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JULY 2018 Vol. 8 Issue 10

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CONTENTS

adahub COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

JULY 2018

FEATURES

Publisher Okie Icon Media Managing Editor David Dinsmore Featured Writer Sunnie Dawn Smith Ad Sales Brad Carter Art Direction Fawn Wilson-Olivarez Photography Nicholas Geisler Jacey McDonald

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Comments or Suggestions? info@adahub.com • (580) 421-7874 A rticles and advertisements in the Ada Hub do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine or Okie Icon Media. Okie Icon Media does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. The acceptance of advertising by Ada Hub does not constitute endorsement of the products, services or information. We do not knowingly present any product or service that is fraudulent or misleading in nature. Ada Hub assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials.

5 Hometown health provider helps people look, feel their best 7 Former drug addict uses own past to inspire others 8 ECU business leadership program

9 Homegrown opera singer's voice carrying her to new heights

11 September Poetry Series to happen while future funding remains unclear

Michael Padilla, M.D.

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Hometown health provider helps people look, feel their best By Sunnie Dawn Smith

asey Brundidge knew two things growing up: she wanted to be a physician, and she wanted to be a mom. She always loved helping people and making them feel better. After she graduated from Byng High School, Brundidge attended East Central University followed by the Samuel Merritt University physician assistant program in California when she was 21. She finished there in two and a half years and came back home to Ada. While she loved California, it just wasn’t home; Ada was. Brundidge had originally thought about going to medical school to become an MD, but when she learned about the role of a physician assistant, she knew that was the right path for her, especially because it was also important for her to start a family. She felt that she would be able to balance both of her goals – provider and mother – better as a PA than an MD. Brundidge said she made the right decision and couldn’t be happier. In 2013, Ada Health First opened at 1201 Arlington Suite F, and this has given Brundidge – along with two nurse practitioners Kailee Branscum and Shari Rhodes – a chance to work closely with a variety of patients by caring for their primary and urgent care needs. One thing that Brundidge noticed was that many of her patients were feeling sluggish. They were sleeping poorly and suffering from depression and anxiety. She learned that one of the reasons for this is the drop in natural hormones, which can start as early as people’s late 20s and early 30s. Stress and poor eating habits only adds to the problem. So in April 2015, Brundidge started offering a new service: BioTe pellets. BioTe pellets are inserted into the fat after making a small incision during an office visit. They contain a bioidentical hormone replacement, meaning that the estrogen and testosterone released are identical to what the body naturally makes. She also liked that this treatment derived from soy and yams is completely all natural. After beginning the BioTe treatments on her patients, Brundidge said she was more excited about her work than she had ever been before. “This is the most fun I have ever had in medicine,” she said. “I not only fix a medical issue, but I get to truly improve someone’s

quality of life.” After starting BioTe, her patients report a greater sense of wellbeing. A lot of people lose weight, have more energy, sleep better and are more motivated to exercise. BioTe is what eventually led to the creation of Ada Aesthetics located at 1221 Arlington Suite A. As people began to feel better, they also wanted to look better. Ada Aesthetics Corporation was founded in January 2016 and then moved to its new location in April 2017. They now do the BioTe treatments at Ada Aesthetics as well as offering many other services like laser hair removal, HydraFacials, Botox, facial fillers and CoolSculpting. Laser hair removal is more than just what the name implies, Brundidge said. It also helps remove age and sun spots as well as leg and facial veins. It helps her clients have younger looking skin. Another way to have younger looking skin is with HydraFacial services. HydraFacial addresses fine lines and wrinkles, elasticity and firmness, even tone and vibrancy, skin texture, brown spots, congested and oily skin and enlarged pores. During a 30-minute treatment, the skin is exfoliated, hydrated and protected. CoolSculpting is another service offered by Ada Aesthetics. This service helps contour the body by freezing away unwanted fat. It is a non-invasive procedure that requires no surgery and no downtime. It works by delivering cooling to target fat cells underneath the skin while leaving the skin itself unaffected. The fat cells are frozen and then die. The body processes these dead fat cells and eliminates them. CoolSculpting can target the stubborn fat in the abdomen, thigh, side, under the chin, bra fat, back fat, fat underneath the buttocks and the upper arm. After treatment, the targeted fat cells are eliminated for good. Brundidge said she loves everything about her life and her two jobs. She loves helping people with their primary and urgent care needs at Ada Health First, and she also loves helping people feel and look better at Ada Aesthetics. The staff at both places aren’t just colleagues. They are a work family, supporting and encouraging each other while genuinely caring for their clients.

