Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma 2010-2011
Ms Wheelchair Oklahoma 2010-2011 is Samantha Moreno. She was crowned on October 31, 2009. Congratulations!
Other Information:
She is very proud of her younger sister, Heather Moreno. She has spinal Muscular Atrophy ( a form of Muscular Dystrophy).
She is very proud of her younger sister, Heather Moreno. She has spinal Muscular Atrophy ( a form of Muscular Dystrophy).
Five Words that Describe Samantha:
-Considerate
-Sociable
-Diligent
-Resilient
-Humorous
-Considerate
-Sociable
-Diligent
-Resilient
-Humorous
Birthdate: 1/15/1983
Ambition/Goals: Wants to be useful. Recently graduated with a degree in Human Services Counseling. Wants to assist individuals with impairments in the journey to independence by education and empowerment. Interested in starting a Power Soccer team for Oklahoma.
Achievements:
-MDA Poster Child
-Phi Theta Kappa
-Psi-Chi
-Roteract
-Human Resource Club
-Student Rehabilitation Association
-Student Honor Court
-ADA Committee
-CIRCAW Peer Educator
-Richard E. Baumgartner Scholarship recipient
-Who's Who Among College students
-Counseling Spirit Award
-As of August 11th 2009, East Central University has a group for students with disabilities! It is beyond fun and fulfilling. Wherever you are, get together! One person can make a difference, a group can change the world.
-MDA Poster Child
-Phi Theta Kappa
-Psi-Chi
-Roteract
-Human Resource Club
-Student Rehabilitation Association
-Student Honor Court
-ADA Committee
-CIRCAW Peer Educator
-Richard E. Baumgartner Scholarship recipient
-Who's Who Among College students
-Counseling Spirit Award
-As of August 11th 2009, East Central University has a group for students with disabilities! It is beyond fun and fulfilling. Wherever you are, get together! One person can make a difference, a group can change the world.
Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma 2010-2011 pageant
Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma 2010-2011 visits the IDEA Part B Panel
Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma 2010-2011 marches for Civil Rights
Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma 2010-2011 celebrates her birthday
Samantha is featured in the Ardmorite
5 things to know about Samantha Moreno
By Phil Banker, Staff Writer The Daily Ardmoreite Posted Dec 27, 2009 @ 09:38 PM
The 26-year-old Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma grew up in Marietta and went to East Central University in Ada after graduating from Marietta High School in 2001. She said she never faced any prejudice from her classmates, thanks to her mom.
“I haven’t always been big on advocating for myself, so my mom advocated for me,” she said. “She was always at the school making sure we got a fair chance.”
2) She never let
muscular
dystrophy
stop her
Moreno was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy called spinal muscular atrophy. She hasn’t let that stop her from accomplishing her goals or having a positive outlook on life.
She said that she’s more comfortable with her body and who she is now than ever before.
“I’m a fairly positive person,” she said. “I just have to be more resourceful to do the things I want to do.”
3) She won
the title
on Oct. 31
Moreno was chosen from a large group of representatives from towns and communities across the state. As Miss Wheelchair Ada, Moreno said winning was an honor, but not the end-all be-all of accomplishments.
“We were all really supportive of each other and happy to be there,” she said. “It didn’t really matter to us who won.”
She said the contestants were judged on how well they advocated for themselves and their communities.
“I had to pick back through and see what all I did that was useful for the competition,” Moreno said. “I’m not big on talking about myself.”
4) She plans
to promote
the organization
Moreno plans to work with the Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma organization during her reign to increase its popularity and promote its events and advocacy.
“We’re trying to build it up here in Oklahoma,” she said. “We haven’t really done a lot with it over the years, and we’re trying to get it going again.”
In addition to helping out with several events, she will also be involved in choosing the next Miss Wheelchair Ada.
5) Oklahoma
is where she
wants to be
The ECU grad student plans to earn her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and work in Oklahoma, helping other disabled people find their own paths towards independence.
“A lot of it comes from me having to go through the rehab process myself,” Moreno said.
She said she plans to keep her talents right here in Oklahoma.
“There’s a lot of work here that needs to be done as far as advocacy goes,” she said.
Samantha in the Ada newpaper!
Published: November 16, 2009 10:55 am
ECU's Samantha Moreno crowned Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma
ADA — Samantha Moreno of Marietta, a graduate student at East Central University, has been crowned Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma and will compete in the national competition for Ms. Wheelchair America next summer in Long Beach, Calif.
