Photo Story: The Timber Industry

Pictured here is a clearcut on a private piece of property in Noti, Oregon. The upper half was cut and logged in the summer of 2015, and the replanted trees growing now are four years old. The portion of this clearcut that can just be seen in the valley was logged in the summer and fall of 2018. Majority of trees grown and harvested in Oregon are Douglas-fir, an evergreen species that thrives in the mild climate of the Pacific Northwest. In this particular clearcut, there was also a speckling of Big-leaf Maple and Western Hemlock tree species; these trees will grow back on their own without being replanted. Douglas-fir are valued for their strength and drying quality, and their abundance makes them cheap compared to other lumber options. Most other species in the same price range yield a weaker finished product.

Here, a tree-planting demonstration takes place: to properly plant a young tree, dig a hole deep enough to bury all of its roots, and fill in the dirt so that the tree will stand erect. It should not lean sideways, or have its roots exposed to the elements.

Forester Jayme Dumford measures the length of a tree to determine how many logs it can be cut into. Jayme currently works for Thompson Timber Company in Corvallis, Oregon.

Limbs are cut off of a tree that has been fallen before it can cut into log lengths. These limbs will later be collected and burned in a brush pile.

An empty Thompson Timber Trucking log truck pulls into the log yard to be loaded for the last haul of the day. A log loader called a shovel will place logs onto the log truck's trailer- in this specific instance the truck departed with a load of large Douglas-fir trees to be exported to China. They will be hollowed out and reconstructed as huge, extravagant coffins, and are referred to simply as 'coffin logs'. 

Above is a photo of Thompson Timber's lumber mill, where they turn low-value logs into wood chips. These wood chips are sold to paper mills to be ground into pulp: a very finely-ground substance which is used to make paper. The larger, more valuable logs are turned into boards and beams in a lumber mill, which this particular facility does not have the capacity for.

Photographer of the Week Write-Up

My chosen photographer of the week is Thomas Mangelsen, born in January of 1946. He grew up in Nebraska, where his father taught him a love for nature and the outdoors, and he went on to graduate from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska with a bachelor's degree in biology.

In the early 70’s, Thomas Mangelsen spent two years living in a shack in the Rocky Mountains that had no electricity or running water, with his dog and pet raccoon. He studied and photographed nature and wildlife during this time, and he became specifically interested in photographing birds in flight. 

Thomas continued his education even after graduating from Doane College- while studying ecology at the University of Colorado’s Mountain Research Station, he met Bert Kempers- a film producer who later hired him as a cinematographer for his company Westwood Productions, making educational documentaries. His photos and films turned out to be very successful and they caught the attention of National Geographic, who later hired him as a cinematographer and associate producer for the TV special Flight of the Whooping Crane. Mangelsen also produced Cranes of the Grey Wind for PBS Nature and BBC Natural World.

Thomas's "claim to fame" is his vast portfolio of wildlife photos from all around the world. He was also extremely devoted to his projects and to wildlife conservation; Thomas spent ten years photographing whooping cranes along the Platte River in the spring, and then he traveled to Alaska to see their nesting grounds and to Texas where they migrated for the winter. I was personally impressed by the detail and the lighting in his photos which make them really stand out as amazing pictures. He also doesn't over-edit his pictures as I have seen in the work of a lot of nature photographers- his pictures feel very genuine.

My favorite one is the photo above of the bear catching the fish in his his mouth. Photos like this one display Mangelsen's patience and the dedication it takes to be at the right place at the right time- who knows how long it took to achieve this exact photo.

Source: https://mangelsen.com/index.php/the-artist

My Best Photojournalism

I think that the photo above is my favorite example of photojournalism from this term. I like it because of its photo qualities, and because there is a story embedded within it. The photo is clear, the subjects are in focus, the short depth of field draws attention to the athletes, and the colors are even. It is also obvious in the photo what is taking place here: three athletes competing in a track and field race.

