Davis Cochran

 Davis Cochran - Oklahoma
Interview by Claire Plath
Nomination by Amy Cochran
Photography by Brittany Stover Photography
Issue 34 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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​The Nomination: Davis Cochran is a graduate of Norman High School in Norman, OK and a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation. Davis will be headed to Colorado School of Mines this Fall to study Mechanical Engineering. Davis enjoyed being a member of the Academic Team at NHS and earned an All State medal each year culminating with being named a member of the All-State team his senior year. Davis always take the time to be kind, from tutoring a friend in AP Calculus the entire school year to buying the milk for our church's food pantry each week.

Photography by Brittany Stover Photography

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​What is the academic team that you were involved in at NHS, and how did it affect your high school career and what you want to accomplish in the future?
The academic team at Norman High School is a quiz bowl style competition team made up of students from 9th through 12th grades. Anyone can be on the team who has an interest in any of the topics that we compete with, such as: Math, Humanities, Science, History, etc. A senior member of the team approached me and invited me to come to a practice my freshman year. After seeing the practice, I decided that I want to join the team and I’ve been hooked ever since. Being on the academic team affected me in many ways. First, it was a great way to meet new people who I might not have met any other way. It also encouraged me to broaden my horizons in relation to what I chose to study and learn about. Lastly, the time spent practicing and competing with this group of people really bonded us together and we formed lasting friendships that I hold dear. I feel that my experiences with the academic team helped to shape what I want to study in college, which is Mechanical Engineering. It also really gave me confidence to push myself and apply to a school like Colorado School of Mines where I will be attending in the Fall.

Photography by Brittany Stover Photography

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​What are some accomplishments you have achieved through being so involved in your academics throughout high school?
Being so heavily involved in my academics throughout high school really shaped me into who I am today. I accomplished many things during this time. Having good grades and a high GPA was one of my top goals and I was able to achieve that through a lot of hard work and perseverance. Also, I was named as a member of the National Honor Society for my entire high school career. As a member of the Chickasaw Nation, I’m also proud to have been named to the Oklahoma Native American Student Honor Society all four years as well. Both my freshman and sophomore years, I was named to the All State Froshmore Academic Team. That was a huge honor and I didn’t expect to get it my freshman year. I ended my senior year with being chosen as a member of the All State Academic Team. Being chosen for that really meant a lot to me. Additionally, I was named as an Oklahoma Academic Scholar. I have also been named as an AP Scholar with Distinction, which is nice because I really enjoyed all the AP classes I took in high school. I’m very thankful for the opportunities and awards I have been given through the past four years. Focusing on academics has been incredibly rewarding for me and led me to follow my passion for learning.

Tell me about the challenges you have faced through having ADHD, and the ways you have overcome them throughout school.
Although having ADHD can be quite challenging and makes school harder than it needs to be, it does not make school impossible. I was diagnosed with ADHD in the first grade, and that was the start of my journey with this disability. During my elementary years it was exceedingly difficult to find a medication that worked and develop coping mechanisms while dealing with the side effects of the medication. For the most part, I still did well academically, although I struggled with certain subjects from time to time. Socially, I began to separate from my peers because I was emotionally immature and hyperactive. In middle school, we were able to finally find a medication that would help me focus without the awful side effects like weight loss and depression. I feel that I was successful in middle school due to the right medication as well as getting the support of an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). Having an IEP gave me the support of extra time to complete tests and take my tests in a quiet place. I worked hard and made a 4.0 GPA during all three years of middle school. My social life was a bit of a roller coaster, but I eventually found a group of friends that accepted me. During my four years of high school, I took many honors and AP courses which was quite a challenge for someone with ADHD. I quickly found out it wasn’t as easy to make A’s as it was in middle school. I was fortunate to have some amazing teachers who became mentors to me, and it made all the difference in the world to have that type of support. My Chemistry teacher was also my academic team coach and Mr. Powell took me under his wing right off from my freshman year. He really challenged me academically and socially. I also had a wonderful Physics teacher who also coached the Robotics team, Mr. Askey. He also really took the time to get to know me and provide a safe place for me to grow. I will say that high school can be a difficult place for those with disabilities, but with the support of great teachers it makes the whole experience so much better.

