The Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County (OIC) has served the OKC community for nearly sixty years, helping individuals overcome employment barriers and find economic stability through affordable education and training. Executive Director DesJean Jones, who has been with OIC for over thirty years, draws from her personal academic challenges to inspire her work. She shared with us the hurdles faced by non-traditional students and how OIC and its partners empower them to recognize their value and achieve their educational and career goals.
Overcoming Stigma and Shame
Jones points out that the widespread notion that high school dropouts result from bad decisions, such as teenage pregnancy or drug use, fails to acknowledge uncontrollable factors at play. Responsibilities like caring for a sick parent or coping with undiagnosed learning issues can drive these decisions. Many adults struggle to return to education due to shame about not finishing school and fear of being judged.
Jones’ own personal journey includes leaving OSU without a degree due to burnout, which led to a 14-year delay in her education, during which she faced various life challenges. It wasn’t until her son turned 14 that she decided to go back to school, ultimately graduating from Langston University in 2010 on the same day her son graduated high school. Realizing that her shame had held her back from potential opportunities, she now shares her story with OIC students to inspire them.
“God let me go through that experience so that I would understand them. I understand sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you planned it. You’re 45 years old and you dropped out of high school because your family needed you. It’s shame that’s making you think it’s too late. I tell them for whatever reason it wasn’t two years ago or five years ago; right now, is the right time.”
Overcoming through OIC
DesJean Jones and her OIC team help students move past shame and reshape their educational experiences. She sees OIC as a safe space for sharing personal stories. “I will hear them take a breath and tell me their story. Because here is sometimes the first place that they’ve been able to say out loud ‘I dropped out.’”
She recalls a 68-year-old grandmother considering a high school equivalency diploma. She was concerned about being 70 by the time she finished. Jones encouraged her, saying, “You’ll be 70 anyway; you can be 70 with a diploma or without one. Which 70-year-old do you want to be?” When she graduated in full cap and gown, she was celebrated by her children, grandchildren and community.
OIC provides comprehensive support to its students, helping them navigate past setbacks, current challenges, and systemic barriers as they pursue their educational and career goals.
Personalized Academic Support
OIC specializes in “gap education,” helping students bridge basic knowledge gaps that hinder their path to higher education or skilled careers. They focus on essential skills like reading and writing, addressing challenges such as undiagnosed learning disabilities. OIC also helps with the college application process, financial aid, and enrollment, particularly for those returning to education after time away.
Supportive Culture
Jones describes the culture at OIC as being “curated to be family-like,” balancing professionalism with support. The staff, including student advocates, offer continuous guidance to students, filling in support gaps they may experience in their lives. DesJean Jones is actively engaged with students, serving as a “professional encourager” who sees their potential, especially when they may not.
Comprehensive Community Partnerships
Understanding that students face immediate challenges like utility bills or housing issues, Jones values OIC’s “intense network of community partners.” This network helps students with external obstacles, ensuring that life doesn’t hinder their educational pursuits.
Employment and Job Readiness
OIC prepares individuals for the workforce by teaching vital soft skills like conflict resolution and time management. They are expanding to include employment specialists to enhance connections with employers and advocating for students with challenging backgrounds in the job market.
How to Connect with OIC
Connect as a Student
The OIC provides various programs for individuals aged 16 and older, focusing on education and career advancement. Offerings include GED preparation, computer training, career exploration, skills training, and life coaching, particularly for justice-involved youth and young adults. Additional services comprise ESL classes, a Business Academy for entrepreneurs, and adult mentoring.
To enroll, individuals can contact OIC to schedule an orientation appointment and complete the necessary enrollment process, which requires a $25 processing fee and specific documentation for most programs.
Connect as a Business/Community Member
OIC also invites individuals, businesses, and community organizations to collaborate in fulfilling its mission. Volunteers are needed as tutors for adult non-readers or as teaching aides. Business leaders can join the OIC Advisory Group focused on employment initiatives or the Board of Directors. Community members can contribute books to OIC’s on-site library to support student literacy as well as donations of computers, office equipment, copy paper, and general office supplies.