While I like many photos I took this term, this one stands out because it doesn't require a lot of explaining in order to understand the significance of the photo, and I think that reflects good photojournalism. I would say that the main thing I've learned from photojournalism class this term is that good photos should be somewhat self-explanatory. When I first started this photojournalism course, the pictures I took were dependent on their captions, and I think the best improvement I have made is learning to take photos that stand out on their

My Goals

My three goals from the beginning of this term were:
1. Better my perceptive and technical skills as a photographer.
2. Become more comfortable just putting myself out there and starting conversations with people I've never met.
3. Familiarize myself with the culture of Linn Benton.

I think I accomplished the first goal by practicing a new approach to my photography than what I typically do. Instead of just doing portraits and "pretty pictures" of people, I tried to branch out and take storytelling photos, and even just that effort to try something new makes me feel accomplished. 

For the second goal, I feel that I mostly did this with the Humans of LBCC assignment when I had to ask to photograph and interview people at random. Some said no, but the more I asked, the easier it became. 

As far as the third goal goes, I don't think I accomplished it to the extend I originally wanted to. What I had in mind was along the lines of attending school and sporting events regularly to photograph, and while I did go to a couple events during the school day to take pictures, I didn't make any sporting events. My schedule was crazy this term and a lot of times photographing extra assignments just didn't make my priority list. Overall though, I feel that I gained a better understanding of how to tell a story with photos over the course of this term, rather than just to take pictures with aesthetic value.

Addario Book Report

In Lynsey Addario's book "It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War," she recounts her experiences as a photojournalist- specifically, a war photographer. To me, the most compelling part of the book is near the beginning, once she has realized what she wants to do with her life and she is focused on her goal of one day working for the New York Times. The transition from a broke young woman with a dream and one camera, trying to perfect her game and to stand out in the large pool of experienced (and dominantly male) photojournalists is what I can relate to the most in my own life.

I think my favorite thing about Lynsey Addario's photojournalism is her desire to show people the whole story. Rather than take photos that confirm what Americans already believe to be the circumstances in a foreign country, Lynsey looks to portray the truth, even if it isn't what people want to hear. She looks for the best in the people she photographs one-on-one as well, and I really admire that. Here is a quote from Part 2 in the book: "I also wanted to give readers a sense of Pakistani women's lives beyond religion. I knew that if the only image people saw in American publications was of women in head scarves and long black robes reading the Koran, it might be easier to dismiss their beliefs as something completely foreign and bizarre and specifically 'Islamic.' But if readers could get a sense of who these women really were- if they could see them in their homes, with their children, as they cooked meals- it might offer a more complete picture" (p. 72). This quote is one that I think gives a good idea of Lynsey's photojournalism approach- she believes in humanity and in the truth, and she risks her life on so many occasions in pursuit of it.

I think that Lynsey's work is incredible, and the sense of duty she feels to photojournalism is something I just don't understand. By the time she has spent a decade in the field, she really feels more at home in a war zone than she does relaxing at her actual apartment. While I find this crazy and I can not picture myself as a war photographer, I think its amazing and that if that's her calling, then good for her. The world needs people who are compelled to deliver compelling and honest news to the public. In Chapter 9, Lynsey and her friend Elizabeth were embedded with US troops in the Korengal Valley. Some of her most raw, compelling images were excluded from publishing because they were considered too graphic for the public eye, and I find it so wrong that the press will hide images of travesties occurring in other countries while hundreds of thousands of individuals suffer and die overseas. My biggest takeaway from Lynsey's experience and from her work is that as a photographer, you should always go the extra mile and do what you can to relate with your subjects and capture the best images possible. And- when you believe in something and pursue it with passion it will reward you later down the road.

