‘I Am WT’ Podcast Highlights Current Magister Optimus, Enyonam Osei-Hwere

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s top professor for 2022-23 is in the spotlight in the newest episode of the “I Am WT” podcast.

Dr. Enyonam Osei-Hwere, associate professor of media communication, speaks with “I Am WT” hosts Tearanee’ Lockhart and Brae Foust in the latest episode, available Feb. 9 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud, as well as at wtamu.edu/IAmWTPodcast.

Osei-Hwere was named Magister Optimus, the highest honor for a WT faculty member, during August’s fall convocation ceremonies.

In the episode, Osei-Hwere talks about her upbringing in Ghana, her journey to WT and how her experiences have determined her philosophy of life.

“One of the things that informs my life is the idea of paying it forward, the idea that when someone is good to you and takes care of you, then you pay it forward and take care of somebody else and help somebody else and open doors for other people,” Osei-Hwere said. “When I have that opportunity, I want to extend that to other people.”

Osei-Hwere, a 15-year veteran faculty member, recently returned from her a third Study Abroad trip to Cape Town, South Africa. On previous trips, she, her students and other accompanying faculty members have provided invaluable support for fledgling entrepreneurs and provided athletic equipment for a school lacking those resources. On her third trip, which took place in November, Osei-Hwere and the Department of Communication collaborated with the Department of Agricultural Sciences. About 20 students representing 11 majors built community gardens, developed media/marketing projects that will benefit surrounding communities, and provided new books for children through Amarillo nonprofit Storybridge.

The Magister Optimus winner is voted on by the Faculty Senate and must have taught at WT for at least six consecutive years.

In the podcast’s biweekly episodes, student hosts Lockhart, a senior advertising/PR major from Amarillo, and Foust, an Amarillo native pursuing his second bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, interview WT faculty, staff, students and alumni about what WT means to them.

Audiences hear stories about how attending or working at WT changed the lives of the guests, and how they’re making a difference in their community.

The idea for the podcast first was broached during a meeting of the leadership committee of WT’s historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign.

The “I Am WT” podcast embodies WT’s commitment to people first, one of the key principles of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $115 million.