NSU’s Rogers recognized by Keep Oklahoma Beautiful

BROKEN ARROW, Okla.  —Julia Rogers, Assistant Director of Facilities at Northeastern State University Broken Arrow, was recently named an Affiliate Champion at the Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Environmental Excellence Awards.

During her membership with Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful, Rogers has received two Keep Oklahoma Beautiful environmental beautification grants through the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, helped promote a new citizen and city communication app, promoted and helped organize the Broken Arrow Rose Festival and most recently has taken an elevated role in planning for the Broken Arrow Gardens at Central Park.

“We are proud to have members of the NSU family who invest so much time and talent into their university and their surrounding communities,” NSU President Rodney Hanley said.

Rogers’ work on the NSU-Broken Arrow campus focuses not only on the beautification and upkeep of the campus grounds but also on providing education and strengthening community partnerships.

“Through the grants, I have worked to beautify the landscape on the NSU-Broken Arrow campus and educate campus visitors about the importance of pollinators, oak trees and native plants,” Rogers said. “I have also organized and fostered the partnership with the local organization, A New Leaf, which simultaneously benefits the community and clients.”

In 2021 NSU-Broken Arrow partnered with the local nonprofit A New Leaf to make the campus a community job site for their clients. The Broken Arrow-based organization’s mission is to provide job training, life skills and residential services to individuals with developmental disabilities and autism to promote their independent living and self-sufficiency.

Members of A New Leaf assist with work on the Broken Arrow campus grounds and learn on-the-job skills that make it possible for them to make a living and live independently.

Rogers said there are ways for everyone to be involved when it comes to making their state and community more beautiful.

“My advice would be to find something that makes you happy or that motivates you and then look for ways to incorporate that into state and community beautification projects,” Rogers said. “If you look for ways to keep your community and state beautiful by doing something you love, you have a wonderful time doing it and you benefit your state or community as you work. Then it doesn't feel like work.”

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