Photography by Brittany Stover Photography

​How have you given back to your community through your church or your school?
I have enjoyed giving back to my community by being involved in my church youth group. My youth group regularly volunteers at various food banks. I started volunteering my time in middle school and quickly realized how rewarding it is to feel like you are making a difference and really helping others. I went on several mission trips out of our state, but the only local trip was to a small town after a large wildfire. We went there for three days and we repaired trailer homes that had been damaged by the fires. It really made me feel good to know that I was helping to restore the homes of the less fortunate. This past senior school year, I took the volunteer position of purchasing and stocking the milk for my church’s food pantry each week. This was not an overly difficult job, but it was super rewarding to feel like I had a small part in providing something meaningful to the many needy people who rely on the food pantry each week. Through my school, I had the opportunity to be a member of the Link Crew which was a program that helped integrate freshmen into our high school. We were partnered with another member of the crew and given a small group of freshmen to mentor. At the beginning of the school year, we would gather the day before school started to help the freshman with their orientation. We would also check on them from time to time and see if they needed any kind of help with school. We also volunteered our time at certain activities like parent/teacher conferences or local school carnivals. It was fun to get to know the other kids in the program while helping others. Lastly, I had such a good experience in high school volunteering that I definitely know that I would like to continue to find volunteer opportunities in college.

What advice would you give to other teens to inspire them to achieve their dreams, and how they can overcome challenges they’ve faced?
When it comes to achieving your dreams, I would say don’t ever limit yourself. No matter where you come from or what obstacles are in your way, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. I think the most important thing to remember is to set goals for yourself and work through them one at a time. Don’t try to do everything at once because that can be very overwhelming, and you might give up. I also think it’s really important to reflect on what you want in your future and not what other people around you want. It’s easy as a teen to want to please your friends and family, but it’s really important to understand yourself and what you really want to get out of life in the future. We also tend to get caught up in the here and now, but we need to be thinking ahead. As far as overcoming challenges, I think having a strong support system is crucial. This does not necessarily have to be your family, but it’s great if it can be. You can also find wonderful support and mentorship through your teachers, coaches, clergy, and peers. I think all teens need to have someone they can go to who will listen to them and provide guidance. It’s also important to set small goals for yourself when you are faced with a challenge. This will help you to know that you can still reach your dreams even when things seem difficult. Nothing is ever impossible.

Photography by Amy Cochran

​Who do you find inspiring?
I find my great great grandfather to be the most inspiring to me. He was a Chickasaw Indian and he grew up in the Chickasaw Nation here in Oklahoma. He attended an Indian boarding school and was highly intelligent and hard working. When he was graduating high school, he and some of his peers were taken from their families and put on a train headed to Vanderbilt University in Nashville. When they got there the citizens were lined up to see the “wild Indians” arrive. I guess they were surprised to see young men in suits get off the train. The young men had to attend a boarding school in the neighboring town where they could be taught Latin as it was a requirement to attend Vanderbilt at that time. The following year my great great grandfather started college at Vanderbilt. He ended up having to leave due to illness and moved across the country to California to finish his degree at Stanford. He also ended up earning a law degree as well. Then, he came back to Oklahoma to practice law. He ended up serving as a county judge and helped build the law school at the University of Oklahoma. My great great grandfather is such an inspiration to me because he overcame so many things in his life. He was highly intelligent and worked hard to achieve great things. From the time that I was little, my Mom made sure that I knew his story and respected my Chickasaw heritage. I am a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation and I only hope that I can represent our tribe in a way that would make him proud.

Davis will be featured in issue 34 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

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