Taylor Treat, Miss Oklahoma 2009, is senior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Human Relations. During her years at the university Taylor was a four-year member of the OU Pom squad, and was named the 2008-09 Captain. She was an active member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and served as an Executive officer. Taylor was selected to be in the prestigious President’s Leadership Class and been named to the President’s and Dean’s Honor Roll for her scholastic achievement.
In 2005, Taylor graduated with honors from Ada High School. Her senior year she was elected Student Council President. As president, she assisted in implementing service-learning into her school, making Ada the first public school in Oklahoma to require community service hours for graduation. She also produced a nationally recognized teen safe driving program entitled “Project Ignition” that has become an annual event in Ada. Because of the national recognition of “Project Ignition” the school was awarded grants which have allowed Ada High School to continue to implement the program to teach our youth about driving safety.
Taylor began dancing at age 3 at Central Oklahoma Dance Center in Ada, OK. By the age of ten, she had been accepted into OU’s Ballet Youth Program, the Austin Ballet, and the Houston Ballet. Through these experiences Taylor fell in love with dance and has remained committed to mastering her craft. Now at age 21, Taylor has been teaching and doing competition choreography at her former studio for three years. She is very proud of her competitive dancers as this year alone they received 1st place and top overall in all their competitions around the state. In her spare time between school, dance classes, pom practice, and sorority life, Taylor was also the nanny for her three- year- old nephew.
If asked, she will tell you that it was her favorite part of each day. She has played the piano since age 10, was a former member of a singing group, and sometimes confesses that she played the trombone for four years! Two years ago Taylor created an event entitled “Bowling with the Queens”, an event geared towards building positive relationships, and raising money and awareness for Children’s Miracle Network. The event has raised over $4,000 the past two years for CMN, and served over 100 children from the Boys and Girls Club of America with a day of bowling, snacks, prizes, a visit from “Sooner” the OU Mascot, and local title holders or “Queens” from the Miss Oklahoma organization!
As Miss Oklahoma 2009, Taylor looks forward to a full year of promoting her platform, Engaging Students Through Service-Learning. She has high hopes that one day Oklahoma will require Service-Learning in each school, giving children better personal skills, helping them build contacts, and preparing them for a brighter future. She is also very excited to work with Children’s Miracle Network and hopes to continue raising funds and awareness for this great philanthropy. Taylor is the daughter of John and Debra Treat of Ada, Oklahoma. She has three brothers: Jerrad, 35; Preston, 33 and wife Allicyn; and Connor, 19. She is also the very proud aunt of two nephews: Zackary, 5 and Will, 3.
Platform
I am a product of service learning. My name is Taylor Treat, and currently I am Miss Oklahoma 2009. As a sophomore in high school, I became involved in my school’s service learning initiative, a program that was developed at Ada High School through Learn and Serve Oklahoma. Before my involvement with service learning, school was just an everyday necessity that really had no meaning. I made good grades but found no joy in learning. Service learning opened a door for me that ultimately led me to where I am today. From building an award-winning Project Ignition safe driving program for my high school to helping my science club implement a program for the local blood institute, I unknowingly became an active community volunteer. As a college student, I was named to the President’s Leadership Class, made President’s Honor Roll, was named captain of the University’s Pom Squad, and continued my efforts as an active volunteer. Now, seven years later, I am spending an entire year focused on reaching students from over 150 Oklahoma schools to spread the word about service learning. If that isn’t life changing I don’t know what is. I am Miss Oklahoma 2009, and I am a product of Learn and Serve America.You can read Taylor Treat’s testimony on the National Service-Learning website. Go to www.servicelearning.org