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Student Success, Liberal Arts

UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies Alumna Honored for Academic Excellence

Oct. 13, 2025

Four UCO faculty and staff members wearing graduation regalia at a commencement ceremony.

The University of Central Oklahoma Jackson College of Graduate Studies (JCGS) awarded the 2025 E.C. Hall Outstanding Graduate Student Award for spring/summer 2025 to Central alumna Masheli Samanta Bully. This award is presented to one graduate student each semester following graduation.

Bully, a dedicated scholar, artist and advocate for Indigenous representation in academia and media, completed her Master of Arts in English with a strong academic record and a body of work grounded in Indigenous literary theory and cultural reclamation.

She was nominated by the College of Liberal Arts as its spring/summer 2025 E.C. Hall Scholar and was selected for the overall university award by the JCGS Graduate Council.

“The Jackson College of Graduate Studies sends heartfelt congratulations to Masheli for her scholarship, art and advocacy," said Sarah Gordon, Ph.D., dean of the JCGS.

"We are proud of her accomplishments and hard work chronicling the resilience of the Choctaw people. We also send our congratulations to all the nominees for the E.C. Hall award for this semester."

During her time at UCO, Bully completed a semester-long multimodal research project on Indigenous mass communication, focusing on the Choctaw Nation's newspaper Biskinik. Her work combined archival research, oral history interviews and digital media, culminating in a newspaper-style presentation that chronicled the survival and cultural resilience of the Choctaw people.

"My time at UCO was filled with growth and exploration. I'm deeply grateful to the faculty who supported my research, the peers who encouraged my voice and the communities that continue to inspire my work every day," Bully said.

"Receiving this award is not only a recognition of my academic journey but a celebration of the stories, traditions and resilience of Indigenous communities that I've been honored to uplift in my work."

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Bully served as treasurer for the English Graduate Organization, regularly supported peer events and was recognized as a Registered Visual Artist with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. She now helps students explore academic and career opportunities across the reservation.

Bully's name will be displayed on a plaque in the Graduate College office in the Nigh University Center and listed on the JCGS website as the spring/summer 2025 award recipient.

For more information about the Jackson College of Graduate Studies, call 405-974-3494 or visit www.uco.edu/graduate.

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Cutline: The University of Central Oklahoma's Jackson College of Graduate Studies has awarded the 2025 E.C. Hall Outstanding Graduate Student Award for spring/summer 2025 to Central alumna Masheli Samanta Bully. Pictured, left to right, Kate Huber, Ph.D., professor of English; Bully from Calera, Oklahoma; Laura Bolf-Beliveau, Ph.D., professor of English; and, Brian J. Twenter, Ph.D., assistant professor of English.

Ebony Houston

Ebony Houston

Marketing and Design Specialist, UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies

 

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About University of Central Oklahoma

The University of Central Oklahoma is a campus community in motion—leading, innovating and creating transformative learning opportunities that foster success for our students. As Oklahoma’s largest metropolitan university, we provide high-quality, nationally recognized programs that are always evolving and adapting to the needs of our students and the community. This commitment is rooted in our founding in 1890 as the state’s teacher’s college, training those who would educate the next generation of leaders and innovators. We remain dedicated to offering an accessible, affordable education, earning national accolades for social mobility, veterans’ outreach and first-generation student programs.

Guided by the motto “ubi motus est” – which translates to “where movement is” – the university continues to evolve and grow, offering 119 undergraduate and 81 graduate programs to our more than 12,000 students from our main campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, and facilities throughout the Oklahoma City metro. Our colors were the first adopted of any university in the state, and our Bronze and Blue symbolize our greatest strengths—the illumination of new ideas and the endless expanse of a clear sky above. At UCO, anything is possible.

The university is governed by the Regional University System of Oklahoma Board of Regents and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

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