Passion for Leadership

By Dollie Elliott

After one conversation with Lee Bird, vice president of student affairs at Oklahoma State University, Jeana Wilson knew she had chosen the right major — business management in the Spears School of Business.

The 20-year-old sophomore from Stroud, Okla., has a natural talent for connecting with people and bringing out the best in others.

“Dr. Bird and I were speaking about my career goals when I told her I was still a little unsure about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do,” Wilson says. “After I told her about the things I enjoy doing, she gave me the idea of doing professional development. When she explained what that entailed, I felt it definitely fit with what I like to do on multiple levels.

“I knew that working with people, helping them develop their talents, and never having the same day twice are all aspects of a career that I would love to have.”

If the conversation with Bird didn’t confirm what she wanted to do, taking Don Herrmann’s Financial Accounting class did. “It’s a class that has challenged me and given me a respect for the subject. Accounting doesn’t come natural to me like management and marketing does,” she says. “The management classes and leadership roles I’ve taken on campus have shown me that I’ve picked the right major. I really enjoy working with people on a daily basis. Personal interaction is important to me.”

Taking on roles with the Business Student Council, the Spears Ambassadors, the OSU Student Alumni Board, the Scholar Leaders and the President’s Leadership Council definitely gives Wilson the opportunity to practice her leadership and management skills.

If such roles help hone her leadership skills, a weekly mac and cheese night with friends helps her connect with her people.

“Mac-and-cheese night started the first week of school my sophomore year. At about 9 o’clock every Wednesday, we get together to talk about our week, our future plans, upcoming tests, really anything and everything,” Wilson says. “It started with three people, and it has recently grown to 10 people.

“We chose mac-and-cheese because it’s the ultimate comfort food, something that everyone enjoys, and it’s cheap,” she says. “There aren’t a lot of things in my life where I can just wing it, but I can do that with cooking. It just works for me. It has always allowed me to be creative and inventive.”

Her passion for cooking started the summer after her freshman year of high school.

“I baked cupcakes all summer. I baked so much that my mom had me start delivering cupcakes to places around town,” Wilson says. “It kind of became my community service project for the summer. I would bake 24 cupcakes and fill them with various flavors of jellies or fruit and top them off with different icings, then take them to the hospital, clinics or different businesses to show my appreciation for them.

“The next summer, it turned into cooking, and my mom always says that was the best summer ever because she never had to cook. I would try to make everything from scratch, and it became a de-stressor for me,” says Wilson, who was destined to attend OSU from birth. Her parents, Chris and Beth Wilson, met as OSU students and later married at Theta Pond.

Wilson also has a part-time job as a student worker in the Center for Advanced Leadership and Engagement at the Spears School. 

“I help students apply for study abroad programs, obtain their visas and passports and make sure they are enrolled in the correct courses so we can make sure things runs smoothly once they are abroad,” Wilson says.

“I have a strong interest and passion for travel. After working in the CAGLE office, I realize how much I want to go on every trip they offer. I am fascinated by the different cultures, and it amazes me how close in proximity some countries can be yet their cultures are so diverse,” she says. “Working in CAGLE has shown me how much I really love traveling, and helping students realize their dreams of traveling abroad is very rewarding.

“This previous summer, I actually traveled to Spain and Portugal for two weeks. I love the Spanish culture. They are so relaxed and just love being surrounded by people. The way they gather at the table and take two or more hours to eat lunch and dinner is so different from here,” she says. “Everything is about enjoying other people. Like our mac-and-cheese nights, the Spanish use food to connect with people.”

Wilson says some of her favorite classes are her Fundamentals of Management class taught by Ryan Greenbaum and Marketing taught by James Mason.

“Mr. Greenbaum and Dr. Mason are very engaging. The have a talent for getting students to ask questions and actively participate in class discussions,” she says.

Wilson is an executive board member of Business Student Council and a Spears Ambassador. “I really enjoy being able to work with members of both organizations,” she says. “Each organization allows me the opportunity take on leadership roles and share my love of Spears and OSU.”

She also enjoys her role as a facilitator for the President’s Leadership Council, a scholarship and leadership program for outstanding incoming freshmen that teaches the importance of leadership and serving throughout life. As a facilitator, she attends class with the freshmen twice a week taught by Ethical Leadership Center Director Stephen Haseley and former OSU President Jim Halligan.

“One of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had is being a peer mentor for the Spears Scholar Leaders. Last year, Darcy Worth was my mentor in the program, and she was phenomenal,” Wilson says. “She was always there to answer questions and offer guidance, helping me learn from our experiences.

“Now I’m a peer mentor and being able to be in that role for other students has been so rewarding. I get to pour into them what she poured into me. It’s inspired me to continue that in everything I do. Helping people develop is something I’m passionate about and truly love doing. I feel like the experiences I’ve had inside and outside the classroom have really prepared me for my career but have also led me on the path where I feel more comfortable, which is helping people develop and achieve their own dreams and aspirations.”