Events

I am also learning new job/internship skills at OU that will help me find a job once my four years at OU are up. Currently I am an intern at OU Nightly (video production/campus news at Gaylord), and I love interacting with people when I work on the production crew with them. I also got trained on how to work at master control, audio, graphics, live shot, prompter, floor director, web team and update camera. I also currently check in for production roll calls and I am assigned to many different production positions. My supervisor is great and shows me how to do so many things.

In the past, I worked as a barista at Not Your Average Joe’s where I worked as a student intern. I also worked behind the cash register, prepped food and drinks and learned how to clean up the tables and the furniture. Third, I learned how to take orders through the cash register and also set up family weekend tailgates with them. When I was sophomore at OU, I worked as a student facility attendant at Sarkeys Fitness Center where I worked behind the equipment desk, did laundry, checked in and out sports equipment, did roundabouts, cleaned up the weight room, and more. I also worked at OU Daily during the spring of my sophomore year as a student intern. This is where I did videography, first learned how to make and edit videos using Adobe Premiere Pro, and worked on Canva for OU Daily designs for each week and also worked on a promo video for Sooner Works.

Want to know more about what it's like to be a student in Sooner Works? We have several opportunities throughout the year--virtual and in-person--where you can speak with Sooner Works staff, learn about OU coursework, social clubs, and employment opportunities, hear from current students in Sooner Works, and more!

The Sooner Works Summer Academy serves high school students with a documented intellectual (ID) or developmental disability (DD) who seek to enhance their independent living, academic, career development, and social skills while learning about the opportunity of college after high school graduation. We will admit up to 16 students (8 male, 8 female) for the academy who are approximately 15-19 years old, who have completed their first year in high school but have not yet graduated. The total cost to attend the academy is $975, which includes room, board, recreation, and classroom instruction. Oklahoma residents who are current* or potentially-eligible** DRS clients qualify for a reduced rate of $125 (DRS is supplementing the cost). Non-residents must pay the full $975 to attend camp.

The Summer Academy is a four-day, three-night residential experience where students will focus on pre-employment transition skills from the areas of 1) career exploration, 2) work-based readiness, 3) post-secondary education opportunities, 4) self-determination, and 5) independent living. In order to be sure that the Sooner Works Summer Academy is a good match for students, we require an application packet be completed for each student, which includes the completion of two recommendation forms. To attend the academy, it is expected that students will demonstrate the following minimal requirements:

• A high school student between the ages of 15-19
  
• Independence in personal hygiene and bathing activities
• Basic functional reading ability
• Basic functional math ability
• Ability to eat independently
• Sufficient emotional and independent stability to participate in all aspects of Sooner Works Summer Academy. Note: Sooner Works does not have the personnel necessary to provide continuous 1:1 supervision or support during the academy
• The applicant should be able to sit through 60-minute hands on transition activity and function independently in campus settings (e.g., class, work settings, dorms).
• The applicant must demonstrate the ability to accept responsibility for his/her actions and maintain respect for him/herself and others.
• No history of disruptive or aggressive behaviors. Note: Sooner Works does not have the personnel necessary to manage behavioral issues.
• Can handle and adapt to change; is not overly stressed with change 
• Potential to be successful in competitive employment situations 

Because of space limitations, not all applicants who complete the application and meet the eligibility criteria will be granted admission. Incomplete applications will not be considered; it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure recommendation forms have been submitted. We will admit qualified students on a first-come, first-served basis, giving priority to Oklahoma residents. To serve as many students as possible, participants who attended the 2023 Sooner Works Summer Camp will unfortunately not be eligible for the 2024 Summer Academy.

*A current VR client is defined by DRS as an individual who: 

• has a documented disability as determined by DRS; and
• is a current student enrolled in an Oklahoma school system; 
• has applied for and been determined eligible by DRS; and
• has an approved individualized plan for employment (IPE).
• VR clients participating in the Sooner Works Summer Academy shall be limited to those that have completed the tenth grade (estimages ages 15-20).

**A potentially-eligible VR client with a docuemtned disability is defined by DRS as an individual who:

• is 14-21 years old; and
• has an individualized education program (IEP); or
• has a 504 plan; or
• has a documented disability, regardless of whether they have applied or have been determined eligible for the DRS Transition from School-to-Work Program; and 
• is enrolled in an Oklahoma school system.
• Potentially-Eligible clients participating in the Sooner Works Summer Academy shall be limited to those that have completed the tenth grade (estimated ages 15-20). 

APPLY TO THE 2024 SOONER WORKS SUMMER ACADEMY!