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ORU student named Mentor of the Year by Tulsa mayor
By Sara Rozalina Krstevski ('12)
Coming from war-torn Liberia, Frankie Miamen, a senior at Oral Roberts University, was recently named Mentor of the Year by Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett. Besides working on graduating this May with a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Miamen's volunteer efforts with an ORU Outreach program Man to Man have been recognized.
"We tutor middle school football players at McClain in North Tulsa. We do this to
give back to the community," Miamen said. "Having grown up in the inner city, I want
to be there to empower, encourage and help them realize their full potential as students."
Miamen was born in Liberia during a time of civil war. Having had the experience to
live in refugee camps, he knows that it is only by the grace of God that his family
was able to move to the U.S.
"At McClain, lot of students don't have a father figure, and they have no one to motivate them do to their work," Miamen said. "They need to realize that doing the work will let them play the sports, because if they're not eligible school-wise they can't get a sport scholarship."
Coming back from Christmas break, Miamen finds out that he has been nominated for Mentor of the Year.
"I come back and find out that Dexter Sullivan, the founder of Man to Man, referred me to the Mayor, and it came as a complete surprise," Miamen said. "I'm 22 years old and sitting with all the nominees at the Mayor's Mentoring Breakfast, I noticed that I was by far the youngest person there. This just shows that no matter what age, you are you can still impact lives."
Miamen credits ORU to helping him do what he does with the kids at McClain.
"The life lessons you learn as being a student here are important," Miamen said. "I can take those lessons and apply it to the students at McClain, and I can show them that they can go to college as well."
Miamen's inspiration also draws from his family and future aspirations.
"Growing up education was stressed by my parents, and we are all striving to potentially go back home and help the people back in Liberia," Miamen said. "Right after school, I want to go into sports management either with the NBA or NFL. In the end, it's about giving back."