


From foster child origins, alumna blossoms as an outdoor conservation leader
Sha (Shay) Orton grew up in Bakersfield, CA, until the age of 13, then moved to southern Oregon. Amidst her high school years, she was forced to live in foster care. Her life was tough growing up and she didn’t get many opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the Rogue Valley. But when she finally did, they led to spiritual and healing experiences. She graduated from Crater High School in Central Point and shortly after, became pregnant, which shifted all of her life plans.

Alumna finds career in federal government law enforcement
Jennifer Garcia ’09 grew up in San Diego and while she was a student at Southwest HS, she participated in the Police Explorers program, setting up her curiosity for a future in law enforcement. With numerous opportunities to attend college both locally and in California, she found SOU via the internet by searching for criminal justice forensics programs.

Navy veteran turns campus academic and social experiences into lifelong success
Burton Weast ’72 grew up in the northern California coastal town of Crescent City, attended Del Norte High School then attended College of the Siskiyous in Weed, CA and Humboldt State University (HSU) in Arcata, CA. During his fifth year at HSU, he got his draft notice so immediately joined the US Navy, hoping to avoid Vietnam altogether. He was trained as a radioman and ended up doing two tours in the combat zone. After earning his honorable discharge, he met his future wife Ann in Brookings and after doing a summer school term in Ashland at Southern Oregon College, they enjoyed it so much that they decided to stay.

Alum circumnavigates the globe twice in long US Navy career
Unless they’ve lived it, most of our community doesn’t understand or conceptualize how difficult making a career of service in the armed forces is. For Raider alum Scott Hudson ’99, it’s an easy thing to understand because he’s lived it for 25 years. Scott graduated from Ashland High School in 1992 then joined the US Army shortly thereafter. He trained in air defense artillery and soon was stationed with the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii and was also deployed to Haiti.