Where are they now?
MHS grad dedicated to helping children
Carol Brimm
Tim Boatmun, a 1984 MHS graduate, has spent his career helping children adjust to change. Whether a child is moving into foster care, transitioning into a new way of thinking after suffering severe trauma and abuse, or celebrating life by moving on to college, Boatmun has been there to help them cope and succeed. He first became interested in working with children while attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Okla.
“I was doing volunteer work at Youth Services and I saw what those kids went through when they were still just kids. The idea of spending my life around amazing people who overcome and survive tremendous challenges was important to me,” Boatmun said.
Boatmun graduated from SOSU in 1988 with a double major in psychology and sociology before moving to New York City to attend NYU on a scholarship. While attending NYU, Boatmun spent a year working at the North Side Center for Child Development in Harlem, NY and later worked at the world’s largest homeless shelter, “The Door” in SoHo, NY. Boatmun said living in NYC was amazing because every culture and language was represented there.
“There was an energy on the street,” Boatmun said. “You were never alone there.”
Boatmun earned a Masters in Applied Psychology from NYU in 1990 and spent the next ten years working as a therapist in various youth projects and youth services programs. He was the Director of Residential Programs for Tulsa Youth Services’ Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter and a consultant at the Tulsa campus of the University of Oklahoma. He was the second person to become a Certified Sexual Abuse Trainer for the State of Oklahoma and served as the first Victims of Crime Coordinator with Bryant County Youth Services before returning to SOSU in 2000.
Boatmun was recently honored for his work at SOSU as the Director of the SOSU Academic Advising and Outreach Center. He was one of 10 recipients of the 2007 “Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award” for his work with first-year students and the impact he has had on students and the culture of SOSU.
“This is an outstanding honor for not only Tim but the entire University,” said SOSU Interim President Jesse Snowden. “The Academic Advising Center continues to play a key role in assisting our students as they work to accomplish their goals.”
For Boatmun, his work at SOSU is simply a continuation of the work he has done to help children for the past 20 years.
“In all my jobs I’ve helped people and kids adjust to change,” Boatmun said. “College is not the 13th grade. Students need to know how to make decisions and adjust to a new environment. What I’m doing now is very similar to the work I did helping kids move into foster care or transition into a new way of thinking.”
Boatmun said working with kids who have gone through trauma can be mentally challenging and he feels his job at SOSU lets him work and get paid for it.
“Many of the students at SOSU are from lower income families and this job lets me help celebrate the lives of these kids who have faced incredible challenges,” Boatmun said. “It is a privilege to work with our students on a daily basis.”
Boatmun says many of the skills he learned from Ms. Fredericks in FBLA at Mustang High School have helped him succeed on a number of levels in his career.
“The skills I learned in FBLA were invaluable especially public speaking skills,” Boatmun said.
Boatmun spent much of his youth hanging out with friends, Jake Brown and Todd Finemore, who are still his best friends and says he was in attendance at Pastor McNabb’s first sermon at Mustang Assembly of God and “there were about 50 people there”.
“I remember when they put in the Sonic,” Boatmun said. “It was the first fast food in town and I thought we were in the big time.”
Boatmun is the son of Bob and Carlene Boatmun and his sisters Carrie Lynn Wright and Terri Gene Cain both still live in Mustang. He is married to Dr. Charla Hall, Chair of Behavioral Sciences at SOSU and they have a six-year-old daughter, Abigal who he says is “Perfect!” Boatmun said he comes back to visit Mustang about once a month and although change is inevitable it makes him sad to drive through town because it’s become hard to recognize now.
“I feel fortunate to have grown up in a town made me feel safe and secure and a school that provided me with a great foundation,” Boatmun said. “For me, many of the people I love the most are in Mustang and I have fond memories of it.”
MHS grad dedicated to helping children
Carol Brimm
Tim Boatmun, a 1984 MHS graduate, has spent his career helping children adjust to change. Whether a child is moving into foster care, transitioning into a new way of thinking after suffering severe trauma and abuse, or celebrating life by moving on to college, Boatmun has been there to help them cope and succeed. He first became interested in working with children while attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Okla.
