Alums met as students and became a lifelong team
It’s always special to hear stories of alums who met at SOU then end up spending a lifetime together. Jennifer ’93 and Sean ’92 Bagshaw have a very unique story about how they met during their campus employment as students and how they ended up together.
Jennifer grew up locally in rural Sams Valley and attended Crater HS. She applied to different schools and was admitted to Stanford but financially, it worked out best to stay local and attend SOSC. Initially, she followed a boyfriend to campus where she wanted to study geology and geography. “I loved William Purdom’s geology courses. He was a personable and engaging teacher. My parents actually had him as a professor when he taught at the University of Oregon. Geology professor Jad D’Allura was also an extraordinary teacher. Pat Acklin in the geography department was also excellent. Our classes were small and the teachers made them interesting and we felt connected. I once traveled to OSU in Corvallis to visit my sister. There were 400 students in one of her classes,” she said.
As she progressed as a student, spring break field trips to Death Valley, Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree National Parks became exciting parts of the course work. At home near campus, the opportunities for exploration were unlimited. “Having the Siskiyous and Cascades, such biologically and geologically diverse areas right on our doorstep to campus, made everything so interesting and exciting,” said Jennifer. In her second year on campus, she became a Resident Assistant (RA) in the Greensprings Residence Hall. She progressed with the campus housing department and later, became a Hall Director and Hearings Officer. “All of my work for SOU campus housing covered room and board and I was able to graduate debt-free,” she added. She graduated in June of 1993 with her bachelors in interdisciplinary studies (geology/geography focus).
Jennifer and Sean first crossed paths the year they both served on the residence hall staff; Jennifer, in her role as an RA, and Sean, who unexpectedly returned for a second year as the hearings officer, after a year of work and travel. They initially connected through their shared passion for travel and an affinity for all things colored purple.
After graduation, Jennifer pursued a MAT at Willamette University in Salem with a middle school certification. She moved back to Ashland and worked at Ashland Middle School, teaching science, social studies and sex education, 1994-2002. After eight years of teaching energetic middle school students, she left the profession to be a mom to two sons at home and run the family-owned community of manufactured homes for the next few decades. She currently works as a tour director and takes groups of people to locations around the globe as well as leading hiking trips in Oregon and Washington.
Sean grew up on 40 acres in rural Winston and went to Douglas HS. Of his senior high school classmates, five out of 125 went on to attend college. He applied to several Oregon state schools for affordability reasons and initially tried to focus on the University of Oregon but had trouble obtaining information about housing costs. SOSC housing department staff were very transparent and made a special effort to communicate. “Housing Director Phil Campbell and his staff were cordial, prompt and always went the extra mile to help me. That individualized customer service attitude really won me over,” said Sean. He made the commitment to come to Ashland and it would change his life.
In his second year, Sean lived in Forest Hall, which was the International Hall at the time. There, he met people from all over the world. In his second year, he became an RA for Diamond Hall. “SOSC was a good size for me. I loved the Outdoor Program and the opportunities to rent gear for hiking, climbing, kayaking, etc. And I also used that asset to organize outdoor trips for resident hall leaders,” he said.
Academically, Bagshaw majored in biology with a minor in chemistry. “Bernhard Binder was a great teacher and I stayed connected with him for over a decade. Dr. Frank Lang was a legendary professor who got us out in the field locally,” he said. He also enjoyed outdoor- oriented courses taught by health and PE instructor Tom Powell, who taught a ‘climbing and survival’ course which led to a climb of Mt. Shasta. Because of that challenging experience, Sean continued to climb and summit the highest peak in North America, Denali (elevation 20,310’) in Alaska twice, Mt. Rainier in Washington, all of the high Oregon Cascade peaks, Aconcagua (elevation 22,837’) in Argentina and Grand Teton in Wyoming. “It was exciting to have the outdoor programming as part of campus life. It was interesting and challenging for all of us.”
After graduating June of 1992, he joined the MAT program at Willamette University and earned his MAT in 1994. He landed his first teaching job at Mark Twain Middle School in Silverton where he taught 7th grade science. After one year of teaching there he taught at Scenic Middle School in Central Point for two years. He was able to move back to Ashland, teaching at Ashland Middle School for seven years.
After 10 years of teaching, he left the profession and started his own photography business. “We have always loved to travel and backpack and took photos of outdoor adventures and climbing throughout the west. I had really enjoyed doing slide shows for people so after 2004, the side hobby became a full-time business. Our goal was always to get back to Ashland. We love this place and the beauty of the Siskiyous and Cascades.”
Learn more: Sean Bagshaw Photography
