Hesci cehocifkvt Ronnie Sands. I was born in Okemah. My dad was full blood Mvskoke, and my mom was half Mvskoke and half Zsa La Gi. We lived on our family land in Castle, Oklahoma. I attended school in Castle elementary from first grade through the eighth playing basketball in the fourth grade through the eighth.
I graduated eighth grade with honors and transferred to Okemah High School. We had three options upon graduation Mason, Boley and Okemah. Lot of my family went to Mason. Boley asked my dad to allow me to go to school there because they had a good basketball program. But my dad had taken me to a football game when I was about the fourth or fifth grade and it really set into my mind with great interest. Therefore, I put my transfer into Okemah Schools to follow a dream.
I made a lot of new friends in Jr. High and High School and played a lot of football along with my lifelong passion of baseball and basketball which I became to enjoy greatly form my younger years. These activities enabled me to become interactive with new people from different backgrounds and different geographical areas. I have a lot of memorable moments and making new friends.
During my senior year, I had not made any thoughts as to any future I had beyond high school. As it turned out a family friend a former Okemah High graduate was on campus doing a recruitment for East Central University of Ada. He had visited me about going to college and furthering my education. I had some outstanding teachers from my first grade to 12th grade years and it didn’t take me long to vision my future.
I knew in my heart and soul I wanted to be able to help young people and due to some great coaches with teaching skills gave me a heartfelt guideline to become someone to help coach young people. So, I was given approval for admission into East Central University (ECU). It was a challenge my first year because I had become a husband and we were expecting our first child.
My first semester was difficult because I did not a place to stay on ECU campus which meant I had to commute during most of my first semester. I found a small two room house in which me and my family lived until I could get a residential married couple home on the campus. She was pregnant at the time and that gave us more of a challenge to be able to get all my homework done and provide for my family.
I eventually got into an apartment in the married student housing on the ECU campus which made it easier being a student. During all these semesters, I learned to balance many things in my life. I had made God first in my life years earlier when I was a kid with my family being next, school and my goals was third. I never left out my love for sports out of my life. I think it was my therapy because I met lots of good people and made many good friends. It taught me many things about Fvtcetv which is honesty, fairness, and accountability. It is during this time I learned Eyasketv which is humility, being concerned with the well-being of others and embrace equality.
My Mecvlke, responsibility became apparent through my dedication to my family values with loyalty and becoming a student to higher learning in diligence and reliability. Throughout my life I have become very appreciative of everyone that has taught me in the classroom through their care and leadership. I have never forgotten their names and how they have impacted me. It saddens every time I hear of one of them passing. But I think of all those lives they touched throughout their careers as they have impacted mine.
As I graduated and had already signed a contract to become an educator at a small school, I reflected on all these things while continuing to grow as a person and in family which included two daughters and eventually a son. It was during this time when my grandparents had passed away and all those during their era was very small in population, a generation gone, and my parents now becoming the elders of my generation. I become mindful and thoughtful of all of them through their knowledge and the things they had passed to me to pass down to my children through Hoporenkv which is knowledge from their learning and experiences.
I eventually had to change my career to work in a factory to give my family a better security and life through a higher paying job. I felt my responsibility was to make sure they had a better chance to get an education in a better school with a better life to prepare them for higher education opportunities. I worked diligently and I felt like it paid off as all three of my children went to higher education institutions and graduated with a degree. One thing I envisioned for them was not to grow up in poverty as I did. It made me proud of each one had goals and have made it successful, but they continue to grow and maintain good working habits with learning as a guide.
It is at this point an old familiar friend shows up in my life and suggest coming to teach at the new and upcoming Tribal College and with the approval of our leadership I was accepted as an adjunct Math instructor. It was during this time I learned a lot about my Mvskoke background which I had not been around for years because of my new beginnings in life, and I learned about Vrakkueckv which is respect. Respect all the things that our tribe had to endure throughout history and what my family ancestors seen during their lifetime.
I was hired a full-time math instructor in July of 2008, and I have learned so much more about our Mvskoke Nation and what it means to Mvskoke from the early days in the Southeast States of Alabama, Georgia, and parts of nearby states. We had to settle here, and we made the most of it through the vision of our leaders and elders. This journey has been a tremendous come true dream. The College of the Muscogee Nation is an institution of learning which would help our Native people. With the respect to other Nations and our Euro-American families, we would become a Tribal School open to all people, one which I am proud to say I am a part.
In conclusion, I had to complete my education by entering the Graduate Program and with the grace of God and many people pushing me and helping me I completed my Master’s in Education in Teaching and soon afterwards I have completed 18 hours of Graduate courses in Master of Mathematics. My journey has completed my dreams of helping my Mvskoke Native people as well as other Nations and cultures. Learning all I could from each of them and with pride I teach what I have learned from those who helped me. Not only in education, but the culture and what it takes to succeed in life.
Mvto to everyone that has been part of my life and on my path toward my destination. Especially the College of the Muscogee Nation, its administration and Board members and Tribal Leaders as well as all my colleagues.
