Jabar Shumate knew from an early age that he would work in public service.

At 8 years old, Shumate became the president of the usher board at his church. He ran for student body president each year at Booker T. Washington High School, represented Couch Center residents his freshman year at OU and became UOSA vice president and president during his last two years in college.

Now, Shumate puts the skills he learned at OU into practice in his first year representing his home district in Tulsa in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

"I've just always believed that you should get involved wherever you are," Shumate said. "Public service truly is the price that you pay for the space that you occupy."

THE OU YEARS

Shumate said he had to choose between OU and Howard University when he graduated from high school in 1994. He said he decided to attend OU when it announced the selection of its new president, David L. Boren. Shumate said Boren, then a U.S. senator, later became his mentor.

"He and his wife, Mrs. Boren, had a profound effect," Shumate said.

Once he arrived at OU, Shumate quickly took on leadership roles. He became president of Couch Center and led a successful effort to keep the underused residence hall open. He ran for UOSA vice president as a freshman, and though he lost, he said the experience helped him later when he became UOSA vice president as a junior and president as a senior.

"What I got from the University of Oklahoma was experience beyond my imagination," Shumate said.

Boren said he saw Shumate learn and grow during his time as a UOSA officer. That kind of background is important for students who want to go into public service, Boren said.

"What is learned in trying to provide leadership while you are still a student at [OU] becomes invaluable later on," he said.

During Shumate's tenure as UOSA president, OU celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher case, which marked the beginning of racial integration at OU. Shumate said the alignment of the two events was very meaningful.

"Fifty years from that point, I served as student body president," he said. "I think that is a large statement for our university and a large statement for our state and our nation."

Shumate said he only regrets that the time he spent in leadership roles kept him from becoming the student he could be.

"I didn't graduate magna cum laude, I didn't graduate summa cum laude, I graduated thank-the-Lordy," he said.

Still, he said he wouldn't trade his experiences at OU for anything.

"I wouldn't change one minute of it," he said.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

After college, Shumate spent several years working for OU. He was Boren's press secretary until he decided to become more involved in state politics.

"I never left [OU], really, until this opportunity to serve in the legislature," he said.

Shumate signed on three years ago with Rep. Judy Eason McIntyre's campaign for the seat he now holds. He served as youth coordinator, recruiting students to canvass neighborhoods in the Tulsa district.

Eason McIntyre said Shumate was easy to work with, personable, focused and eager to learn.

"My first test to him was to secure kind of a profile of the district," she said. "The next time we met, he had that."

Shumate said he learned how to run a campaign in House District 73 from Eason McIntyre. When she left the House seat at the end of her term to begin a successful campaign for a state Senate seat, Shumate decided to run for the legislature.

His campaign against an experienced Tulsa politician seemed like a long shot, Shumate said. He and his team raised about $40,000, but the money wasn't the biggest factor in his election.

"What we didn't have in money, we made up in work," Shumate said.

Eason McIntyre said Shumate's win pushed him into a new arena.

"There's a difference between being an observer and making those tough decisions, but he has made a wonderful adjustment," she said.

LEGISLATIVE BEGINNINGS

Shumate said he wants to focus on education during his first term. He represents a low-income district in Tulsa with mostly failing schools, a problem he said must be addressed.

"The great equalizer in this country is a solid education," he said. "If we can give you those good skills, then we can ensure that in America you can enjoy the dreams that every person should be able to enjoy."

Bipartisanship is necessary to accomplish his goals, said Shumate, who is a Democrat.

"It's not about partisanship, it's about relationships," he said. "That's how you get things done."

Shumate said he saw this firsthand when he worked for past U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts in Washington during his OU years.

"He treated me with so much respect, coming from a different political party than him," Shumate said.

On one issue, though, Shumate said he becomes very partisan.

"I'm Sooner-born and Sooner-bred first," he said.

Shumate said fellow legislators sometimes tease him and fellow Rep. Jeff Hickman, also a recent OU graduate and former press secretary serving his first term in the legislature, about their intense loyalty to their alma mater.

Shumate said the large group of first-year representatives this term feels a sense of camaraderie, both within the group and with the rest of the legislators.

He said he and Rep. Jerry Shoemake sometimes laugh about mix-ups that occur because their last names sound so similar.

"They call us 'Big Shoe' and 'Little Shoe,'" he said. "Together, we represent the best pair of shoes in the state House."

Rep. Wade Rosselout, a first-year representative with Shumate, said he enjoys working with the OU graduate both inside and outside of the Capitol.

"My daughter is 8 years old, and she has fallen in love with him," Rosselout said. "He has become a very close friend and, to me, a member of my family."

Rosselout said he appreciates Shumate's straightforward manner and openness.

"He's not afraid to stand up for his district and is a prudent voter," he said. "I've always been able to confide in him on any issue."

'A RISING STAR'

Friends and colleagues said they think Shumate could have a long and successful career in politics.

"I really think that he has a very bright political future before him in the state," Boren said. "It wouldn't surprise me at all to see him hold statewide or federal office in the future."

Eason McIntyre said Shumate could go far in the political field.

"He's politically savvy, and I look for him to be truly a rising star," she said.

While Shumate said he won't rule out the possibility of future campaigns, he doesn't feel the decision is entirely up to him. A devout Christian, Shumate said he will listen for God's call to move on in politics.

"I believe that God, my creator, allowed for me to be at the right place at the right time and have the right kind of support," he said.

Shumate said he credits the help of his parents, friends, mentors and colleagues for much of his success. In turn, those people said it's Shumate's devotion to public service that got him so far.

Boren said he is glad to see this kind of devotion in OU graduates.

"It makes me feel really good to see OU students feeling a sense of responsibility for giving back," he said.
hello there & you too