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Oklahoma Senate
First student from Oklahoma School for the Blind pages at State Capitol
Aubry Weatherly is a freshman at the Oklahoma School for the Blind in Muskogee. Last week, she had the opportunity to spend four days at the State Capitol serving as a Senate page – the first student from her school to do so. She paged for Sen. Earl Garrison who represents Muskogee County where the school is located.
“Aubry is a bright young lady whose presence was a blessing to everyone who had the fortune to meet or work with her,” said Garrison, D-Muskogee. “I admire her and greatly appreciated her positive attitude and work ethic. She’s a shining example of what one can accomplish in life regardless of a disability. She was an inspiration to all of us but mostly to the other pages, who told me repeatedly how they enjoyed getting to know her and enjoyed accompanying her on errands. I want to wish her all the best in what I know will be a very successful future.”
Garrison hopes that that more students from the Oklahoma School for the Blind will be able to page in the future now that Aubry has set an example.
Aubry was accompanied during the week by her mother Tammy.
“It was such an honor for Aubry to be a part of the legislative process. She had a great time, learned a lot and made some new friends,” said Tammy. “I hope more students from her school are afforded the opportunity to page in the future. It was an incredible learning experience.”
In her spare time, sixteen-year-old Aubry enjoys singing, playing music and reading among other things. She plays the alto saxophone in the school’s jazz band, sings in the school choir and also plays the piano and guitar. Aubry wants to major in music in college.
“I was so excited when I found out that I had been chosen to page. It was a fun experience. I learned a lot about the legislature that I didn’t know before just because as pages we got to attend committee meetings and be on the Senate floor and listen to debate,” said Aubry. “Everyone at the Senate and the other pages were so nice. I’m happy that I got to participate in the program and would love to come back and do it again when I’m a senior.”
The Weatherly’s live in Sen. Don Barrington’s district in Lawton. He presented Aubry with an Oklahoma flag as a token of his appreciation for her service to the state.
“Every year we get to meet outstanding students from all across the state through the page program and this year was no exception. Aubry is an incredibly talented musician and student, and I enjoyed getting to meet her and visit with her throughout the week,” said Barrington, R-Lawton.
In order for Aubry to attend the School for the Blind in Muskogee, she is picked up by a school bus on Sunday afternoons, transported to Muskogee where she lives in a school dorm room throughout the week, and is then brought back home to Lawton on Thursday evenings.
“It was such a pleasure meeting and getting to know Aubry. She chose the perfect time to page since last week was one of the busiest weeks of the session,” said Sen. Randy Bass, D-Lawton. “She was a great help and we appreciated her hard work. I’m looking forward to hearing great things about her in the future.”