 

The photo above is one of my favorites, but it's so hard to pick just one. This was taken in the Congo in Africa, and it is featured in the book in the photo section between pages 210 and 211. In this same section, I also like the close-up portrait of Bibiane, an African woman who was a rape victim, abandoned by her husband. This photo is sad and makes you wonder immediately, "Who is this woman and what has made her so sad?" Lynsey's photos ignite curiosity; they make you wonder the whole story, and they spark immediate emotion.

I would definitely recommend this book to others- it's an incredible and inspiring story, regardless of whether or not you have an interest in photojournalism. Lynsey Addario is an incredible, descriptive writer who's life is so relatable even though her circumstances are bizarre. She is an inspiring storyteller, and she has witnessed so much and has touched so many lives. 

    

Addario Memoir

In Parts Three and Four in "It's What I Do," I think the most compelling Chapters are 11 and 14. Chapter 11, "You Will Die Tonight," is about Lynsey Addario and three other journalists being kidnapped in Libya by Qaddafi's soldiers. The account of their kidnapping, the psychological and physical torture they endured, and the toll it took on Lynsey after they were rescued. They were beaten, threatened, Lynsey was sexually assaulted (but not raped) by countless men, and at the end of it all, the psychological element took over and changed Lynsey's outlook on life.

This quote from Chapter 11 stood out to me: "I was weirdly ashamed that the seven days of physical torture- getting punched in the face and having my wrists and ankles bound- had left no visible marks on my body, save for little red marks where the zip ties had dug into my wrists. Without physical evidence, I felt that there was no proof of how much I had endured" (p. 240). This quote resonates with me because I can't imagine how alone and empty I would feel if I went from being certain I would die to being safe at home where no one understood what I had just gone through in a matter of hours.

Chapter 14, "Lukas," is about Lynsey's son, and how he changed her life even though she was able to hold onto her career. She realizes in this chapter, finally, that it is possible to have a personal and professional life- both which you care deeply about. She still makes sacrifices, but I thought it was touching that she was finally able to find this happy medium after so many years of believing she could only have one.

I learned that photojournalism is risky yet rewarding.

My Hometown: Triangle Lake, Oregon

Triangle Lake, Oregon

Pictured here is Triangle Lake's public dock. Triangle Lake is named after its geometrical shape, and is just under a half square mile in area. The lake is located along Highway 36 in Lane County, and is a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike in the summer. While the town itself is tiny with not much more than a country store and a 1A school to offer, Triangle Lake is familiar to many Oregonians for being one of just two natural lakes in the state.

Troy Foglio is a timber faller and machine operator for Heron Timber based out of Sheridan, Oregon. He graduated from Triangle Lake High School in 2018, and is pictured here in the Hadsall Creek forest just a few miles above the lake. Logging is an important industry which sustains a large portion of the Triangle Lake community.

Triangle Lake Middle School track athlete Dakota McConnell (left) receives participation awards from coaches Maria Dumford (middle) and Karey Eastburn (right) at the Spring Sports Awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 21.

Photo Story Ideas

I have a couple of ideas for my photo story assignment- the first one is the one I really want to do but it is going to be difficult to be in the right places at the right times because of my school and work schedule.

1.) I would love to document the process of timber harvest- possibly some photos of a tree planting crew, someone cutting trees, setting chokers, loading a log truck, wood being processed in a mill, etc. Logging is important in my family, my dad is a forester, and I am engaged to a logger. I've always been surrounded by it and I think it would be perfect for this project. If I could go to work with my fiance I could get photos of timber falling, there is a clear cut on my family's property with young trees growing that I could photograph to show them in a young stage, and I know I could find connections through my dad to photograph log trucks and a mill. The challenge would be timing- I work all day on Saturdays and Sundays, and go to school during the week. However, I could probably accomplish most of these photo shoots by going after school, and there are a couple of days in the next two weeks where I won't be having class after noon. This is what I am going to try to do but if it wont work, I do have another idea.

