ADA, Okla. – East Central University (ECU) alumna Katie Cowger is set to be honored at ECU’s Alumni Gala Dinner and Dance, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. in the ECU Foundation Hall, located inside the Chickasaw Business and Conference Center.
Cowger is a 2022 graduate of ECU, where she earned two Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in English and Native American Studies. She would go on to earn her Master of Arts (M.A.) in English (Rhetoric and Writing Studies) from the University of Oklahoma in 2024.
“ECU is very special to me and to know that I’m representing the university well feels like a small way to reciprocate everything that ECU's faculty and my peers gave me,” said Cowger. “So, I feel incredibly gracious, and I hope my mentors feel recognized for their role in my success.”
During her time at ECU, Cowger was a member of the ECU Honors Program and a distinguished student-athlete with ECU’s cross country and track and field rosters.
“The close mentorship of faculty and peer support that I received at ECU gave me the critical skills necessary to succeed in graduate school,” she said, “particularly through my experiences in the Honors Program, as a student-athlete, and doing independent research and internships with brilliant faculty. I was literally, as a cross country and track runner, and metaphorically able to chase goals that were thrillingly intimidating, with incredible support and mentorship along the way.”
Cowger said her experiences at ECU continue to influence her as she pursues her education and career.
“My mentors at ECU are role models that I hold in high regard in this introspective time,” she said. “Looking back at my time at ECU, it’s so clear how the goals that my faculty mentors and friends helped me plant as seeds are now growing to fruition throughout different seasons of my life.”
Cowger recently published her first peer-reviewed academic article in “Communication & Sport.” She has also recently had work published in “Writers: Craft & Context,” with additional work in “Communication Design Quarterly” forthcoming.
Cowger is currently a third-year Ph.D. student studying rhetoric and writing at the University of Oklahoma (OU). She holds a graduate certificate in Native American Studies. Additionally, Cowger serves OU’s First-Year Composition Program as an Assistant Director and a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She will also teach an upper-level undergraduate seminar on the rhetoric of lands, bodies and materialities.
In the future, Cowger hopes to pursue a tenure-track position in English. Regardless of where her career takes her, she plans to continue working with community stories and writings in some capacity.
To purchase tickets for ECU’s Alumni Gala Dinner and Dance, visit ecok.edu/alumni/homecoming/gala.php or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@ecok.edu or at 580-559-5651. Advanced tickets are recommended.
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