Robyn Castleberry, director of business and technology programs at Moore Norman Technology Center, recently received the Making It Work Day Spotlight Award from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council.

She was one of 14 Oklahomans honored, along with four businesses and organizations, at the 26th annual Making It Work Day at the Capitol on Feb. 13. Making It Work Day recognizes individuals who are committed to removing barriers to success for single-parent families by providing educational experiences for students beyond the classroom. The presentations were made at a ceremony at the Oklahoma History Center. 

MNTC’s HIRE program falls under Castleberry’s department, and during a gap between coordinators, she stepped in to make sure the program had the support it needed, said Matt Fix, HIRE coordinator, who nominated her for the award. Castleberry trained him when he started in the coordinator position, Fix said.

“The patience and grace that she continually displayed were so appreciated,” he said. “In the past year that I have been in this position, I cannot begin to count how often she has selflessly given her time and attention to help with advice, suggestions or just being willing to listen.”

Castleberry works continually to improve the program’s services and is an advocate for MNTC’s students in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, Fix said.

She truly has made an unbelievable positive impact on the HIRE program as a whole and on our students in helping them achieve their goals.

OkCTEEC is affiliated with the administrative division of the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education. The council advocates for students pursuing nontraditional careers and for resources for educating single parents.

“The mission of OkCTEEC is to increase the awareness of collegiate and technical education by focusing on high expectations and full participation for all students and employees in career and education in Oklahoma. The Making It Work Day Ceremony is held to recognize those individuals, programs and business partners that have worked so hard throughout the year as well as bring a direct awareness to state senators and legislators,” said KayTee Niquette, Work Prep and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families coordinator at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.

She serves as an adviser for OkCTEEC, along with Lisa French of the Department of Human Services and Gina McPherson of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

“Making it Work Day is our annual opportunity to spotlight the investment and hard work that is being done to empower our students who are single parents and most often first-generation students who dream and want to pursue higher education,” said Lisa D. Brown, OkCTEEC president, and director for career transitions at Oklahoma City Community College. “We encourage them to aspire to set goals as never before, take the steps to achieve those goals and then gain the confidence and success of completing those goals.

“Making it Work Day is their red carpet moment to celebrate these successes and to show and not just tell Oklahoma that this program and its funding is well spent and valuable to the lives of these individuals, not for that moment but for a lifetime. I often relate what we do to the story of the butterfly that finally leaves the cocoon being transformed as confident, beautiful, strong and free to soar.”

OkCTEEC’s purposes include promoting and supporting career and technology education, increasing its effectiveness, promoting research in the field and in educational equity, developing leadership and advocating for equity and diversity.

For more information about OkCTEEC, visit okcteec.org. For more information about the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, visit www.okcareertech.org.