2.) I work at Thistledown Farm and Market in Junction City, and most of our crops are grown out on the farm. I could probably take some photos of produce growing out in the fields and watch it ripen, then get some pictures of harvest and photograph it once it is brought into the store. This would be slightly easier on my schedule since some of these photos would be ones I could get before or after work when I'm already there, and I am sure my boss would be OK it.

I will try for the first option, but if it doesn't work out, I like my backup plan as well.

My Neighborhood/My Hometown Ideas

For next week's photo assignment, I plan to photograph Triangle Lake, Oregon- the community where I went to school. This isn't the town where I lived, but I was really involved in sports and extra curricular activities while going to school there and it's where I think of when I think of my hometown. I'm going out there after class on Monday to scope out the venue for my wedding, so I'll take some photos while I am there.

For my environmental portrait I think I will photograph my friend Bri Simington who works in the office and as a counselor at Triangle Lake High School. The school itself and Triangle Lake are the two landmarks in this town (it's a really tiny place). I'd like my landmark photo to be of the lake, possibly a shot from the public dock, or I could drive up above it and get a shot from up on the hill. For the activity... I'm not sure yet. I will talk to some people I know and see if anything special is happening on Monday- this will probably be my biggest challenge because now that sports are done at the school, honestly not much is going on.

Sports Photos: Jr High Track Meet

Jr High Track and Field

 Students from Triangle Lake Charter School and Monroe Middle School battle through the rain for the top three spots in the boys' 1500 meter race. 

Mitch Dumford sprints to build up momentum before attempting the high jump.

Between high jumps, Mitch Dumford takes advice from his father on the sidelines.

Action/Sports Photos

For my sports photo assignment, I have photos from my younger brother's track meet. There is a chance I might take photos at a friend's college track meet in Eugene this Saturday- I will use whichever ones end up being the best.

I actually have a lot of experience shooting action photos thanks to four years on the yearbook team in high school, but I would say the most difficult thing when shooting outdoor sports is the background. You have to think ahead about where you will be standing and what in the background could draw attention away from your intended subject. Also, at track meets everything goes by really fast and you only get a few seconds to snap the perfect action shot; it isn't like basketball or football where everyone is running back and fourth over the course of an hour or two.

For my non-action shot, I want to use a photo of some athletes before or after an event- talking with one another or with a coach. A good close-up would be a photo of a single athlete running or jumping, cropped closely enough to where nothing else is there to distract from them. For a medium shot, I'd like to get multiple people running a race and competing against one another, and for an overall I could get a shot that includes some of the track itself, infield, and sidelines with people watching to get a really good feel for the overall scene.

Free Choice Shoot: Portraits

 Emily Hopfer

For my free choice photoshoot, I took graduate portraits for Emily Hopfer. Emily is graduating this year from Oregon State University with her bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science; she works at Roseburg Forest Products as a digital marketing coordinator.

For this photoshoot, I met Emily at McKercher County Park in Brownsville. It was a beautiful day for a shoot and perfect weather to go wading in the Calapooia River. As Emily walked in the shallow water she said to me laughingly, "This is a perfect analogy for my college career- wading upstream and trying not to fall down." The close-up photo below features the tassel to Emily's graduation cap, atop a handful of mud which represents her degree in agriculture and her interest in soil. 

Lynsey Addario

I think Lynsey Addario is a fantastic photojournalist, and I admire not just her talent, but all that she put in to become what she is. She was looked down upon at first for being inexperienced and for being a woman. This would be reason for a lot of people to back down or settle for something else, but she didn't, and it got her to where she always dreamed she would get.

The lessons I can learn from Lynsey Addario are that dedication, refusal to give up, and confidence will pay off. Once you face an uncomfortable situation and choose to work through it, it makes you better and more equipped to take on the future.

Lynsey made some crazy sacrifices for her career that I don't think I could make. She left her family and only sees them once or twice a year, and every time she seems to have a chance at love, her career takes priority because not only is she trying to make a name for herself, but she is drawn to the experience.

