No backwards steps | Oklahoma State University

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Media Contact:
Bailey Stacy | Communications Coordinator, Marketing & Communications | 405-744-2700 | bailey.stacy@okstate.edu

“No backwards steps,” that is the phrase that Breland Steward, senior advertising pupil
within the Spears School of Business, lives his life by, believing every step he takes
in his life have to be in the correct route.

Growing up in Del City, Oklahoma, the place in accordance with the U.S. census solely 14.4% of
folks have a school training, Steward wasn’t positive if he would even be admitted
right into a college a lot much less truly attend. Through his resiliency and his one step
in entrance of the opposite angle, he might be graduating this semester debt free with
many prestigious accomplishments.

Steward attributes his capability to attend and excel at a four-year college to his
involvement in highschool, and his management instructor, Mrs. Kristy Cooper.

“She [Mrs. Cooper] believed in me more than anybody else,” Steward stated. “She was
the one who stated, ‘you are going to do this,’ ‘you can do this,’ and ‘you wish to
go to school.’ She made me really feel assured in who I’m as an individual. She made me really feel
safe that I belong right here, I belong wherever I’m stepping into life and everyone has their
personal path.”

Steward was extremely concerned in extracurricular actions throughout his time at Del City
High School. His involvement led to him being elected State Student Council President,
successful towards candidates from bigger and extra prestigious faculties. When talking
about his time as Oklahoma Student Council President, he humbly refers to it as a
win for his college as an alternative of himself.

“My high school was known for more bad things than good things,” Steward stated. “When
we gained that title, it was like, oh wow, a bunch of low-income youngsters placing themselves
on the market, saying they’re going to go to school and conquering their limitations.”

His time and recognition as state Student Council President led to Steward being honored
as 2019 Multicultural Citizen of the Year from the University of Central Oklahoma,
which now sits at his mom’s home and is among the awards she is most pleased with.
Steward was the primary pupil ever to be awarded this title. Previous recipients had been
professionals of their fields and all recipients had been chosen primarily based on their work in
motivating their tradition and group to be extra numerous. 

“If it wasn’t for Del City, I don’t think I would even be in college today,” Steward
stated.

As a first-semester freshman at OSU, Steward obtained numerous scholarships, together with
ones from the President’s Leadership Council and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
It was the next semester the place Steward started being acknowledged with different scholarships
by means of Spears Business, Trio and Sponsored Research Programs and the Inclusive Leadership
Program, which ensured that he might end his diploma debt free.

After being such an concerned pupil in highschool, Steward deliberate to spend his
time in faculty specializing in his research. Those plans rapidly modified as he couldn’t
assist however get entangled on campus and in his group.

During his time at OSU Steward has been part of the Male Initiative, Student Union
Activities Board, a First Year Success chief and an OSU peer mentor. He additionally had
the consideration of being a McNair Scholar, Rise Scholar, the president of the Oklahoma State
Student Council, president of the Black Student Association and the primary African
American homecoming king at OSU.

As a McNair Scholar, Steward had the chance to conduct analysis on how mentorships
have an effect on black male resilience. He discovered that if extra black males had mentors, extra
of them would make it to school. They simply lack the mentor determine of their life.

“I really feel like I’m privileged sufficient to haven’t solely a mentor, however I had each my dad and mom
rising up,” Steward stated. “I had an enormous help system rising up, so I had loads
of issues that lots of people round me sadly did not have. I obtained right here when
lots of people I grew up with did not make it to school.”

Steward has labored laborious to achieve success operating on little to no sleep at instances as a result of
of his dedication to his college actions, taking 18 hours in fact work and
working the night time shift at Walmart.

His laborious work culminated to a really particular recognition when he was awarded OSU’s homecoming
king at America’s Greatest Homecoming celebration in October of final 12 months.

“The OSU Alumni Association principally stated they’re selecting the one who is throughout
a mildew of what OSU embodies,” Steward stated. “When they stated that, I believed again and
I used to be like, ‘you know, what? I guess I am kind of a mold of what OSU embodies,’ in
the Cowboy Code. I really feel like I simply actually embody a robust pupil who will get by means of
no matter he goes by means of.” 

Steward’s time as an undergraduate pupil is coming to a detailed in May and as he prepares
for commencement he appears ahead to the beginning of a brand new chapter, attending graduate
college. While he doesn’t know the place he might be attending but, he is aware of from his previous
that every one he has to do is proceed to take ahead steps to search out success in his new
journey.

 “I try to stay balanced as a person,” Steward stated. “I wish to keep humble as an individual.
I do not ever wish to seem to be the whole lot can’t be gone tomorrow. I wish to deal with
the janitor just like the principal, all the time, and I would like folks to deal with me the identical. I
simply juggle all of it by simply going and I really feel like so long as I preserve going, I can’t
lose.”