Education has always been a central part of the Cowan family - even during mealtimes. “I remember several instances where we would do math word problems on napkins as our family was eating dinner at Mazzios,” remarked daughter Cara.
While education personifies the Cowan family, (earning 10 degrees among the four) the two youngest members, Cara and Brett, took action to ensure education was a priority for their “entire family;” aspiring Native American students.
“Almost everything in our lives centered around education, and we knew we could honor our parents by guaranteeing Native American students pursued higher education,” said Brett.
Beverly and Clarence “Curly” Cowan dedicated a combined 70 years teaching Oklahoma students from kindergarten through college. Both left a lasting impression of importance in the community, which inspired their own children to leave a similar impression.
Brett and Cara combined funds to endow a scholarship in honor of their parents and their Native American communities, all at the tender ages of 25 and 27 respectively. Both OSU engineering graduates, the Cowan siblings hope to help Native American students achieve their dreams in an engineering discipline.
“The college of engineering is exceptional, and we hope our gift illustrates to young people how community-giving fills holes in people’s lives and lifts up entire communities as each individual becomes more productive,” said Cara.
The Cowans are descendants of Old Settlers of the Cherokee Nation who made their home in Oklahoma prior to the Trail of Tears. Cara is also an elected Tribal Council representative for District 7 covering Rogers County.
A recent report issued by Black Issues in Higher Education ranked OSU as the No. 2 producer for all American Indian bachelor degrees combined in the nation with 1,662 American Indian students currently enrolled.
While these numbers illustrate an obvious need, the efforts of the Cowan children continue to give hope to future Native American students and further raise the bar of philanthropy for young alumni.
“When great leaders come along, you try to do everything you can to support them,” said Jovette Dew, Multicultural Engineering Coordinator “It’s people like Brett & Cara who see an unmet need and find a way to leave a dramatic imprint on the hearts of our future minority students.”
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