OSU sophomore Brooklyn Hawkins' personal journey inspires her to create nonprofit for pediatric cancer awareness

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Media Contact: Hallie Hart | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | [email protected]

Brooklyn Hawkins immersed herself in a scenic center of activity during the typical Tuesday afternoon rush between classes at Oklahoma State University.

Theta Pond's fountains babbled while a steady stream of students shuffled along the brick path, creating a flurry of sound and motion.

Under the protective shade of lush cypress trees in early September, Hawkins exuberantly led a group of volunteers in violet T-shirts, distributing flyers and spreading the word about a monumental week for her nonprofit organization.

"It's not just me now," Hawkins said. "I have a team of hundreds of people supporting me every single day."

The Spears School of Business sophomore was only 17 when she founded In the Middle of a Miracle, which raises pediatric cancer awareness with a focus on teenagers. In fewer than two years, In the Middle of a Miracle has built a dynamic volunteer network, awarded its first college scholarship and served as the local philanthropy for OSU's Oklahoma Beta chapter of Pi Beta Phi sorority. Hawkins' Spears Business courses and campus connections have helped her channel a deep passion for nonprofit management into a statewide support system for teens.

"That was just a gap that I really wanted to fill because I know being a teenager in a children's hospital can feel very isolating," Hawkins said. "I wanted to let everyone know that I see them, and I have a whole team behind me that wants to make them feel seen and loved."

Before the team assembled with matching apparel, a teenage girl sparked the idea with one cozy purple sweatshirt.

Personal significance

Hawkins wanted to wear something special on April 18, 2023.

Although her busy senior year at Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Oklahoma, had fallen into disarray, she finally had a reason to celebrate. Wanting people to know her for more than her diagnosis, Hawkins didn't put her name or face on the sweatshirt she designed.

Instead, the soft garment displayed a wide-reaching phrase in white capital letters: "IN THE MIDDLE OF A MIRACLE."

"In the medical field in general, there are miraculous things that happen every single day," Hawkins said. "Anybody on the planet can be in the middle of a miracle."

The sweatshirt fit as she rang the bell to signify her cancer was in remission.

About half a year earlier, Hawkins had been seeking clarity about her health. The student who typically stayed busy with soccer and philanthropy was struggling to feel like her active self. Exhausted after school, she crashed for five hours but then lay restless at night. With swollen lymph nodes and stubborn fevers for months, she received several misdiagnoses before realizing the cause of her symptoms on Oct. 7, 2022.

Clarity brought more confusion.

Hawkins had Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare form of cancer typically stemming from a mutation in white blood cells.

First, she underwent chemotherapy. Then she had to return to the hospital for radiation, enduring months of treatment. As Hawkins missed joining her classmates for senior milestones in the fall and winter, she kept asking herself why she was facing these challenges.

"I was about to take that next step into college and gain all of that independence that comes along with that journey," Hawkins said. "So, being put in a children's hospital in a children's setting that's really targeted towards younger children was definitely an eye-opening experience."

Hawkins praised her nurses for treating her like a 17-year-old instead of a young child, but it was difficult to feel like a near-adult in a setting where patients regularly receive fanciful coloring books and sit in pint-sized playroom furniture.

Teenage patients needed to hear from other teenagers.

As Hawkins had this realization, she was also trying to imagine her future. Once an aspiring college soccer player, she started thinking deeper about her other passion: giving back to the community.

"I knew there was a bigger picture," Hawkins said. "I could feel it in my gut. I was just searching for what that looked like."

As a high school student volunteering with multiple organizations that benefit Oklahoma kids, Hawkins envisioned herself someday creating a nonprofit. Perhaps it would happen when she was 30 or 40.

After ringing the bell as a newly cancer-free 17-year-old, Hawkins changed her perspective. The spirited teenager immediately had an urge to be active again.

"Just having my battle where there were so many times I wasn't able to do a lot of the things that I wanted to do," Hawkins said. "I just jumped at the opportunity as much as I could because it was something I used to take for granted."

When Hawkins received a flood of community requests for her custom shirts in violet, the cancer ribbon color for Hodgkin lymphoma, she had a bold idea. What if she pursued her career goal before starting college or even receiving her high school diploma?

Hours of research commenced, and on May 5, 2023, she spread the word.

In the Middle of a Miracle was launching.

Building blocks

Hawkins knew she belonged at OSU.

Since she wasn't playing soccer at a small college, she saw Stillwater as the place to nurture her ultimate dream. Spears Business offers a management degree with a business sustainability and nonprofit concentration, making her choice easy.

Although Hawkins arrived on campus as the founder and director of a nonprofit, she had yet to realize the depth and breadth of classroom lessons that would enhance her skills. Now, she understands how different aspects of her business education link like a puzzle. This year, she added marketing as a second major, knowing it can help her boost In the Middle of a Miracle's social media presence.

