Garrett Powders, a Rogers State University communications senior from Tulsa, was recently named one of four outstanding broadcast students in Oklahoma and received a $1,000 scholarship award from OETA.
Powders becomes the fourth RSU student to have earned the Gene Dillehay broadcasting scholarship from OETA, which recognizes excellence among the state’s college broadcast students. Winners were announced Oct. 3 during the annual OETA Public Television and Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Student Seminar in Oklahoma City.
The awards were presented by Robert Allen of the OETA Foundation and Shaun Dillehay, daughter of Gene Dillehay who was the voice for OETA for 18 years during his decades long career in Oklahoma broadcasting.
Other students receiving the $1,000 scholarship this year were Rebekah Byland from Oklahoma Baptist University, Julian Jackson from Langston and Justin Racette from OSU.
Former RSU students to have earned the Dillehay scholarship include Misti Grannemann Rinehart in 2004, Candice Nivison Apt in 2008 and Gary “Turbo” Webb last year.
RSU student are no strangers to earning awards and scholarships for their work, said OBEA President Cathy Coomer, who also is an RSU assistant professor, general manager for RSU Radio and advisor for the RSU Student Broadcasting Association.
In addition to the Dillehay scholarship winners, four other RSU communications students have won $2,000 scholarships from the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, including Jackie Talladivedula in 2006; Candice Nivison Apt in 2007; Jim Hughes in 2008 and Erica Taylor in 2010.
For more information about RSU’s Department of Communications, visit www.rsu.edu/communications/ or call 918-343-6825.