“I was doing volunteer work at Youth Services and I saw what those kids went through when they were still just kids. The idea of spending my life around amazing people who overcome and survive tremendous challenges was important to me,” Boatmun said.
Boatmun graduated from SOSU in 1988 with a double major in psychology and sociology before moving to New York City to attend NYU on a scholarship. While attending NYU, Boatmun spent a year working at the North Side Center for Child Development in Harlem, NY and later worked at the world’s largest homeless shelter, “The Door” in SoHo, NY. Boatmun said living in NYC was amazing because every culture and language was represented there.
“There was an energy on the street,” Boatmun said. “You were never alone there.”
Boatmun earned a Masters in Applied Psychology from NYU in 1990 and spent the next ten years working as a therapist in various youth projects and youth services programs. He was the Director of Residential Programs for Tulsa Youth Services’ Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter and a consultant at the Tulsa campus of the University of Oklahoma. He was the second person to become a Certified Sexual Abuse Trainer for the State of Oklahoma and served as the first Victims of Crime Coordinator with Bryant County Youth Services before returning to SOSU in 2000.
Boatmun was recently honored for his work at SOSU as the Director of the SOSU Academic Advising and Outreach Center. He was one of 10 recipients of the 2007 “Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award” for his work with first-year students and the impact he has had on students and the culture of SOSU.
“This is an outstanding honor for not only Tim but the entire University,” said SOSU Interim President Jesse Snowden. “The Academic Advising Center continues to play a key role in assisting our students as they work to accomplish their goals.”
For Boatmun, his work at SOSU is simply a continuation of the work he has done to help children for the past 20 years.
“In all my jobs I’ve helped people and kids adjust to change,” Boatmun said. “College is not the 13th grade. Students need to know how to make decisions and adjust to a new environment. What I’m doing now is very similar to the work I did helping kids move into foster care or transition into a new way of thinking.”
Boatmun said working with kids who have gone through trauma can be mentally challenging and he feels his job at SOSU lets him work and get paid for it.
“Many of the students at SOSU are from lower income families and this job lets me help celebrate the lives of these kids who have faced incredible challenges,” Boatmun said. “It is a privilege to work with our students on a daily basis.”
Boatmun says many of the skills he learned from Ms. Fredericks in FBLA at Mustang High School have helped him succeed on a number of levels in his career.
“The skills I learned in FBLA were invaluable especially public speaking skills,” Boatmun said.
Boatmun spent much of his youth hanging out with friends, Jake Brown and Todd Finemore, who are still his best friends and says he was in attendance at Pastor McNabb’s first sermon at Mustang Assembly of God and “there were about 50 people there”.
“I remember when they put in the Sonic,” Boatmun said. “It was the first fast food in town and I thought we were in the big time.”
Boatmun is the son of Bob and Carlene Boatmun and his sisters Carrie Lynn Wright and Terri Gene Cain both still live in Mustang. He is married to Dr. Charla Hall, Chair of Behavioral Sciences at SOSU and they have a six-year-old daughter, Abigal who he says is “Perfect!” Boatmun said he comes back to visit Mustang about once a month and although change is inevitable it makes him sad to drive through town because it’s become hard to recognize now.
“I feel fortunate to have grown up in a town made me feel safe and secure and a school that provided me with a great foundation,” Boatmun said. “For me, many of the people I love the most are in Mustang and I have fond memories of it.”
1 comments
As a former foster child, I wanted to say: Thank you so much for sharing this story.
Not many people are aware of the Harvard/Casey study that showed that foster children suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at a rate twice that of Vietnam war veterans:
http://fostercareattachment.blogspot.com/2007/01/former-foster-children-and-post.html
Nor do they know about Foster Care Alumni of America, a relatively new national organization for former foster children (now adults) and child welfare professionals who share our mission: www.fostercarealumni.org
Thanks to the information that you shared, I now plan to contact Tim Boatnum and invite him to join FCAA and share his insights on a national level.
Lisa
http://sunshinegirlonarainyday.blogspot.com/
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