Kasey Brundidge has been able to realize her dream of being a local health care provider and an involved mom through her work with Ada Health First and Ada Aesthetics. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER

They are supervised by Dr. Glen Diacon, and none of this could be possible without his ongoing support. Despite her busy schedule, she still has time to balance her work with her family, spending the weekend at the racetracks watching her dad and husband race. Even her daughters have their own junior dragsters. “I feel like this is my gift that I’m able to share with others,” Brundidge said. “It is so rewarding doing what I do, because I love what I do.” For more information about Ada Health First, call (580) 279-1788 or email adahealthfirst@gmail.com. For more information about Ada Aesthetics, call (580) 279-6002 or email adaaestheticsinc@gmail.com.

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Former drug addict uses own past to inspire others to find self-awareness By Sunnie Dawn Smith

hen Jaime McCormick was a teenager, the whole world spread out before him with endless possibilities and opportunity. He came from a good family and had a good childhood. He had a life of privilege. He competed in national show dog competitions and achieved a high ranks in the martial arts. His instructor even told McCormick he was good enough to try to make the United States Olympic team. He never contacted the Olympic team though. Instead he became addicted to meth and cocaine. It started slowly. He was hanging out with a friend who asked him if he wanted to try some methamphetamine. He tried it and then didn’t do it again for a year and a half. He wasn’t instantly addicted, so he didn’t see the danger in trying it again. After the second time he tried it, he went back again and again. He was doing it four or five times a day, and instead of trying out for the Olympics, McCormick would bare knuckle box his friend, Roy. One day he walked into the dojo, and everyone put their heads down. He had lost their respect, because they knew he was on drugs. Instead of taking this as a sign that he should turn his life around, McCormick left the world of martial arts and devoted his life to a series of bad choices, striving to get higher and higher. That was his idea of fun; that was his idea of cool. It wasn’t long until everything came crashing down in McCormick’s life, he said. His girlfriend called him to tell him she was pregnant but also leaving him for his best friend – the same friend who had introduced him to meth several years ago. He realized that he had lost everything. This was even more evident once he looked in the mirror. “I realized I wasn’t cool,” McCormick said. “I was a junkie. When I was in martial arts, I was fit and tight, but now I just looked like a junkie. I was 31 at the time, and I had a child coming into this world. I made the decision to change my life and go to church. I just quit everything cold turkey. My daughter was my rehab.” After quitting drugs, McCormick turned his life around and went from being a junkie to having full custody of his daughter, who is now 16-years-old. He started working at Rolling Hills Hospital, where they eventually asked him to lead some groups. He didn’t know what to say, so he started doing research on psychology and therapy. However, as he was doing his research and leading these groups, he realized that his own life experience could be used as a tool. He realized his story wasn’t just about him. It was a story that could help others and be applied to a whole range of life experiences. The people started telling McCormick that he should be a motivational speaker. At first he rejected the idea, he said. Just like when his martial arts instructor had told him he should go to the Olympics, those old doubts started to creep into his mind.

