HOWE, Oklahoma – Abby Huie (Mvskoke) has had quite a busy senior year of high school. She has been selected to compete in the All-State softball team, maintained a 4.55-grade point average, and will be graduating with an associate degree in addition to her diploma this year. Most recently, she signed her official letter of intent to play softball at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Her current schedule requires discipline and astute time management skills.
“I’ve been taking college classes since I’ve been a sophomore,” Abby Huie said. “I can stay home and do the classes and get what I need to get done for that day, then I have to go to practice and games, so that takes up my nights.”
Abby has been active from an early age. Growing up, she enjoyed playing T-ball, slow-pitch, and fast-pitch softball. She also participated in travel ball, where players and their families travel all over to compete. Although Abby Huie takes the competition seriously, her favorite aspect of the sport is the connections she makes off the field.
“I have lifelong friends from travel ball,” Abby Huie said. “It’s so cool to see people from other backgrounds and to be able to be friends with them for the rest of my life.”
According to Abby Huie, her softball career began at Hodgens middle school, where they won state for the first time in the softball program’s history. She started as a third baseman in her first year. She would go on to play shortstop in her junior and senior years. As her career progressed, Abby moved districts to Howe.
Abby Huie’s talents on the diamond have been seen at all-conference, all-district, and all-region competitions. She has played alongside and against some of the best softball players in the state. Allstate, in particular, is a special honor for high school seniors.
Abby Huie’s mother, Rhonda (Mvskoke), has been one of her biggest supporters and has been with her every step of her career. It was nothing less than astounding for Abby to be selected for all-state in her final year of high school.
“It’s the biggest honor you could receive,” Rhonda Huie said. “We’re a small 2A school in southeastern Oklahoma; we do not have a lot of representation.”
When it was time for Abby Huie to sign her letter of intent to play softball at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, it was a culminating moment she had been working toward her entire career.
“It was kind of emotional honesty,” Abby Huie said. “It felt like I didn’t just do it for nothing. It was the best feeling in the world.”
Concurrent college courses
“I’ve always set high goals for myself,” Abby Huie said. “Once I set my mind to something, I can not stop thinking about it. With my associate’s degree, once I knew I wanted to do it, there was no turning back.”
Abby Huie discussed what inspired her to pursue a college degree in high school. The concurrent program at Howe allows her to take college classes through Carl Albert State College. This will give her a leg up post-graduation as she begins to pursue a career in nursing at OKWU.
“They have a really good program,” Abby Huie said. “Hopefully, one day, I will become a traveling nurse or a nurse practitioner.”
She further explained that she wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps working in tribal healthcare to serve fellow Native Americans. Rhonda Huie currently works as a physician assistant at the Choctaw Nation Diabetes Wellness Center. She has served the Choctaw Nation for over 20 years. Before that, she had previously worked for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
The waning months of high school can be an emotional experience as students approach the graduation milestone and move forward into the next chapter of life. For their families, it is no different, especially reflecting on what it took to get there. Abby Huie’s letter of intent signing was more than just a celebration. It symbolizes the hard work and sacrifice made by her and her family.
“It was that final sense of we completed that circle,” Rhonda Huie said. “We finally got that affirmation that this kid has worked hard and she has that ability. It’s just an amazing feeling as a parent.”
Abby Huie is set to graduate in the spring of 2023. She will hang up her Howe Lions jersey and switch it out for an OKWU Eagles jersey as she begins her college career next school year.