She was crowned in Tahlequah and will hold the state title until the fall of 2011. During her reign, Moreno will travel across the state, visit advocacy groups, conduct interviews and raise awareness about the need to eliminate architectural and perceptual barriers.
The Ms. Wheelchair programs provide an opportunity for women of achievement who happen to be wheelchair users to educate and advocate for the more than 52 million Americans living with disabilities. The national competition is based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation to select the most accomplished and articulate spokeswoman for persons with disabilities.
“My slogan is ‘Employment Equals Independence’ – how important it is for people with impairments to be employed, or to seek employment,” Moreno said. “I will raise awareness that people with impairments can be independent.
“My thing is pushing employment. That is a big part of making yourself independent.”
Moreno, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at 18 months, said she has always known she would go to college.
“Those were my goals – to go to school and get a job,” she said.
She didn’t know where she would go to college until an ECU recruiter visited her high school in Marietta.
“He talked about how ECU was one of the first (schools in the state) in accessibility (for students with impairments). That sounded pretty good,” she explained. “Then I took a tour of the ECU campus. It was really pretty. It was this time of the year. Everyone was really nice.
“ECU is big enough to meet people and small enough not to get lost,” she added. “It was pretty much perfect.”
Moreno actually graduated from Murray State College before coming to ECU in 2004. Last May she completed a bachelor’s degree in human services counseling and now is working toward a master’s degree in human resources/rehabilitation counseling. She wants to help people with impairments become independent through education and empowerment.
Moreno said she was encouraged to apply for Ms. Wheelchair Ada by a friend who was the previous Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma. Oklahoma is the only state that has city titles in addition to the state title, Moreno said, which helps increase awareness of the organization. Other state cities represented are Norman, Shawnee, Stillwater, Tahlequah and Tulsa.
The program also crowned a Junior Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma for girls age14 to 20 and a Little Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma for youngsters age 5 to 13.
For the state competition, Moreno was interviewed three times by three judges. They asked for her definition of advocacy and the kinds of advocacy she does in her community. She gave her platform speech and, after the scores were tallied, she was the winner.
“It was pretty special,” she said.
Part of her duties will be to find another Ms. Wheelchair Ada to replace her. Applicants must be between age 21 and 60, United States citizens and residents of Oklahoma for at least six months. They must use wheelchairs 100 percent of the time in public.
Women in the Ada area can apply online at www.mswheelchairoklahoma.org.
Most of the organization’s activities have been held in the eastern part of the state but Moreno hopes to plan some events in Ada to get people in the western half more involved.
She also needs to raise about $1,500 to get her to the national competition in California.
At ECU, Moreno helped start the Black Thread Society, a new group of about eight students with physical impairments. Her sister Heather, an ECU student who also has spinal muscular atrophy, came up with the name after a friend wrote a paper describing how some families once dealt with babies born with physical disabilities.
A family who did not want, or could not care for, such a baby would tie a black thread around the baby’s wrist or ankle and abandon the baby on the street. Anyone who came along and saw the black thread would know to leave the baby there, Moreno said.
“It was a symbol of the unwanted,” she said. “We really liked the name because of the history. We still have a lot of work to do, but we’ve come a long way from that.”
During Disability Awareness Month in October, the Black Thread Society blindfolded participants and conducted a Blind Walk to give them an opportunity to experience navigating the ECU campus as persons with visual impairments.
“Some people don’t like to associate with people with impairments,” Moreno said. “We’re not like a crybaby group. We actually do things. We have a lot of fun.”
She has been a Muscular Dystrophy Association Poster Child and a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society, Psi Chi international honor society in psychology, Rotaract, the Human Resources Club, Student Rehabilitation Association, ECU Honor Court and the Americans with Disabilities Act Committee.
She also is a peer educator for CIRCAW, a student group that promotes nonviolent attitudes and behaviors that respect and protect women and men on the ECU campus. She is a recipient of the Richard E. Baumgartner Scholarship and the Counseling Spirit Award and has also been listed in “Who’s Who Among College Students.”
Moreno is the daughter of Jim and Bethany Moreno of Marietta.
ECU's Samantha Moreno crowned Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma
ADA — Samantha Moreno of Marietta, a graduate student at East Central University, has been crowned Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma and will compete in the national competition for Ms. Wheelchair America next summer in Long Beach, Calif.
