Sisters Of Saas A Mother’s

The Sisters of SAAS:

A Journey and a Mother’s Determination

IT’S NOT UNCOMMON FOR SIBLINGS TO FOLLOW IN ONE ANOTHER’S FOOTSTEPS. BUT

IT IS UNUSUAL WHEN FIVE OF THEM — ALL FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS —

MARCH THROUGH ONE UNIVERSITY IN QUICK SUCCESSION.

Beginning in 2014, five sisters — Maya and Kambri Jackson, then Helena, Brenda, and Jharra Hollins — matriculated at Langston University. Over the next six years, at least two were walking the halls and working toward degrees at any one time. Maya, the trailblazer, began her studies in communication; Kambri, criminal justice. Soon thereafter, Helena, Brenda, and Jharra all made names for themselves in LU’s School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences (SAAS).

WHY LANGSTON UNIVERSITY?

Mom Brenda Hollins — we call her “Mom Brenda” to distinguish her from her namesake daughter — explained how the sister history, and a big family decision, unfolded. “Maya was recruited by Langston University while attending high school in Palm Springs, California,” Mom Brenda began. “She was offered a full scholarship. Excited for the opportunity, she enrolled.”

“The best thing to do was to create a pathway everybody could follow. We chose Langston University because it was an affordable way for the girls to get the education they needed. It also helped a lot that it was the best choice socially.”

— “MOM” BRENDA HOLLINS

When Kambri decided to join Maya in Oklahoma, Mom Brenda took stock of the family situation. She loved being close to her daughters, but living 1,200 miles away from her first two made that all but impossible. And with Helena, Brenda, and Jharra soon to take the college leap, Mother Brenda reasoned that “the best thing to do was to create a pathway everybody could follow. We chose Langston University because it was an affordable way for the girls to get the education they needed. It also helped a lot that it was the best choice socially.” In 2015, Mom Brenda uprooted the whole family and moved to Coyle, Oklahoma, a town of roughly 360 inhabitants about two miles from the LU campus.

As it happened, Mom Brenda also had enthusiastic support from her younger trio. In phone calls from Maya, Helena had learned that the LU campus was cozy and class sizes were small — both important selling points. At home with the family in Oklahoma, Helena shared accounts of amazing SAAS agriculture trips, piquing Brenda’s interest. And Jharra got a personal feel for the university’s family atmosphere: “Everybody had some type of bond with each other — it felt like home.”

WHY SAAS?

When Helena arrived on campus, her plan was to major in business. Then, when her advisor suggested adding an agriculture element, she enrolled in the SAAS department of agriculture’s agriculture business option. “Agriculture was a last-minute choice,” Helena remarked, “and I guess it was the best last-minute decision I’ve ever made.” (continues)

She began taking agriculture courses in her sophomore year and loved the classes and learning about agriculture.

The diverse educational and research opportunities offered by SAAS drew Brenda to join her older sister as an agriculture business major. “I feel like SAAS gives me many learning opportunities, not just on campus but globally,” she said. “The agriculture business option will allow me to be anything I want.”

Jharra has always had a passion for children. “I’ve always been a kid at heart,” she said. “I love art and playing with little fun things — I make balloon animals as a hobby. I was really drawn to working with children, so, I thought, why don’t I become a teacher?” Jharra enrolled in SAAS’s department of family and consumer sciences and plans to teach art to children in kindergarten through third grade. Brenda Hollins presents the results of her research project.

RESEARCH AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

At SAAS, the three Hollins sisters found that educational opportunities extended far beyond the classroom. A point of emphasis in all departments is to pair students with research mentors so they can gain experience in the design, conduct, and analysis of research projects. All three sisters have excelled in their research endeavors. In 2017, Helena garnered two first-place awards. One was for a NASA Challenge; as part of the project, she and her research partner traveled to Houston to tour NASA facilities. She also won OSU’s Food & Beverage Product Development Competition with her Silly Billy Frozen Yogurt made from locally sourced, non-hormonal goat’s milk. Brenda and Jharra were mentored by Dr. Terry Gipson in animal science research that was presented in 2019 at the 1890

Association of Research Directors Symposium, where Brenda earned second place for her poster presentation.

During their time at SAAS, the sisters also grew personally and professionally. Presenting her research before an audience gave Jharra new confidence in public speaking. Helena and Brenda took advantage of the many opportunities offered by SAAS. Each was elected president of the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANNRS) Club and represented the LU chapter at regional and national club meetings. In 2017, Helena also represented SAAS students on the committee developing the SAAS 5-year strategic plan and on the dean search committee.

IMPACT OF A SAAS EDUCATION

Helena, Brenda, and Jharra know their education can take them places they scarcely dreamed of. As Brenda remarked, “I never thought I would be here and be able to accomplish so much in four years. Langston University has taught me how to be an adult and how to own up to my responsibilities. Everyone should come to Langston University for the experience alone, because you can grow based off of challenges and the things you face.” Helena appreciates how her education — from the acquisition of knowledge and mastery of skills to the application of them — prepared her for a professional career. And Jharra is fully prepared to complete certification requirements, become a teacher, and stimulate

her young students’ creativity.

FAMILY TO FAMILY

Over the years, SAAS faculty, staff, and classmates have become family for the Hollins sisters, supporting and guiding them through their college career. For Mom Brenda, who never finished high school, the SAAS family helped her achieve the dream of ensuring a better life for her children. She is proud of all that her daughters have accomplished and of the young women SAAS has prepared them to be.

With Brenda’s graduation in May 2020 and Jharra’s certification as a teacher, the Hollins family will say goodbye to Langston University, ready to forge new paths and embrace new opportunities. Helena, Brenda, and Jharra — and Mom Brenda — are grateful to the university and to the faculty and staff who helped guide them.

For more information, please contact Dr. Steve Zeng, steve.zeng@ langston.edu

Helena Hollins

Choosing LU-SAAS was one of the best decisions of my life. There’s something for everybody, even for those of us who come from a non-traditional agrarian background. Agriculture drives innovation and feeds human progress.

“I never thought I would be here and be able to accomplish so much in four years. Langston University has taught me how to be an adult and how to own up to my responsibilities.”

— HELENA HOLLINS

Jharra Hollins

My work at Langston University has taught me to follow my dreams and never doubt my ability to make them happen. I have a sincere passion for working with children and guiding them to their future. That is the reason I chose early childhood education.

Brenda Hollins

SAAS has taught me three things: to never give up, to set clear goals for my own success, and to take risks. As a person who wants to make a difference in this world, I knew that being an agriculture major was the perfect choice.