My favorite Lynsey Addario quote comes from the beginning of her photojournalism career, after she visits a Sebastiao Salgado gallery: "I knew then that I wanted to tell people's stories through photos; to do justice to their humanity, as Salgado had done; to provoke the kind of empathy for the subjects that I was feeling in that moment" (Pg 29).

The photo above is one of my favorite ones that Lynsey Addario has captured. It just provokes so much emotion for me, and I think its a fantastic example of the goal stated in my favorite quote: she is truly portraying her subjects' humanity.

Feature Event: LBCC Health and Safety Day

Booths lined up all around the courtyard at the LBCC Health and Safety Fair on Wednesday, 

May 1. Over thirty agencies and programs participated, providing information, resources, and boasting swag for anyone who took the time to stop by and see what they were all about.

Walker W. fills out an entry form for AAA's roadside assistance kit drawing.

LBCC's own horticulture program provided samples of various micro greens; featured here are Daikon Radish starts at different stages of growth.

Favorite Lynsey Addario Moments

The thing that really strikes me about Lynsey Addario, and her fellow journalists as well, is her determination and her foresight when it comes to success. She knew that 9/11 was one of the biggest tragedies to ever befall the United States, and yet it was also her biggest window of opportunity. My favorite thing about her though, is her desire to show her subjects as they are; even if it means going against what people want to see, or what they already think they know. In Chapter 4, on page 72 Addario says, "I became fascinated by the notion of dispelling stereotypes or misconceptions through photographs, of presenting the counterintuitive. In Pakistan I learned quickly to tuck away my own political beliefs while I worked and to act as a messenger and conduit of ideas for the people I photographed." I think this mentality is what sets Addario apart from others, and makes her work important.

Environmental Portraits

Mahayla is a cashier at Thistledown Farm and Market in Junction City, Oregon. She is a junior in high school who enjoys dancing and art, and she is currently fast-tracking her education by taking classes at Lane Community College. 

Mahayla Winchell

Favorite Class Photos

One of my favorite photos from this class's blog is Nick's overall photo from the LBCC art show. Even though the lighting in that building is obviously difficult, the contrast really works in this photo, along with the leading lines from the ceiling and the walls and the reflections of the people on the floor. It also shows the people in the art gallery intently and closely looking at the art on the walls, and it makes for an interesting and pleasing photo. The link to Nick's photo is: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Vd7vfDSAaRXu34ZKFPiTEIYgOpomqOBqqwtN8XaNBGYKFTKqhD0cHjjuA_JW-MuGCHG_EAvldAd8NBad4wN5twbseh8WJae2JpX9tfB1PIRBrWG3MZVeJruRP4I__AhfxI3k7NC5

My other favorite is Emily's portrait of Rhiannon Chuck for the Humans of LBCC assignment. I think everything about this photo- the colors, the low angle, Rhiannon's expression- all these things tie in and make a really well-composed photo. The link for Emily's photo is: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0pEgSMpZs0j3n0eRk4URu6UjWiFSe8McXS3bu7uovWeFALLtLOYh92gRu9ijYc_31DWogYEu5v_3GjckeczV_kRXXw7s-cPJurrTbN-9ygVfCXyXAhGXMNPxvvU5kwuWPSYFcxn8b28g/s320/IMG_4802+edit.jpg

Potential Portrait Subjects

The first subject I would consider for my portrait project is a self-employed carpenter I know named Dustin Beck. He has his own shop at his home which I think would be the best environment in which to shoot him. The best props would be some partially finished cabinets he may be working on, possibly some of his equipment or tools in hand. I have his phone number and can easily reach out to him.

The second person I plan to reach out to is a friend of mine named Parker Wynn who is a track athlete at Umpqua Community College. I would like to get a photo of him at a track meet in his uniform with obvious props in the background, like the track itself. This would be ideal, because he is a runner and doesn't do any field events. I can easily get into contact with him through texting, the only hurdle would be finding a day I could make it to a track meet.

