Joshua Cleary, a producer for OSUMAX living in Stillwater.

My relationship with Oklahoma State is deeply rooted, my mom moved to Stillwater in her teenage years with her family and sister and attended Stillwater High School, graduating alongside Cowboys like Josh and Matt Holiday. That's when my family's Cowboy roots were set, so years and three kids later, I applied for Oklahoma State my junior year as an early applicant from Mount St. Mary High School in Oklahoma City.

I was accepted into the Sports Media program, following my heart and pursuing my dreams of being a creative director one day. Before my time at Oklahoma State, I had already begun working as a freelance photographer and content producer in Oklahoma City, operating my own business "JRC Media LLC" all over the Dallas-Wichita area for my final two years of high school.

Over those two years and for the three years since, I have engaged in deep and thoughtful conversations with Oklahoma's best educators, coaches, film directors, and leaders, continuing to fuel my fire and be a sponge, learning patiently.

Still, as a full-time high school student participating in our musical theatre program as a lead for three years, serving in my church community, and a pitcher in our baseball program, I generated $60,000 in my final two years for my business, constantly reinvesting in my gear and tools.

When arriving on campus in the wake of COVID, in the summer of 2020, I began work with the O'Colly as a photographer shooting every event afforded to me, taking no opportunity for granted. That hard work in the first semester earned me the title of Photo Editor and a spot on the editorial board as a freshman, something advisor John Helsley made sure I knew was a first and a responsibility not to be taken lightly.

Taking one day at a time I buckled in for a semester I couldn't have imagined and opportunities that have pushed me to keep being who I am.

Capturing the story of an incredible ice-storm that kept students frozen in their dorms after the break (making for plenty of fun ping pong however), sporting a bright orange "O'COLLY - TRUST IN YOUR VISION" hoodie to document Cade Cunningham's 40-point dominant performance in Norman, operating in a position of leadership while going through breaking the retirement of Mr. Hargis and eventually capping my semester and time as a student at Oklahoma State off inside the room where Dr. Shrum was officially voted and announced President.

As that first year of college was experienced and my business continued to grow, I was blessed with another opportunity. As a result of previous work in the AAU and the prep-basketball sector as a freelancer, former OU basketball player Buddy Hield reached out in hopes of having someone tell his story.

Using the resources I was given and the skills I sharpened throughout my life, I created a proposal and pitch deck for Hield in the span of 2 nights, then drove to Dallas from my dorm room in Bennett Hall, meeting this NBA star in a local restaurant downtown for negotiations and left 45 minutes later with a 4-month contract with Hield.

After agreeing, I thoughtfully began discerning whether continuing my education through an institution was the best path for me. I was in love with the community and family Oklahoma State had surrounded me with; the values of tradition and hard work instilled in me by my family & the institution continue to mold me into who I am.

Eventually, I decided to move on from the university and continue educating myself through my work and other resources. But all the while after more networking, physical, emotional, and spiritual growth, and 2 years of travel between Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, the Bahamas, and the many other places I called home, Stillwater never left my heart. The values and lessons I learned in this small town were more valuable than any NBA workout or celebrity I was blessed to work with. The years of molding me into who I was that took place in this special state and town fueled me to give back, leading me to look into pursuing full-time work in Stillwater with the experience I have now.

Being blessed with the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the people who shape the University's story, vision, and culture, I wanted to share with you just the surface of the story of my life and how OSU and Stillwater have become home to me.