Entries by kuriyamf

Alum’s Journey from Sri Lanka to SOU, Changed His Life Forever

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Born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Kavinda Arthenayake ’90 & MS ’92, is one enthusiastic Raider. Kavinda heard about Southern Oregon State College through a high school friend, applied, then received an admissions letter directly from Admissions Director Al Blazak. A few months later, Foreign Student Advisor Bob Bennett picked him up at the Medford Airport. Kavinda had never seen SOSC’s campus – that lack of knowing the campus would change however, in a few short weeks!

Alum Goes from Academic Probation to Commander of an F-15 Air Force Fighter Squadron

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Todd Hofford ’96 & ’97 grew up in Ashland and spent many hours working at the historic Mark Antony Hotel while in high school. He started out as a dishwasher and moved on to become the number one chef working for current SOU business professor Dennis Slattery ’96 and MBA ’98, after being trained by world famous Chef Christophe Baudry, who was the Executive Chef at the hotel for several years.

Alumna Becomes the Youngest Master Distiller in the United States

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After growing up east of Portland in Troutdale and graduating from Reynolds HS in 2008, Molly Troupe ’12 knew that Southern Oregon University would be in her future after visiting a couple of preview days for schools where she could find a program to become a forensics anthropologist. With the great reputation of SOU’s chemistry program, she knew it would be the perfect fit.

Local Alum Perseveres to Graduate in 2020 then Serves those Less Fortunate in the Rogue Valley

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Luis Sanchez grew up in the Rogue Valley and graduated from South Medford HS in 2009, working part time at Rogue Credit Union (RCU) along the way. His SOU journey began right after graduation but he didn’t finish in four or five years as he had planned. However, he persevered and stayed with it for the better part of a decade to earn his degree, proudly becoming the third in his family to earn college degrees, all from SOU. Growing up, his father Luis, Sr. ‘09, worked graveyard shifts and went to SOU in the mornings, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2009. That same year, his sister Bea Sanchez Goldman ’09 graduated from SOU with a bachelor’s in psychology.

Alumna is the Forest Health Specialist for the Entire State of Arizona

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Born in Wenatchee, Washington, the daughter of two retired US Forest Service employees, Aly McAlexander ’12 later grew up in Christmas Valley, Oregon, graduating high school in a class of 13 students.  Her journey to SOU began her freshman year in high school with her English classes’ annual trips to Ashland to see performances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  “I knew growing up in a small rural area, I didn’t want to go to a huge school where I could potentially become a number.  So, after eating lunch on campus one year during one of our visits to Ashland, I thought SOU would be a good fit for me,” she said.

Alumna Retired from Teaching then Became First Female Mayor of Vancouver, Washington

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Anne McEnerny-Ogle was born in Medford but her family lost their business when the Interstate 5 viaduct was built so they moved to Eugene where she graduated from South Eugene HS. Her favorite math teacher there was a Southern Oregon College (SOC) graduate and passed on some encouragement and advice about Ashland and the SOC campus. Anne did a tour on campus and in Ashland and loved the small-town environment and the beautiful campus nestled in the foothills of the Siskiyous.  

Alum’s Rich Experience in Life Pays off for Local Citizens in Need

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Michael Robinson II ’06 was born into an Air Force family so as a youngster, he lived in North Carolina, Greece, southern California and in Okinawa, Japan. As a sophomore in high school in Okinawa, he attended Kadena HS with over 5,000 students of American military personnel. When his father was getting ready to retire as an Air Force jet engine mechanic, they transferred to Travis Air Force Base outside the Bay Area in northern California. There, he excelled in football playing a variety of positions on offense and defense and played in the East- West Shrine game as a senior. He received recruiting interest from Langston University in Oklahoma but chose to stay local and played at Solano Community College (SCC) in Fairfield. 

Alumna’s Miss America Title Has Helped Shine Spotlight on Female Composers

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Born in Portland but raised in North Carolina during her formative years, Katie Harman Ebner’s MMC ’17 return to the Portland metropolitan area would pay dividends for her throughout her life. Katie graduated from Centennial HS in Gresham in 1999 then moved on to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, to pursue a degree in biology, with a minor in music.