She was crowned in Tahlequah and will hold the state title until the fall of 2011. During her reign, Moreno will travel across the state, visit advocacy groups, conduct interviews and raise awareness about the need to eliminate architectural and perceptual barriers.
The Ms. Wheelchair programs provide an opportunity for women of achievement who happen to be wheelchair users to educate and advocate for the more than 52 million Americans living with disabilities. The national competition is based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation to select the most accomplished and articulate spokeswoman for persons with disabilities.
“My slogan is ‘Employment Equals Independence’ – how important it is for people with impairments to be employed, or to seek employment,” Moreno said. “I will raise awareness that people with impairments can be independent.
“My thing is pushing employment. That is a big part of making yourself independent.”
Moreno, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at 18 months, said she has always known she would go to college.
“Those were my goals – to go to school and get a job,” she said.
She didn’t know where she would go to college until an ECU recruiter visited her high school in Marietta.
“He talked about how ECU was one of the first (schools in the state) in accessibility (for students with impairments). That sounded pretty good,” she explained. “Then I took a tour of the ECU campus. It was really pretty. It was this time of the year. Everyone was really nice.
“ECU is big enough to meet people and small enough not to get lost,” she added. “It was pretty much perfect.”
Moreno actually graduated from Murray State College before coming to ECU in 2004. Last May she completed a bachelor’s degree in human services counseling and now is working toward a master’s degree in human resources/rehabilitation counseling. She wants to help people with impairments become independent through education and empowerment.
Moreno said she was encouraged to apply for Ms. Wheelchair Ada by a friend who was the previous Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma. Oklahoma is the only state that has city titles in addition to the state title, Moreno said, which helps increase awareness of the organization. Other state cities represented are Norman, Shawnee, Stillwater, Tahlequah and Tulsa.
The program also crowned a Junior Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma for girls age14 to 20 and a Little Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma for youngsters age 5 to 13.
For the state competition, Moreno was interviewed three times by three judges. They asked for her definition of advocacy and the kinds of advocacy she does in her community. She gave her platform speech and, after the scores were tallied, she was the winner.
“It was pretty special,” she said.
Part of her duties will be to find another Ms. Wheelchair Ada to replace her. Applicants must be between age 21 and 60, United States citizens and residents of Oklahoma for at least six months. They must use wheelchairs 100 percent of the time in public.
Women in the Ada area can apply online at www.mswheelchairoklahoma.org.
Most of the organization’s activities have been held in the eastern part of the state but Moreno hopes to plan some events in Ada to get people in the western half more involved.
She also needs to raise about $1,500 to get her to the national competition in California.
At ECU, Moreno helped start the Black Thread Society, a new group of about eight students with physical impairments. Her sister Heather, an ECU student who also has spinal muscular atrophy, came up with the name after a friend wrote a paper describing how some families once dealt with babies born with physical disabilities.
A family who did not want, or could not care for, such a baby would tie a black thread around the baby’s wrist or ankle and abandon the baby on the street. Anyone who came along and saw the black thread would know to leave the baby there, Moreno said.
“It was a symbol of the unwanted,” she said. “We really liked the name because of the history. We still have a lot of work to do, but we’ve come a long way from that.”
During Disability Awareness Month in October, the Black Thread Society blindfolded participants and conducted a Blind Walk to give them an opportunity to experience navigating the ECU campus as persons with visual impairments.
“Some people don’t like to associate with people with impairments,” Moreno said. “We’re not like a crybaby group. We actually do things. We have a lot of fun.”
She has been a Muscular Dystrophy Association Poster Child and a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society, Psi Chi international honor society in psychology, Rotaract, the Human Resources Club, Student Rehabilitation Association, ECU Honor Court and the Americans with Disabilities Act Committee.
She also is a peer educator for CIRCAW, a student group that promotes nonviolent attitudes and behaviors that respect and protect women and men on the ECU campus. She is a recipient of the Richard E. Baumgartner Scholarship and the Counseling Spirit Award and has also been listed in “Who’s Who Among College Students.”
Moreno is the daughter of Jim and Bethany Moreno of Marietta.
Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma - Valentines Dinner/Presented with Recognition certificate from Mayor of Tahlequah
April 27th, 2010 - ADA, Oklahoma cook-off
Please leave a message for Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma, Samantha Moreno. Thank you!
