Costner-Balentine Student Center, which includes the bookstore and cafeteria. Kody Tackett, Environmental Science Instructor, met with students and discussed the Applied Science degree available through a new program available at Carl Albert. Students then departed the campus to travel to the LeFlore County Museum.
Students were greeted by David Deaton, Director of the LeFlore County Museum located in Poteau, OK. Deaton discussed with the students that the Museum used to be Hotel Lowery, a hotel that was an essential part of Poteau, OK. The building celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022. Deaton informed students that the Museum consists of 25-plus rooms of artifacts. Students toured rooms of artifacts that included Veterans, Poteau Alumni, the President’s, Native Americans, and the Civil War. Before departing the museum, Deaton gave each student an arrowhead to take home as a souvenir.
The field trip was sponsored by Eastern Oklahoma State College GEAR UP. Eastern received a $17 million federal GEAR UP grant in 2017 and will serve over 3,000 students in 39 area schools for seven years.
