OKLAHOMA CITY – A proud Chickasaw citizen who has devoted his life and career to assisting at-risk youth was honored with a prestigious national award citing his passion and stellar career.
Marc Byles received the coveted Ellis Island Honor Society Beacon Award recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to the fabric of American society through leadership, philanthropy and service.
According to the Ellis Island Honor Society website the award cites, “young men and women who have shown exceptional abilities, vision, and achievement in their professional careers and personal passions. The most important criterion is they are living and working in America with the goal of making the world a more equitable, compassionate and humane place.”
Byles received the award in Manhattan, New York, this January. The honor strengthened Byles’ resolve to earn his master’s degree and continue working with at-risk youth and adolescents to give them a boost in life.
Byles graduated from Tishomingo High School in 2011 and earned an associate degree in occupational therapy from Murray State College in 2020. He credits the accomplishment to participation in the Chickasaw Nation School-to-Work Program.
In May 2024, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work from East Central University (ECU) in Ada, Oklahoma.
During Byles’ undergraduate program, he interned with HealthCorps, a nonprofit organization founded by television physician and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz.
He was approached to join HealthCorps for an internship by Tai Avery, regional program manager at HealthCorps based in Oklahoma City. Previously, Avery was an advisory board member at the University of Oklahoma (OU) Stephenson Cancer Center.
“HealthCorps focuses on empowering teens to build resilience in their physical, mental and emotional health, particularly in communities affected by health disparities,” Byles explained.
“Through this role, I worked with at-risk teens in the Oklahoma City metro area, guiding them in navigating challenging topics such as grief, acceptance and change. I also helped them overcome mental health barriers, develop leadership skills and improve their overall well-being.”
Working with HealthCorps ignited a passion in Byles to devote his career to at-risk youth.
"We worked with Pivot Youth Services and Sisu Youth Services, all located in Oklahoma City. We mentored a lot of troubled teens. Some who had been through homelessness, drug abuse, gang violence and other life-altering factors,” Byles said.
“ASTEC (Advanced Science and Technology Education) Charter School, where the demographic is primarily Latino youth, was another challenging and rewarding experience I faced. Some of the disparities that I noticed were socioeconomic in nature as well as the influence of gang activities in the area.”
Byles said it was his privilege to assist all the at-risk students in various aspects of their lives. A lot of his focus was dedicated to older teens about to age out of the various programs.
He helped students recognize resources they were unaware were available to them, such as food stamps, vouchers to allow them to live independently, and several students were admitted to college. Byles said such work showed at-risk students that despite hardships, people and programs were there to assist, mentor and provide a path to success for them.
"During my internship with HealthCorps, one of the most meaningful experiences I had was helping organize a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event for the teens I worked with. We brought together youth from Sisu Youth Services and Pivot Youth Services at the Sisu shelter for a community cleanup, where they worked alongside staff doing laundry, cleaning and picking up debris around the neighborhood.”
He said the highlight of the event was the mental health panel. Byles helped coordinate a group of mental health professionals, teachers and psychiatric students from OU to speak with the teens.
“We set up a system where the teens could anonymously submit questions about depression, anxiety, disorders, LGBT topics and more. Seeing so many of them – especially those who don’t usually engage – open up and participate was incredible. You could tell how much it meant to them to have a space where they felt heard and supported,” he said, adding it was an unforgettable experience.
Byles said it reinforced just how important it is to create opportunities for connection, learning and support needed by at-risk youth.
While his Murray State degree was in occupational therapy, an interest in mental health made Byles reconsider his bachelor’s degree at ECU. “Through the lens of performing social work, I was able to see so many areas where I could make a difference.
“Evaluating the needs of at-risk kids and navigating challenging topics such as grief, acceptance, change, leadership skills and helping them overcome mental health challenges – I just fell in love with the work.”
That enthusiasm has spurred Byles to prepare for additional education at OU to earn a master’s degree in social work.
Byles said he intends to become a licensed clinical social worker so he can work as a mental health therapist.
“The Chickasaw Nation has helped me financially throughout my entire collegiate career. I intend to apply for the Indian Health Scholarship Program whenever I begin graduate school. I am excited about it. The agency provides the means to go to school and in return it asks you to spend a few years with a tribal nation or Indian Health Service,” he said. “My plan is to see whatever I can do to give back to the tribe that has helped me.
“When I earn my master’s, I want to work for the (Chickasaw) Nation and provide my skills to First American tribal youth. I want to work with the generation that needs the most guidance. They are our next leaders. That is the group I want to be a part of. I want to be the person that I wish I would have had when I was younger.”
Raised in Tishomingo by his grandparents, Byles recognizes the importance of a small town atmosphere with solid Chickasaw core values shaping him into the man he is today. “I often wonder where I would be if my grandparents had not taken me in,” Byles said.
His grandmother, Linda Byles, worked at Brookside Nursing Center in Madill, Oklahoma. She encouraged her grandson to become a certified nursing assistant at the facility.
“I wanted to quit after the second day,” he observed laughing. “I am 32 years old and started out in health care when I was 19, so evidently my grandmother knew what she was doing.”
His Chickasaw grandfather, Jimmie Byles, celebrated his First American heritage and instilled pride in his grandson to embrace his heritage, too.
Byles attended Chickasaw Nation summer youth programs when he became eligible and continued participation through high school.
“If it were not for my grandparents and the Chickasaw Nation, I would not be doing the work I love. I count myself very blessed.”