Self-Critique

I think the best photo I have shot this term was my photo of Nellie Kosmala for the "Humans of LBCC" assignment. The lighting is optimal, she has a really nice, natural smile on her face, she is well framed, and I was able to frame some leading lines thanks to the hallway in which she was sitting.

While I don't think my worst photo is bad, I wish I would have framed it differently. This was my photo of Brooke Hopfer for "Humans of LBCC II"- she is really tall and I had her stand on a hill above me to take the picture. I loved the background and lighting in this photo; it portrayed the Linn Benton school building in the background and I liked that a lot. However, I wish I would have gotten above her somehow, or at least at eye-level so her face wouldn't be so far away in the picture.

In order to improve the overall quality of my photos, I want to work on adapting better to my subjects' backgrounds, comfort zones, and physical features to portray them individually as best as I can.

Animal Science Lab at Weber Hampshires

LBCC agricultural science professor Clay Weber (back left corner) points to lambs in his sheep barn while speaking to students about his show lamb business, Weber Hampshires. On Tuesday, April 16, Rick Klampe's animal science class visited Weber's sheep operation for lab to see firsthand what it takes to raise high-quality Future Farmers of America (FFA) market lambs.   

A Hampshire lamb enthusiastically smiles for the camera.

 Lab notes in hand, Laura Mendell (left) and Keely Bates (right) from Rick Klampe's animal science class walk to the vans to be driven back to LBCC after visiting Weber Hampshires.

Lynsey Addario

In reading the prelude and first chapter of "It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War" by Lynsey Addario, the thing that stood out most to me is Addario's courage and confidence. The book begins with her in Libya, photographing a revolution against the country's leader Mummar el-Qaddafi. While at this point she has been a war photographer for years and has seen so much destruction, she has kept going. She says, "While covering war, there are days when I had boundless courage and there were days, like these in Libya, when I was terrified from the moment I woke up. Two days earlier I had given a hard drive of images to another photographer to give to my photo agency in case I didn't survive. If nothing else, at least my work would be salvaged" (Pg 2). This quote stands out to me because even though she is admittedly terrified for her life, staying there and capturing everything going on around her is a bigger priority than leaving and being certain of survival. While I don't see myself following photojournalism to this extreme, I find it inspiring how dedicated Lynsey Addario is and how incredibly passionate she is about truthfully depicting the events and people she sees every day in her dangerous line of work. Of the photos in this book, my favorite is a close-up shot of a South Kivu woman's face- she has her eyes closed and tears are rolling down her cheeks. This photo shows suffering on a very personal level,  and the sorrow emulating from this woman is unmistakable.

Photographer of the Week: Thomas Mangelson

The photographer I have chosen for my "Photographer of the Week" assignment is Thomas Mangelson. He is a nature photographer from Nebraska, most famous for his photos of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Mangelson was named the 2011 Conservation Photographer of the Year, was named one of the Top 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers, and he has received many other prestigious titles and awards; his work has been displayed in museums around the world. What most stands out to me about his photos is the clarity and vivid colors, as well as fantastic use of lighting. The animals he captures in photos are in great detail, and you can tell he is very adventurous and passionate about his work. He now resides in Jackson, Wyoming, and has been a photographer for over 40 years.

Humans of LBCC II

Brooke Hopfer

Brooke grew up in Oregon with her parents and older sister, on a ranch with lots of animals. She is now attending Linn Benton as a sophomore and working towards a degree in animal science, all the while running her own business. Her business is called Elite Club Lambs, and places its focus on raising show-lambs to market to youth. In her spare time, Brooke enjoys baking and spending time with her cats. When asked what the biggest hurdle of college has been for her, Brooke replied, “Time management.” The thing that keeps Brooke going through thick and thin is that she is, “Pursuing a career [she] is passionate about.” In the fall, she plans to transfer to Purdue University in Indiana. With her degree, she intends to become a ruminant nutritionist, “Formulating rations (or diets) for ruminant animals.”