Jaime McCormick’s journey from drug addiction to inspirational speaker has served as an example for people locally and beyond struggling with their own vices. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER

“Who am I?” he would think. “Who am I to do something that ambitious?” He realized that people truly want to see others succeed. “No one cares enough about you to wreck your life,” McCormick said. “What is necessary for a man to change is to change his awareness of himself.” He decided to give it a try. Now, McCormick is on the path to becoming a motivational speaker, though he doesn’t prefer that term. McCormick said he prefers to call himself a mindset speaker, because what he really wants people to do is to change their mindset, the way they view themselves, their lives and their world. He has a mentor in Illinois, Loren Michael Harris, and even has an international client in Switzerland that he helps on a regular basis. He has told his story on podcasts and continues to spread his message in person and on the internet. His goal is to eventually become an international speaker, helping those around the world become more self-aware, happy and fulfilled by sharing the wisdom that comes from his own life experiences. Those interested can listen to what he has to say on his YouTube channels, McCormick Motivation and Jaime McCormick Mindset Speaker, and by visiting his website JaimeMcCormick.com. He also has a Facebook page at Jaime McCormick Mindset Speaker and can be reached by email at mccormickmotivation@ yahoo.com. “My success is not by human hands,” McComick said. “It is by God’s hand. I saw what my hands did over the course of 31 years.” He said he truly wants to help people, and if he helps even one person, then his life and struggles are worth it all. www.adahub.com • 7

The Scholar Leader Program at East Central University’s College of Business provides unique opportunities for participants to grow as business leaders through travel and meeting with top names in a variety of fields.

PHOTO BY JACEY McDONALD

ECU business leadership program growing in numbers By Sunnie Dawn Smith

hen Wendell Godwin came to East Central University in 2010 as Dean for the College of Business, he knew he came to a special place. ECU had already changed his life as an undergraduate and alumnus. Raised on a farm near Pauls Valley, he came to the school in cowboy boots and jeans, but he left in a suit and tie. His education at ECU and the mentors he found in the College of Business helped prepare him for a successful life, so Godwin said it was only fitting that he return and help give other students the opportunities he had been fortunate enough to have. He also wanted to give them even more. When the College of Business moved into its new building in 2013, they already knew they had some phenomenal students, Godwin said. We knew the College of Business was already one of the shining stars of the university, but we wanted to compete even more with the larger universities,” he added. Godwin developed a proposal for a scholar leader program and met with donors. He was originally asking for $50,000 to start this new program. Mother-daughter duo Jane Kellogg and Debbie Sovereign, co-owners of Kellogg and Sovereign Consulting LLC, were immediately interested, but they had a counteroffer. Most counteroffers are usually less money than the original suggestion. However, they came back to Godwin saying that the program was a great idea, but he needed more money if he was going to do it the right way. He asked for $50,000 but instead received $100,000, and the Scholar Leader Program was born. At the program’s start in 2014, there were six students. Since then, the number has grown to 21. This represents not only growth in the impact of the program but also in the funds available to operate the two-year program, which typically consists of junior and senior business students at ECU. Each student receives a $1,000 scholarship each semester for four semesters. They also receive $2,500 per year to pay for their annual trip. Another $1,000 helps pay for other miscellaneous costs, such as conference registration fees and trips to hear distinguished speakers around the state. If it were not for this money, many of these students would not be able to have these opportunities. Some of the students have never been on an airplane before or even left the OklahomaTexas area. In order to help make successful business leaders, though, Godwin said these opportunities were not only desirable but necessary. The process of becoming a scholar leader is a rigorous one. To begin with, students must have a 3.5 GPA. They also must be 8 • www.adahub.com

referred by a faculty member. They are not just scholars, though; they also must demonstrate leadership. Part of this leadership is determined by their involvement in the Business Leaders Association, which is the campus organization for the College of Business. They are also expected to show leadership in other areas of campus involvement as well – whether it be leadership in student government, fraternities, sororities, sports or other campus activities. They must pass an interview that consists of community members, faculty, alumni, Godwin and other current students. This gives the older scholar leaders the opportunity to help pick their own replacements while also giving them further leadership opportunities. Every year, these students go on an all-expenses paid trip courtesy of their donors. In odd numbered years, they visit New York, and in even numbered years, the students vote on their destination. This year they chose Seattle, where they got to meet with high-level executives from many companies, stay in nice hotels, eat at the best restaurants, visit cultural attractions and even spend an entire day at Microsoft meeting with eight different executives. This was made possible because of David Porter, an ECU alum who is now the Corporate Vice President of the Microsoft Store. The number of Scholar Leaders in the program has made travel planning a little more difficult, Godwin said. For instance, it is difficult to get a reservation for 25 people at most fine dining establishments in New York. Planners are looking at offering the students next year a choice to either go on the trip to New York or go to Uganda in order to establish a program for young adults interested in learning more about business and helping them set up their own weeklong business camp there. The students involved in the Scholar Leader Program are afforded many opportunities while in college and beyond their academic careers. Godwin said the program is already making a name for itself within the business community, and business leaders have called him asking if he has any scholar leaders graduating that they might be able to hire. The professors in the department mentor the students – including Godwin himself – and the older students also mentor the younger ones. They don’t just learn about business; they learn about etiquette and ethics, how to interview professionally, how to dress and many other things that other people might take for granted. Godwin said his colleagues and he prepare these students to do more than just get a paycheck. They prepare them to be leaders, innovators and take the world by storm.

