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.
Born in Ashland then raised in Springfield through his freshman year in high school, Alex Grimaldi ’09 was able to return to Ashland and graduate a Grizzly in 2005. For Alex, looking at opportunities across Siskiyou Boulevard at SOU meshed well with his idea of a great education in an intimate and personal setting.
Originally from San Diego, Dr. Michelle Olsen ’99, made the move with her family to the Rogue Valley then started her collegiate experience at Rogue Community College (RCC) in Medford.
Growing up in the Rogue Valley, many local high school students head to college to get away from home. From the start, Amanda Grove ’10 knew she would study locally at SOU.
Clinton Clark ’10 grew up in Bend and graduated Summit High School. His junior year at Summit, he was among students that welcomed the school’s brand-new theatre.
Emma Gasman ’17 grew up in Clovis, California and visited SOU as a high school student while being recruited for volleyball by SOU head coach Josh Rohlfing ’07. When she crossed Siskiyou Summit on I-5 and drove down into Ashland, it was immediate love. “I was sold on the beauty of the Siskiyou Mountains and this being my home for the next several years,” she said.
Matt Essieh ’82 MBA’ 83 and Emmanuella Essieh ’82 share a history at Southern Oregon University that opened the doors for thriving business careers, philanthropy, and a lifelong romance.
Dr. Jessica Prenni ’98 had a straightforward reason for attending Southern Oregon University (SOU) after graduating from Roosevelt High School in Portland. “I chose SOU for the in-state tuition and planned to major in pre-engineering, then transfer to Oregon State University in Corvallis,” Dr. Prenni explained. However, during her freshman year, she enjoyed her general chemistry class so much that she changed her major to chemistry, which allowed her to complete her degree at SOU.
With a father who attended Southern Oregon College in the 1967-68, it seems fitting that Gabe Howe ’12, would eventually become a Raider. Initially, he came to SOU in 2002 and met his future wife but left the spring of 2003. He moved back to the Portland-metro area and would bounce around jobs for several years while also earning an associate’s degree from Mt. Hood Community College. By 2009, he was ready to return to Ashland and once there, he’d never look back.
Angelica Ruppe MS ‘86 said it has always been her calling to be of service to others and that coming to SOU helped make that possible. “SOU gave me the opportunity to grow and to change my life and to help change the lives of other people,” she said.