As the final months of 2025 unfolded, Oklahoma State University Extension educators were far from finished with their work. Throughout the state, they were helping families rise out of poverty, organizing gatherings for cancer survivors and visiting food pantries to prepare for Thanksgiving. Educators dedicated eight months to planning a field day while quietly tracking the careers of the young leaders they had influenced years earlier. Although the scope of their work varied by county, their commitment remained consistent: to meet people where they are and trust their efforts would yield results.
In Okmulgee County, agriculture and natural resources educator Shelby Lofton spent the better part of 2025 building something that had never existed before. When Muscogee (Creek) Nation agricultural professionals told her that local producers were struggling to find clear, accessible guidance on prescribed fire, Lofton began assembling a coalition that would eventually include OSU Extension, College of the Muscogee Nation Extension, the MCN Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the MCN Conservation District, the Chickasaw Nation Fire Program, additional specialists from OSU Natural Resource Ecology and Management and local volunteer fire departments.
Eight months of planning meetings and site visits later, the Prescribed Fire Workshop and Field Day drew more than 100 participants to the Okmulgee County Fairgrounds on Sept. 10. The day began with classroom instruction on fire behavior and burn planning and culminated in a live afternoon demonstration on a site the partners had collaboratively prepared. Outreach from the event reached more than 22,000 people, and a feature story ran in Farm Talk News across a four-state region.
For Lofton, it was her first major agricultural program. It also became the foundation for Project Good Fire, known in Mvskoke as “nyhaytv ace,” meaning “Good Fire,” a long-term initiative rooted in culturally informed land stewardship within the Muscogee Nation.
In Woods County, family and consumer sciences educator Susan Holliday took on one of Extension’s most challenging missions by helping people climb out of poverty with dignity and practical tools. After partnering with local nonprofit Bridge2Hope, Holliday became certified to teach “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World,” a 16-week curriculum focused on resource-building, goal setting and understanding the systemic patterns that keep families stuck.
The program’s commitment is significant. Holliday organized free childcare and weekly meals prepared by community volunteers to ensure that financial constraints and logistical challenges wouldn’t prevent anyone from joining. Although some participants had to drop out, a dedicated core group remained, including a mother and daughter who attended every session and successfully graduated.
“This class makes you think, analyze, reflect and want to change your personal outlook,” the daughter stated. “Taking this Getting Ahead class has made us realize that we can, in fact, improve our situation and are equipped with the right resources.”
In Garvin County, family and consumer sciences educator Julie Selman added a new dimension to her programming by piloting a six-week cancer survivorship program at the Pauls Valley library. Developed by the Stephenson Cancer Institute, the curriculum covered nutrition, physical activity, emotional wellness and long-term care planning. What made the program effective was the opportunity it provided for survivors to come together and share their experiences.
Participants left feeling more informed and more confident in managing their health. The pilot’s strong showing has positioned it for potential statewide expansion, a testament to what can happen when research-based programming meets a community ready for it.
Kay County family and consumer sciences educator Lisa Robinson demonstrated that Extension’s reach extends to the most practical corners of daily life. During a November food pantry cooking demonstration, Robison prepared a holiday meal using only shelf-stable, dollar-store ingredients with a recipe she called “Turkey in a Bag.”
The exercise was straightforward, but its impact was immediate. One participant had already resigned herself to skipping a traditional Thanksgiving altogether because the cost felt out of reach. By the end of the demonstration, she had changedher mind.
“This looks wonderful, and I think this is what we will be having for Thanksgiving,” she said.
It was a small moment by most measures, but for Robinson, it captured the meaning of the work: not to solve every problem at once, but to shift what feels possible.
In McClain County, 4-H educator Emily Dumas has spent years quietly building one of Oklahoma’s most productive youth leadership pipelines. The Southeast District Action Team, established in 2005, was created to give ambitious 4-H members a platform to develop leadership skills before stepping into district officer, state ambassador and state council roles. In recent years, the program had seen a dip in interest, but a strategic revitalization turned that around. This year, 35 youth applied to join the team, the highest number in the program’s history.
The long-term results speak for themselves. Dumas, alongside fellow advisors Greg Owen and Kacie Jasper, worked with state staff to track the achievements of former team members. Past participants have gone on to hold more than 50 Southeast District Officer positions, earn 28 State 4-H Ambassador designations, serve as 40 State 4-H Officers and produce four State 4-H Presidents. The program has also generated 170 State Record Book and Scholarship recipients, 120 Oklahoma 4-H Key Club inductees and five State 4-H Hall of Fame honorees.
“These outcomes highlight the significant role the Southeast District Action Team plays in cultivating leadership excellence within Oklahoma 4-H and the Southeast district,” Dumas said.
These five accounts are among 132 success stories submitted by OSU Extension educators for the fourth quarter of 2025, each one a reminder that even in winter, growth continues.
OSU Extension uses research-based information to help all Oklahomans solve local issues and concerns, promote leadership and manage resources wisely throughout the state’s 77 counties. Most information is available at little to no cost.