Homegrown opera singer's voice carrying her to new heights By Sunnie Dawn Smith

hristina Roszhart didn’t always want to be an opera singer. In fact, if someone would have told her that her life would take this path when she was a child, she probably would have laughed in their face. However, she did always know she wanted to be involved in music somehow. As a child, she was always singing, and her mother even tells stories that she would hum herself to sleep in the crib. She knew she was a musician; she just didn’t know what kind. Her vocal coach in high school, however, did tell her she would be an opera singer one day. Roszhart laughed. The world of opera seemed so far away from Spiro. When she graduated high school, though, she came to East Central University as a double major in instrumental and vocal music education. Her freshman year, she got to go to Tulsa to see a production of “Tosca” by Puccini, and she could not take her eyes off the stage. It was at that moment that she knew that her high school teacher was right. She wanted to be an opera singer. Studying at ECU, she had the opportunity to be in a production of the opera “The Medium” by Menotti and two musicals, “South Pacific” and “A Little Night Music.” She eventually decided to drop her double major and get a degree in vocal performance instead, so she could graduate sooner and move to California to be with her grandmother, Marvis, before she passed away. Once in Los Angeles, Roszhart didn’t really know what she wanted to do. She went back to college for a semester to get her teaching credentials, but she wasn’t passionate about that. She just wanted to sing. Then in 2014, she joined Center Stage Opera and performed in every opera until this current season. Within the last year and a half, her voice made a big change. Many people may not realize that vocalists voices don’t fully solidify until they are in their 30s or 40s. All of a sudden, Roszhart said, her voice was bigger, heavier and easier to control. This led her to find another teacher, and she started studying voice under Shira Renee Thomas and acting under her husband Dylan F. Thomas. Her voice teacher told her that a coach from the Metropolitan Opera in New York

Christina Roszhart’s voice over the last year has garnered attention from opera coaches, trainers and professionals from coast to coast, including some at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. PHOTOS SUBMITTED

was going to be visiting and was willing to work with some singers out of Los Angeles. She started studying with him, and he was impressed with her voice. She was a 26 year old singing Wagner, which is a rarity. He put her in touch with one person, who put her in touch with another and yet another and another, and Roszhart starting building contacts as well as a reputation in the opera community. Her goal is to be in a young artist program at a major opera house. These programs exist primarily for those singers under the age of 30 who make studying music their job. While Roszhart is approaching 30, there is some leeway with her particular type of voice. She is a dramatic soprano, and those are not as common as other voice types. Instead of doing a young artist program at this point, however, Roszhart will be studying in the master’s program at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Most young artist programs want their participants to have master’s degrees anyway, so Roszhart said she feels this is the best step to continue along the path of her goals and dreams. In addition to this achievement, she will also be studying at a three-week intensive workshop in Reno, Nevada called the Institute for Young Dramatic Voice, led by

world-renowned mezzo-soprano, Dolora Zajick. For six days a week during the workshop, Roszhart will study acting and music along with receiving personal coaching. Students come to this program from all over the world, though only 25 are accepted. “Within one year my life has flipped upside down,” Roszhart said. “I am meeting the right people at the right time, and my voice is changing at the right time as well. It is exciting.” The world of classical music is extremely competitive and challenging, Roszhart said. A lot of hard work goes into not only learning the material but also learning how to control the body. For a singer, their body is their instrument. Roszhart has even had the chance to have three coachings at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, but they were all backstage. Even being backstage gave her a thrill, but she holds out hope that one day she will sing at the Met again, though this time front and center. www.adahub.com • 9