"It's been really cool to see the way I can apply things from my classes into my nonprofit work," Hawkins said. "I see all the behind the scenes for my nonprofit every single day, but seeing how other nonprofits work and studying how they market and how they reach their target audiences has been something that has helped me.

"Over the past year, you can just see it through how much the organization has grown. It's helped me and my team be able to target our audience better and fill that gap better."

Although In the Middle of a Miracle's programs support kids of all ages, Hawkins put teenagers at the front and center because she saw a need. Pediatric cancer awareness campaigns often focus on young children. Hawkins said she wants to provide a voice for teens.

In the Middle of a Miracle does this in numerous ways. Hawkins leads a teen board of about 45 volunteers in grades eight-12, allowing hospital patients to receive support from peers in their age range. Parker Wheeler, a teen board member and senior at Edmond Memorial High School in Oklahoma, can relate to the teenagers he serves. After spending two years in a hospital because of hemophilia and autoimmune diseases, he understands the value of In the Middle of a Miracle.

"It really resonated with me deeply," Wheeler said. "I love their mission of teens helping teens."

Some steps are small and meaningful, like decorating Oklahoma Children's Hospital for the holidays and filling gift bags with items that appeal to teens. Others, like In the Middle of a Miracle's application-based scholarship program for cancer survivors, have potential to be life-changing.

Establishing a scholarship was one of Hawkins' early goals for her organization because she knows the difficulties that persist for teenagers after cancer treatment.

"You have to make a lot of decisions about your future," Hawkins said. "Financially, that can be really intimidating when you're going through super-intense treatments, and that can take away a lot of opportunities."

This spring, Oklahoma City Community College student Rylie Tran received the inaugural In the Middle of a Miracle scholarship, bringing Hawkins' goal to fruition.

To raise these funds, In the Middle of a Miracle offers merchandise sales and philanthropy events throughout the year. Hawkins stays busy as a full-time student juggling multiple roles with her nonprofit, but she remembers a lesson from her entrepreneurship course with Richard Gajan, a Spears Business associate professor of professional practice.

To build a business or nonprofit from the ground up, he advised, you have to maintain passion for it. If you lose your passion, then it won't work.

When Hawkins began to feel overwhelmed, the OSU community helped her rekindle that passion.

Brooklyn Hawkins dreamed of founding a nonprofit, but she didn't expect it to happen before she started college at OSU. (Courtesy of Brooklyn Hawkins)

'A lifetime journey'

As a college freshman, Hawkins returned from winter break unsure if she could continue In the Middle of a Miracle.

She was grieving the loss of a family member, and it was difficult to run a nonprofit as the lone leader of her teen board. Then her Pi Beta Phi sorority sisters surprised her.

They had selected In the Middle of a Miracle as the chapter's local philanthropy. Now, Hawkins has a larger team to amplify her mission, and she can delegate duties among executive board members. Cadance Burke, an OSU freshman who manages In the Middle of a Miracle's website, has followed Hawkins' journey since they attended Carl Albert together.

"Brooklyn is one of the most driven, passionate people I've ever met," Burke said. "She really gives her all to everyone else, so she loves to see people thrive and loves to give back. That's what makes her perfect for the role."

Hawkins' bubbly personality shone as she greeted students beside Theta Pond during her In the Middle of a Miracle tabling event in September. It was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, so Pi Beta Phi organized a slate of fundraising events culminating in a Friday pickleball tournament. After a week of promotion, students flocked to the Colvin Recreation Center to play the popular sport while supporting In the Middle of a Miracle.

Although Hawkins lives in Stillwater, her efforts don't stop there. In the Middle of a Miracle has partnered with Oklahoma high schools, including Carl Albert and Norman, for philanthropy events. The 19-year-old nonprofit founder is thinking ahead to 2025, brainstorming ideas such as an In the Middle of a Miracle newsletter allowing people to share their personal miracles.

"We want to paint the state purple," Hawkins said.

For Hawkins, that phrase signifies much more than the Hodgkin lymphoma ribbon color. In the Middle of a Miracle's purple shirts unify pediatric cancer patients, regardless of their form of the condition, to show that they aren't alone.

"I've seen firsthand that your journey with cancer, especially when you hit it in your younger years, it never ends," Hawkins said. "It's a lifetime journey, so that's how it is for everyone, but especially for teenagers.

"Those are the prime years of your life. You're discovering yourself. You're figuring out who you are, making those big life decisions. It's super important to make sure that they know they're supported throughout their future journeys."

With the shirts she designed surrounding her on OSU's campus, Brooklyn Hawkins knows.

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