Clay Pope and Dara Van Laanen

D shares more about herself. She talks about being raised and coming back to Oklahoma. D shares that her mother passed away. She says she was an early childhood teacher and is retired.

C shares more about himself. He talks about living in Loyal, Oklahoma. C shares that he was a state representative for a decade. He says we went through a divorce and was a single dad with two kids. C says he remarried and had two more kids. C says he has a fifth child, a niece he adopted. He describes trying to go back to farming full time but always running into other jobs.

C says more about his work with the climate hub.

D talks about her dancing experience. She shares that she lived in New York for ten years.

C speaks about the geographical diversity in Oklahoma. He talks about the quality of the land and says that is one thing that the climate hub he is a part of is working on.

D says more about her teaching experience. She talks about where she has taught in the United States and shares that she taught abroad in India for some time.

C speaks about his dad. He shares that his dad was in the military for some time, and says one of the scariest things he’s ever had to deal with was the Bay of Pigs. C says he thought about enlisting in the military but his dad said he had to get his degree first.

D and C discuss Ken Burns documentaries.

D details how she got interested in Buddhist studies. She talks about her religious identity and says she would describe herself as a Christ-centered person.

C describes how he learned that things are not as black and white as he thought when he was eighteen. He says he learned a lot in college and also during his time on Capitol Hill.

C shares that his current wife did not think she was going to have kids because she is a cancer survivor but ended up having two children.

D details her different living situations throughout her life. She says she is looking to move.