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Julie Cooper

Demian Hommel is sitting in front of a large window and two large potted plants. He wears a plaid button up shirt with a black suit jacket and gestures with his hands as he talks. Out of focus in front of him is Mary Ellen Dello Stritto, the Ecampus assistant director of research. Mary Ellen has dark brown hair and wears a vibrant blue shirt and a blue and white scarf.

Rallied by research

3 minute read When Demian Hommel applied for the Oregon State University Ecampus Research Fellows Program, he carried the seed of an idea: Experiential education can transform a student’s understanding of a concept into real-world circumstances, so it should be offered equally to learners in online and traditional classroom settings. What he didn’t know was that sowing the seed of this idea through his research project could help sprout a grassroots community of advocates like him.

Jenny Sasser stands in a long hallway and smiles. She has chin-length grayish brown hair and wears small, round black glasses; a striped button-up shirt; and a beige knit cloche hat with a black brim.

Portland is her classroom

5 minute read “It isn’t just that a student can participate in the hybrid program without leaving Portland. They can deepen their education by being right in the middle of the city and exploring Portland from a new vantage point while also being a member of the OSU community.” Instructor, blogger, author, self-described gero-punk and long-time Portlander Jenny Sasser is set to explore the human experience at the university’s new location near Pioneer Square through a mixture of classroom and online instruction.

Chris Holt wears his black graduation cap and gown and a black "Class of 2018" stole. Oregon State's mascot Benny the Beaver stands on Chris' left side, wearing a white Beavers jersey.

Sometimes the right career move brings you closer to home

3 minute read Chris Holt was well-settled into a career that was stable and provided for his family, but when the long hours kept him away from home too often and his passion for plants pulled him in a new direction, he chose to follow the call. The hands-on experience he gained in the horticulture program led him outdoors to conduct field work for his courses, into his dream job as a middle school agriculture teacher – and most importantly, back home, where he can spend more valuable time with his family.

Hannah Thelen is seated outdoors with her husband to her right. The two are holding a puppy with brown fur, which lays on its back in their arms and looks playful with its mouth open and one front paw in the air.

Up in the air, but laying a strong foundation

3 minute read Ask most college students and they’ll tell you their future career plans are up in the air. But for Hannah Thelen, her current career is – literally. Hannah is an airborne cryptologic linguist in the United States Air Force. By pairing the extensive skills she gains through her business administration degree with the steadfast determination of serving in the Air Force, she has big plans to work in marketing or accounting for a large Pacific Northwest company that aligns with her passion for the outdoors.

Oregon State instructor Raven Chakerian is seated in a red office chair in front of a wall with two large windows. She wears a red and white patterned sleeveless shirt, and she holds her arms loosely crossed on the table in front of her.

Behind the scenes with Raven Chakerian, Spanish and Italian instructor

5 minute read Teaching immediately-applicable skills and guiding students on their multilingual journeys? Now you’re speaking Raven Chakerian’s language. Raven is an online instructor of Spanish and Italian at Oregon State University who realized her passion for languages and communication early on. Even outside of her formal education in Spanish, she pursued language learning through travel, community development, and social interactions. When she joined Oregon State Ecampus five years ago, teaching online was like learning a new language – conquering its challenges and new possibilities, she’s working toward fluency. 

A shared destination. A unique path to get there.

3 minute read Whether they’re at home, commuting to work or crossing the globe, Oregon State Ecampus students are able to pick up their classroom and carry it with them to the next adventure. So when Adrianna Gordon received an email from her academic advisor about a faculty-led study abroad trip to Vancouver, Canada, she was ready to pack her bags.

Larry Roper, director of the college student services administration program. Larry is in the middle of speaking; he wears rectangular-framed glasses and a grey quarter-zip pullover sweater.

Leading with empathy

< 1 minute read In the college student services administration master’s program online and on campus, students are faced with challenging, complex conversations about their field. Though the CSSA learning community consists of diverse perspectives, students and faculty alike have one important thing in common: the desire to make a difference in the lives of college students.