From left: Mary Taggart, Keri Shaw, Les Risser, president of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, Laura Little Price, Natalie Richardson during Oklahoma Mentor Day at the Capitol.
College of Human Sciences academic advisor Laura Price was recently honored at the Oklahoma State Capitol as an Outstanding Youth Mentor. Hosted by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and the David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative, the Oklahoma Mentor Day at the Capitol honors mentors who have made an impact in students’ lives.
Price advises 250 nutritional sciences students in the Patricia Kain Knaub Center for Student Success in the College of Human Sciences. She is also the staff advisor to the Human Sciences Ambassadors, a group of undergraduate student leaders who serve as peer mentors to freshmen, meet with prospective students who visit OSU’s College of Human Sciences, provide tours of the college to prospective students, and engage in related leadership activities.
“Without Laura’s guidance and encouragement, I am unsure if I would have accomplished even a fraction of what I have accomplished in these past four years,” Keri Shaw, a senior majoring in human development and family science, said.
Price cares for each individual student she meets. She enjoys helping students take advantage of all OSU has to offer and seeing them accomplish things they never thought possible.
“Sometimes it takes that one person recognizing something in you that you can’t recognize in yourself to give you the confidence or motivation to get out of your comfort zone,” Price said. “Everyone needs someone to be interested in their story and to be there when they need help or just someone to talk to. Students need someone to cheer for them, and I hope I can be that person.”
Senior HDFS major Natalie Richardson said Price’s interest and effort as the Ambassador advisor is the reason Richardson has remained an active member for three years.
“She (Price) takes the time to get to know each of the Ambassadors on a personal level and always has her door open for us, even if we just need to stop by to vent about our stresses,” Richardson said. “Laura is much more than an advisor for the Ambassador organization; she is a mentor, role model, cheerleader, ally, and cherished friend.”
Mentoring Day honorees were selected by programs within the Mentoring Initiative network. Each recipient received a Certificate of Recognition signed by Boren. The award presentations, which took place in the House of Representatives’ Chambers, were made by Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence President Les Risser of Norman. Past president and trustee Patti Mellow of Oklahoma City read descriptions about each outstanding mentor.
As part of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence’s David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative, Mentor Day is held in conjunction with National Mentoring Month in January. The initiative grew out of Boren’s own commitment to mentoring and the proven impact that mentoring can have on a student’s success in and out of the classroom. The initiative was launched in 2006 to promote the growth and development of quality youth mentoring programs statewide. Since then, more than 100 Oklahoma mentoring organizations have joined the foundation’s network.
