The Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature has passed a joint resolution honoring the late Ofelia “Ofe” Chavoya, a recent Rogers State University graduate who was recognized as a public servant and honorable distinguished delegate.
Among her many accomplishments, Chavoya served as a senator to OIL during her time as an RSU student. She died in a car accident on May 31, just a few weeks after becoming the first in her family to graduate from college when she earned her bachelor’s degree in public administration.
The organization will be making a $1,000 donation in her memory to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a cause that was near to her heart.
The joint resolution also renamed the OIL philanthropy competition to the “Ofelia Chavoya Public Service Award.”
OIL Governor Gabrielle Hosek said, “She was one of those people who brought a presence. A beautiful, sassy, woman who was amazing and became more amazing as you met her. She left such an impact in a short amount of her time. With more time, the amount of things she would have accomplished would have been unfathomable to me. She had the heart of a true public servant. I am very proud of what she has done to help OIL and to help the state of Oklahoma.”
OIL is a student-run mock government that replicates all three branches of the state government of Oklahoma. Now in its fiftieth year, OIL provides students from institutions of higher learning across the state an opportunity to write, debate, and pass legislation about the issues they believe are important. Besides the mock legislature, OIL also contains a mock executive branch, moot court, and press corp. The organization is open to all students interested in politics, law, or government process.
For more information regarding the organization or the competition, visit okoil.org.