Your Impact

On game days, you may have seen him – cheering from the end zone, firing a shotgun after touchdowns, sporting long brunette locks and a Cherokee Nation patch on his “reds.”

Dakota Page, a University of Oklahoma RUF/NEK and an architecture junior, always saw himself being a part of the Sooner family one day.

“When I was young, I knew I wanted to eventually end up at OU,” Page said. “My dad played football here in the early ‘90s. He was also a mascot – Top Daug – and I saw the good time he had. [I made my college decisions independently,] but knew I eventually wanted to end up at OU.”

After graduating high school in the middle of 2020, Page initially enrolled at the University of Central Oklahoma before transferring to OU in his sophomore year.

“I’m from a pretty small high school in a pretty small town,” Page said. “UCO was a big jump for me, and with online classes, I never found my niche. At OU, I went to a career fair, and in the very back corner was a RUF/NEK booth. It was the most awkward experience to just put myself out there, but everything worked out, and it’s been a blast.”

In his time with OU Spirit, he’s experienced some unique OU moments, including two Heisman statue unveilings and the hiring of a new head football coach. His senior year is sure to be memorable as OU moves to the Southeastern Conference.

While heavily associated with football, Page and his fellow RUF/NEKs also support and appear at other OU athletic events like basketball, volleyball and soccer games. They are also active in volunteering and community work.

That part – community – is very important to Page. It is a thread stitched into his childhood, which he spent learning Cherokee and participating in Cherokee camp competitions with other tribal members, and it is a thread that he continues to weave into his OU experience through his campus involvement.

“People always ask, ‘What’s your favorite part of game day?’ and I could say the shotguns or the Schooner and ponies, but mine really is the Fan Fest, taking photos with the fans and talking with them,” Page said.

Community is a thread he intends to continue carrying through his future work in architecture.

“As a Cherokee, I have tried to better myself and live as my ancestors once did by upholding traditions and sustaining the culture,” Page said. “I would love to one day be able to write an architectural book in my native Cherokee language and have it published. This would help provide a pillar of education in the field for future generations of Cherokee architects.”

In the summer of 2023, Page interned with Tulsa firm CJC Architects, working on commercial projects, and just recently, in October 2023, he was accepted into OU’s Master of Architecture program.

The University of Oklahoma is proud to announce a transformational $6 million gift from Oklahoma entrepreneurs and philanthropists Leo Mingee and Lauren Von Mingee, who have generously established a scholarship for first-generation students at the Price College of Business.

The Leo Mingee and Lauren Von Mingee First-Generation Business Scholars Fund will provide significant resources for business majors who are the first in their families to attend college, offering the kind of support that allows students to find their career callings without experiencing financial strain. The new fund is the largest scholarship endowment dedicated to supporting first-generation students at OU.

“The Mingees’ remarkable generosity provides our students with both tremendous financial support and the invaluable affirmation that someone believes in their potential,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Lauren’s personal story shows future and present generations of entrepreneurs that it’s possible to make a difference for your community at any stage of your career, no matter your background, and that generosity is as valuable an asset as business acumen. Price College’s first-generation students will be inspired by her journey and thrive with her support.”

Lauren Von Mingee is the owner and founder of Quintessa Marketing, a company that matches personal injury attorneys to clients. While her company is now tremendously successful, Lauren did not begin her career with much guidance and instead relied on her passion, determination, and hard work to achieve her entrepreneurial dreams.

The Leo Mingee and Lauren Von Mingee First-Generation Business Scholars Fund reflects Leo and Lauren’s desires to share their own stories and support students who are forging their own paths through higher education. Eligible students will be able to receive the scholarship during all four years of their undergraduate experience at OU.

“I built Quintessa without a degree, but I know education changes lives. Today, we’re creating opportunities that will echo through generations,” said Lauren Von Mingee. “Our mission is to eliminate financial barriers to as many students as possible and allow them to dream bigger than they ever imagined.”

The family’s gift is part of the university’s broader Lead On campaign, which seeks to raise $500 million for student support. Contributions like the Mingees’ gift play a critical role in reaching and surpassing ambitious goals like this one. To date, donors have cumulatively contributed $327 million toward student support, a sum that will allow countless current and future students to experience an exceptional OU education.

The gift also fits into the Mingees’ expansive entrepreneurial and philanthropic ethos, which has driven them to donate 50% of their company’s profits to charity and to advocate for equal opportunity employment. These principles are reflected in Leo and Lauren’s vision for the scholarship, which will academically empower students, leave them with a profound sense of community responsibility and entrepreneurial spirit, and help them learn from Leo and Lauren’s journey to success.