Meet Ms. Oklahoma Senior America

Over the years, Roxanne Parks has set many high goals for herself. Becoming a pageant queen in her sixties was never one of them. For the reigning Ms. Oklahoma Senior America, it’s not about the crown and the sash. It’s about embracing opportunities to continue the work she’s been doing for decades, serving and lifting up other women.

A Lifetime of Servant Leadership

Growing up in a family with modest income, Roxanne and her siblings were expected not only to go to college, but also to graduate debt-free. Not realizing there was anything extraordinary about this, Roxanne did it, cheerleading for the Sooners at three Bowl games along the way. She survived a 90% dropout rate to graduate from the petroleum engineering program at OU and broke new ground as one of the first female petroleum engineers in Oklahoma. From there, she pivoted to a successful career in an international marketing business with her husband, speaking and training others all over the world.

Then her life took another turn she didn’t expect: She became a homeschooling mom to her four children. “I thought I could never homeschool because I wasn’t smart enough and wasn’t patient enough,” she says. A homeschooling friend urged her to at least investigate the possibility, and she and her husband realized they were meant to take that path. As her children grew, she paid it forward by founding Winter Summit Ministries, Inc., and led encouraging women’s events for more than fifteen years.

Today, she works as a speaker, author, and life coach. She leads women’s coaching retreats and serves as a corporate chaplain. She’s written two books and twenty Bible plans for the YouVersion Bible App.

Representing Oklahoma with Honor

Roxanne’s journey to become Ms. Oklahoma Senior America took several years. It began when she convinced a widowed friend, an international concert pianist, to enter the pageant. Her friend won and later encouraged a reluctant Roxanne to enter, too. She finished as first runner-up, then hung up her evening gowns and continued her other work.

Covid-19 disrupted the Oklahoma pageant for three years. Pageant officials reached out to several first runners-up during that time, asking them to carry the title for a year. Roxanne was invited to become Ms. Oklahoma Senior America in 2022. “I wasn’t sure how others would respond. I felt a bit embarrassed,” she recalls. “I didn’t even tell anyone at first.” But as the national pageant grew closer, she stepped into her role publicly. In September 2022 she competed at the nationals in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and achieved her goal of finishing in the top ten.

Roxanne is more comfortable without her crown than with it, but she’s learned to see her new role as a gift. “I don’t think of myself as a queen,” she says, “but I’m the daughter of a King.”

Roxanne will pass her crown to the new Ms. Oklahoma Senior America at the 2023 state pageant, which will take place Sunday, April 15, at the Mustang Performing Arts Center. The event is open to the public.

Bringing a Message of Hope

As Ms. Oklahoma Senior America, Roxanne travels all over the state to give back in any way she can, free of charge. “I’m happy to speak and emcee events, but I don’t mind taking out the trash,” she says. “My hope and honor is to serve Oklahoma in any capacity.”

Her title and role as queen dovetails naturally with her other speaking and ministry work. She continues to lead two coaching events for women, a one-day session and an intensive four-day retreat. She’s also working on more YouVersion BibleApp plans. “My goal is to offer a life-giving perspective to anyone,” she says. “I want to give a positive message in a world that is not always encouraging. What I want most is to make a difference in people’s lives.”