Three Oklahoma high school valedictorians are Osage and looking forward to college in the fall.
Zowie Miles and Brooke Bighorse, respectively the Pawhuska and Sequoyah high school valedictorians, both graduated with weighted grade point averages above 4.0 thanks to taking college-level classes, and both intend to pursue college degrees that will lay the foundation for a career in medicine.
Miles, daughter of Jamie Miles who works for the Osage Nation Wah-Zha-Zhe Health Clinic, is heading for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., to study biology and from there hopes to become a doctor specializing in either psychiatry or anesthesiology.
Bighorse, of Stilwell and the daughter of Mark and Clara Bighorse is Osage, Cherokee and Seneca-Cayuga, told the Cherokee Phoenix that she is headed to the University of Oklahoma to major in health, medicine and society and minor in Native American Studies, after which she wants to work in rural medicine.
Both women excelled in sports as well as academics in high school. Miles was on the track and softball teams and cheered while also serving as class president for three years. Bighorse was on the golf team and was vice president of the National Honor Society and was active in several clubs and groups, including the Cherokee National Youth Choir.
August Holding was the valedictorian for Hominy High School and graduated with a weighted grade point average above 4.0 after earning 18 hours in college classes. He ran track and played basketball for the Hominy Bucks all four years of high school and his track relay team were Regional Champs for 2023 and qualified for the state track meet. A member of the National Honor Society, he served as his class president his senior year and in the fall will attend the University of Oklahoma and major in accounting and business.
Holding is the son of Jennifer and Christian Holding, the grandson of Homer Holding, Sherri and Dan Plummer, and the late Joyce Fields.
