ADA, Okla. – East Central University’s Director of Global Education, Dr. Mara Sukholutskaya, and ECU student, Madison Hawkins, took part in the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers’ Association (OFLTA) Fall Conference, Sept. 26 in Shawnee, Okla.

Since 1958, OFLTA has led the Oklahoma world language teaching community through professional development, collaboration and advocacy.

Sukholutskaya presented a paper entitled “Linguistic and Cultural Potential of Incorporating Folk Art and Crafts in a World Language Classroom”.

Hawkins, an ECU Math Education Senior, was awarded the Nancy Boles Memorial Scholarship to attend the Conference. This scholarship was founded by the Executive Board of the OFLTA in 2025 in honor of Nancy Boles

Boles was an OFLTA student-member and a senior at Oklahoma State University majoring in French education, passed away unexpectedly in March 2004. This scholarship was established in her name to help other college students attend OFLTA professional development opportunities.

Hawkins is currently enrolled in ECU’s Advanced Russian course. She is also President of the Dobro Slovo National Honors Society.

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