Austin Montero

Austin is a freshman dual enrolled here at LBCC and at OSU. He started out the year as a mechanical engineering major, but he switched over to business management after a bad experience with a chemistry class which he says has been the most challenging thing about college so far. Austin does enjoy school though, and he says his favorite thing is, “Just exploring what I actually want to do with life, I think this is a good trial phase right now.” He also stated, “I just think the hardest part is making new connections and friends.” Austin explained that he moved here from Hawaii, where his hometown community is very close-knit, and he says it has been like moving from a small pond to the ocean. He grew up on the north shore of Oahu: “That’s like the main surfing area, but I don’t surf,” Austin says. His interests are playing the guitar, and writing his own music. Back home, he has parents and a sister in high school whom he was able to visit over winter break. Next fall, Austin will be transferring to Arizona State University to pursue his passion: music.

Week One Assignment

Hey everyone! My name is Natalie, I am a freshman at LBCC and taking photojournalism for the first time this term. My major is in Business Administration, but my passion is photography. I wanted to branch out by taking this journalism class, and see a side of photography that differs from just taking senior portraits, or family photos.

My goals for this class are to not only better my perceptive and technical skills as a photographer, but to become more comfortable just putting myself out there and starting conversations with people I've never met. I also hope to use this as an opportunity to familiarize myself with the culture of Linn Benton- up to this point in school, I have tended to keep to myself and I hope to become more involved.

Some things I could photograph over the course of the term would be LBCC sports, I know that it is baseball season right now and good sports photos and a write-up of a game always makes for interesting subject matter. I am also taking an animal science course this term, and we leave campus every week for lab. If I could take my camera with me on these trips, I could get some great hands-on shots of student involvement at LB, and the notes I take for my lab write-ups could also serve a purpose for this class. Another idea would be to look in on a culinary arts class and photograph students working in the kitchen and making delicious food. All in all, I look forward to the experiences I will have journaling for this class!

Humans of LBCC

Chase Williams

Chase is currently attending Linn Benton as a junior in college, following some time spent in school in Southern Oregon and California. Her major is in communications, which she hopes to use to become a talk show host, or a PR representative. When asked what she believes to be the most difficult part of college, she responded, “Getting into the swing of it. It’s nothing like they say it is in high school- the teachers can be nice and flexible, or they can be harsh and cold, you can start your day at 8 am, or you can start your day at 6 pm, it all just depends on you.” Chase says that the thing that inspires her to push through the hard times is “The fact that this is something that would make my family proud.” She is a second-generation college student who grew up in Sacramento, California. Her mother has a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and she is the figure who inspired Chase to pursue a future in communications. She stated, “I would love to be able to influence people with my voice. I want to learn to have a golden voice, and a silver tongue.”

Nellie Kosmala

Nellie is a beyond high school student, attending LBCC this year as a freshman. Her major is in business, and in her experience the most difficult part of college has been time management. The thing that keeps her moving forward in school is the “end goal”. She explained this by saying, “Keeping the end goal in mind. Even though I may be a business major, to get my degree I have to take a biology class. It’s just remembering that the biology class is the step to the goal.” Nellie was born in southern California but moved shortly after to Lebanon, where she has lived since. Her father is from New Zealand and she is a dual citizen of New Zealand and the United States, giving her the freedom to live in either country or in Australia if she so desires. She currently lives on a family farm where they grow cherries and peaches. Nellie went to a private high school up until last year, when she went to live in South America for a short time. “I like to travel,” Nellie says. She was inspired to move ahead of pace in school, “To get done- the degree helps get you to the thing you want to do, but I mostly just want to do the thing.” For Nellie, this means planning events, or becoming a business manager. She would also happily accept a job which allows her to travel the world. In the fall Nellie will be transferring to Corban University, with hopes of attaining her master’s degree.