In 2013, the OURA established an academic scholarship to be awarded to one or more deserving students each year. By late December 2017, donations from Association members, officers, and committee chairs, with the invaluable help of a matching challenge contribution by former OURA President Grettie Bondy, had surpassed the $10,000 mark, allowing the OURA to establish in January 2018 the University of Oklahoma Retirees Association Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Oklahoma Foundation. From this point forward, the annual interest earned by the Endowed Fund will be used to underwrite each year's Scholarship award to a worthy OU undergraduate. Also from this point forward, we will refer to the award officially as the OURA / Grettie Bondy Endowed Scholarship, honoring not only Grettie for her generosity and service but also her mother and family for inspiring her lifelong support of education.
Although the OURA Scholarship Fund is now securely established as a Permanent Endowment, the Fund's Principal Account needs additional donations in order to ensure its ability to generate sufficient annual interest and support at least one scholarship each academic year. Fully tax-deductible contributions in any amount are gratefully accepted at any time and may be made in either of two ways: online by credit/debit card or by check made payable to the OU Foundation (with the memo line indicating that your gift is to be applied toward the OURA Endowed Scholarship Fund #42197) and mailed to:
Treasurer, OU Retirees Association
201 E. Lindsey
Norman OK 73019.
Also, retirees who participate in each year's Campus Campaign may designate the OURA Endowed Scholarship Fund #42197 as the beneficiary of their contributions. Thank you for your support.
Scholarship Recipients 2013-Present
2013 Theresa Ashley, Oklahoma City, Senior, International Studies & Spanish
2014 Sarah Brimmer, Tulsa, Junior, Visual Communications
2015 Macee Beheler, Blanchard, Junior, Broadcast Journalism
2016 Phillip Swart, Edmond, Senior, Letters & Environmental Studies
2017 Joshua Hughes, Eufaula, Junior, Aerospace Engineering & Microbiology
2018 Kara Brown, Senior, Psychology & Sociology
2019 Davis Mitchell, Broken Arrow, Senior, Finance & International Business
2020 Emily Tanner, Enid, Junior, Advertising
2021 Adriana Gonzales-Vega, Yukon, Senior, Electrical Engineering
2022 Hayleigh Briann Carrillo, Oklahoma City, Sophomore, Biology/Pre-Med
2023 Lauren Williams, Warr Acres, Junior, Chemical Engineering
2023 JaLynn Yoakum, Hinton, Junior, Chemistry
2024 Breanne Roberts, Grove OK, Junior, Biochemistry/Pre-Med
2024 Hannah Seyoum, Edmond, Junior, Chemical Engineering
2025 Alexis Wells, Senior, Biology
2026 Litseg Del Val, Senior, Health & Exercise Science
The OURA Scholarship Committee and the OU Scholarship Office are pleased to announce the selection of senior Health & Exercise Science major Litseg Del Val as the 2026 recipient of the OURA Endowed Scholarship. Here in full is her letter of acknowledgment and thanks to both the OU Retirees Association and the OU Scholarship Office.
Thank you for your generous support of my education. As a first-generation college student, scholarships have played a vital role in helping me pursue my goals and continue my studies at the University of Oklahoma. Your investment in my education is something I do not take for granted, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities your generosity has made possible.
I come from a big, loud, and proud family. My parents and older sisters raised me to understand the value of education and to always pursue something greater for myself. Unfortunately, their paths were much rockier than mine, and higher education became a privilege they could not afford for themselves. That never stopped them from encouraging me to pursue my own education, however. While they were not able to help me financially through college, they are the reason I made the decision to come to OU in the first place. They taught me to dream beyond what was immediately in front of me, and it is because of the generosity of people like you that I have been able to turn those dreams into something tangible.
I am currently entering my final year at the University of Oklahoma, where I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health & Exercise Science. After graduation, I plan to attend the Physician Assistant program at the OU Health campus in Oklahoma City. My goal is to become a Physician Assistant specializing in OB-GYN care, a field that combines my passion for healthcare with my desire to support women through some of the most important and most vulnerable moments of their lives. In the future, I hope to open my own women's health clinic in a rural community. Many women living in rural areas face significant barriers to healthcare and often have to travel long distances to receive the specialized care they need. I hope to help address that need by providing accessible, compassionate healthcare closer to home. I want to create a place where women feel heard, cared for, and confident they will receive the care they deserve, regardless of where they live.
Your generosity is helping me take meaningful steps toward achieving these goals. Because of your support, I am able to focus more fully on my education, pursue valuable experiences, and continue working toward a career dedicated to serving others. More than anything, your scholarship reminds me that I am not pursuing these dreams alone. There are people who believe in my potential and are willing to invest in the future I am working so hard to build.
Thank you believing in students like me and for helping make my future possible. I hope that one day I can extend the same generosity to someone else who is standing where I am today, dreaming of a future that may feel just a little out of reach. Your kindness is helping me get one step closer to that future, and I will carry that gratitude with me throughout my education and the career that follows. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams, make my family proud, and make a name for myself. I am incredibly grateful for your generosity, and I hope you know just how deeply your support matters. You are truly an embodiment of the goodness that exists in this world, and I am honored to be one of the students whose life you have chosen to invest in.
With sincere gratitude,
Litseg Krissel Del Val
