Steve Stenkamp ’80 family homesteaded in the Bend area over 110 years ago where he was raised and graduated from Bend HS. For two years, he attended Central Oregon Community College with a forest products degree interest, which would entail a transfer to Oregon State University in Corvallis.
Born in Klamath Falls but raised in Medford, Sam Sabori ’09, graduated South Medford HS then started his collegiate career at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Sam enrolled in multiple history and music courses but found that his core classes were too big, often having more than 100-200 students in each class. So, Sam found his way back to the Rogue Valley and transferred his credits to SOU in Ashland.
Southern Oregon University (SOU) has hundreds of non-traditional students who work, go to school part or full time and take care of their families while trying to make ends meet. Karen Jeffery ’11 epitomizes the hard working,
Lindsay Abercrombie MSEE ’12 grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, then attended and graduated Cal Poly San Louis Obispo for her undergraduate education in animal science.
If any family epitomizes what it means to be a Raider alum, the Heiken family more than fits that description. For Bobby ’97, Sarah ’00 and their daughter Gabby ’26, the hashtag #RaiderFamily, is the culture they live by.
Born in Vietnam, Abbigail Nguyen Rosewood ’13 came to Southern Oregon University as a struggling transfer student—the large campus and impersonal atmosphere had left her overwhelmed.
Dr. Sue Teele MS ’69 has wanted to be a teacher since she was in 4th grade and never wavered from that career goal.
It’s not too often that a 9th grader chooses to take a college course for credit, then aces the entire three-term series. But while she was a student at Ashland High School, Catherine Meulemans ’85, did just that.
When Brenda Johnson ’95 was growing up, her mom had a strong feeling she’d become a nurse—and as it turns out, her mom was right. After moving to Medford with her family and graduating from North Medford High School, Brenda already had her sights set on Southern Oregon State College (now SOU). Living nearby, she had spent time on campus as a teen and always felt at home there. “It just felt right,” she said. “It was accessible, it was welcoming, and it gave me the opportunity to pursue something meaningful.”
With her father serving in the U.S. Air Force, Kate Torcom ’12 didn’t follow a traditional path to Southern Oregon University. When he was offered the rare opportunity to choose his next duty station, he selected Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls—drawn by stories of Oregon’s natural beauty passed down from his mother. Eventually, the family relocated from the Chicago area and settled in Redmond.