This fall, OU's Ring Ceremony honored Michael and Madison Nash, whose OU legacies continue to shape their lives as alumni.
At the University of Oklahoma, traditions are what breathe life into campus and bind together the legacies of past Sooners with the next generation of changemakers. This November, the bi-annual celebration of OU’s Ring Ceremony, which commemorates the great discoveries, friendships, and connections found at OU, honored OU alumni Michael and Madison Nash as the Honorary Ring Recipients.
Like many football fans, Michael grew up cheering on the OU Sooners in the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where he would get lost in a sea of crimson and cream and fell in love with campus at a young age.
“I always knew there was only one place I wanted to go to college,” Michael said. “Accordingly, there was only one school I applied to—the University of Oklahoma. To this day, it’s a decision that changed my life in ways I could have never imagined.”
Before the Nashes arrived on campus as full-time college students, they became high school sweethearts after meeting at an OU summer program. OU hosts summer programs and campus for students of all ages and passions, and it’s where so many OU stories, like Michael’s and Madison’s, have begun.
“I was fortunate to spend time on OU’s campus in high school,” Madison said. “I could have never anticipated just how profoundly that decision would shape my life. OU continues to be a community full of support and friendship throughout every season of my life.”
For the Nashes, OU is a special place where lifelong connections are created and withstand the test of time. It was something they knew even as college students but could not imagine until they settled into their professional careers—Madison serves as the Director of Digital Communications and Marketing at the Oklahoma Tax Commission and Michael works as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.
“When our careers took us to D.C., we gained a new perspective of how truly special the OU community is,” the Nashes said. “The OU alumni network reaches across the globe. We come across fellow Sooners in our careers often.”
When a student walks across the graduation stage and leaves with an OU degree, their time at OU does not end. For the Nashes, this could not be more true, as the impact of OU has continued to travel with them.
“Throughout our careers and as alumni, we’ve come to see that the more we invest our time and energy into OU, the more it continues to give back to us,” Michael said. “We feel so lucky to be part of the OU Family.”
When the Nashes each chose OU as the next step in education, their trajectories shifted toward greatness. They believe the same is possible for future OU students.
“You are not one of many here, you are one of one,” Madison said. “This institution is deeply committed to serving students during the most pivotal years of their lives. Whatever you hope to achieve or experience, OU offers all of it and more, and you will graduate with a community you built yourself that expands further than you could imagine.”