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September Poetry Series to happen this year while future funding remains unclear By Sunnie Dawn Smith

ix years ago, Ken Hada wanted to start a September Poetry Series in order to enrich the lives of students and the surrounding community. “The idea was to bring local poets within driving distance to campus for a cultural event for students,” said Hada, East Central University English professor and published poet. Thanks to a grant from the ECU Foundation, this program was started and subsequently flourished. Now in the midst of budget cuts and the depletion of funding, the ECU Foundation cannot renew it. In order for this program to continue, organizers need donations from the public. In the past, the reception has been outstanding with anywhere from 50 to 120 people in attendance, Hada said. Some of the poets who have read in the past include Jim Spurr, Karla K. Morton, Jessica Isaacs, Ben Myers, Ron Wallace, Dorothy Alexander and Raquel Rivera. This event is significant because “universities need to lead the way in providing cultural events for students and the community. For many students this is the first time to witness and hear an author,” Hada said. For many new students at ECU, this is the first cultural event they experience on campus. Many professors require that their students attend, and they always receive positive feedback from their experience. The students have a chance to visit with the poets both before and after the event, buy their books and have the author sign them. On occasion, some students are even invited to dinner with the poets, and twice the poets came to the English department’s annual picnic. The September Poetry Series has had a tremendous impact on students. “SPS has been an opportunity that I’ve continued to look forward to ever since I attended my first one as a junior,” student Greg Votaw said. “Getting to experience other writers’ and artists’ work coming from their own utterances brought forth a genuine and striking emotional response. Listening to these poets also provided me with their own life experiences through their work and allowed me to empathize with their stories.” Student Karina Tarpey said the event helped make the art form more real than some perceptions of poetry allow. “Often, poetry is presented to us in a vacuum – completely separate from the author and specific human experience,” Tarpey said. “The September Poetry Series presents ECU’s faculty, staff and students of all disciplines with a unique opportunity to watch esteemed poets perform, hear backstory behind the motivation to write specific pieces and meet the poets – subsequently connecting a real person with the often disconnected text.” This year’s event will be held on at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18th in the Estep Auditorium at ECU. The two featured speakers are Janine Joseph and Brent Newsom. Joseph is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oklahoma State University. She was born in the Philippines and lived undocumented in America for fifteen years. Her book, “Driving Without a License,” won the Kundiman Poetry Prize, the da Vinci Eye Award and was a finalist for the 2017 Oklahoma Book Award. Her poems

Janine Joseph and Brent Newsom will be the focus of this year’s September Poetry Series, a six-year-old East Central University-led event that after this year will lose its funding due to higher education budget constraints. It is seeking new funding for future events. PHOTOS SUBMITTED

and essays have appeared in many different journals, and she is also a librettist who was commissioned to write works for the Houston Grand Opera. Newsom is an associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and teaches courses in creative writing, literature, editing and composition. His debut poetry collection, “Love’s Labors,” was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. His poems have also appeared in many journals, including The Southern Review, Hopkins Review and Birmingham Poetry Review among others. He is also a librettist, writing the text for an opera titled “A Porcelain Doll,” which premiered at OBU in March 2017. Newsom lives with his wife and two children in Shawnee. While both of these poets come from very different backgrounds, they are also both talented writers who are happy to showcase their work at ECU’s annual poetry event, organizers said. Perhaps the differences in their backgrounds will make the evening even better as those in attendance get a varied perspective of life and all the experiences it has to offer. The September Poetry Series can only continue, however, if the community comes together to support it. Every little donation can help keep this event in existence for the future students of ECU and members of the community. For more information or to make a donation, contact Hada at (580) 559-5557 or email him at khada@ecok.edu.

www.adahub.com • 11

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