OWHE Blog
Finding Community Through Mutual Mentorship Apr 11 2019
What can women in differing roles with varying years of experience learn from each other? As it turns out, a lot. The Oregon Women in Higher Education conference not only provides professional development and networking, but a place to reflect on past experience and spark new ideas. And this doesn’t have to end once the conference does. The mutual mentorship program offers a chance to keep the conversations going for the rest of the year with guided conversation, reflection prompts, and encouragement. Our mentorship group formed at the OWHE Conference in January 2018 and consisted of three Oregon State University higher education professionals. We knew each other prior to being matched as mutual mentors, but hadn’t worked together before. Jenesis Long works as an Academic Counselor for the MAAPS program from her home in Bend, Oregon, Alex Aljets works on the OSU Corvallis campus as the University Innovation Alliance Fellow, and Sarah Kyllo works in Corvallis at OSU as well as the F
Shout Out to Chrysanthemum (Mum) Hayes! Mar 28 2019
Imagine that your job is a blank canvas. You still have your title, of course, but you have an opportunity to recreate what it means to do your job in a new, effective way. This was how Chrysanthemum (Mum) Hayes introduced me to my work on the OWHE Board of Directors in July 2017. She told me to imagine that OWHE Education wasn’t just about webinars and session proposals, but to brainstorm all the possibilities for the role.
It was after this brainstorming session that OWHE Education became more complicated and fun. Annie Popoff and I agreed that the OWHE Blog would move to the Education desk so that the professional advancement role could shift to mentorship and engagement. I dreamed of making podcasts, having OWHE sessions and educational meet-ups throughout the year, and all the rest.
Mum had inspired me to think beyond the ordinary and reach for the extraordinary, the sort of content and challenges that would allow me to grow along with the organization.
It Takes A Village Mar 14 2019
The full Nigerian (Igbo) proverb reads, “It takes a village to raise a child”. This quote resonates with me when thinking of my value for community, which is also a value of Oregon Women in Higher Education. I wouldn’t be where I am today without support from my chosen family, community, and mentors. From dropping out of high school, to becoming a scholar-practitioner activist & community leader, I know the importance of having people around you who share values and identities. As a femme with multiple oppressed identities, I know this work can causes serious burnout. Affinity or other forms of community engagement might be critical just to survive the work day, especially in areas like the Pacific Northwest.
Kerry’s Journey in Higher Education Feb 28 2019
I never thought I would be accepted into college and find it incredibly ironic that I have made my career out of working at a college; I have worked 15 years in Student Affairs now and am currently the Associate Director of Housing. Growing up, I struggled to pass classes and despite the efforts I made, the after class programs and hours of studying, I continued to fail tests and do poorly on papers. I never flunked out of moving ahead a grade, but was very worried that no college would accept me. I was accepted to a small university, which at the time I was very excited, but soon learned it was not a good fit for me. While leaving and going through the application process again frightened me, I had a mentor that helped me to realize that the end result of a degree could be achieved at any college or university. I completed one academic year and took some time off and transferred to a school better suited for me.
Meeting the Unique Strengths and Challenges of Nontraditional Preservice Teachers Feb 14 2019
“I wanted to be a teacher. I met with an advisor who told me that all the courses were during the day. I was told that I would have to quit my job in order to complete the program. I remember crying in the parking lot because there was no way for me to quit my job, feed my family and afford to go to school. I felt like I was never going to be a teacher” (WOU graduate and Oregon kindergarten teacher, 2018).
Better Together: Ellen Weeks & Portland State University Jan 31 2019
My life journey is intricately shared with Portland State, from my earliest years and on to the foreseeable future. This university has played a central role in my life, almost like a guardian angel: she’s there when I need her, providing me and others in my life with opportunities to move ahead, often when need was greatest.
At the age of ten, I watched my mother scramble to improve an impossible situation: my father moved out, and she was suddenly a single mother with no career and six children to raise. To this day, I don’t know how she did it, but she managed to find temporary jobs while putting herself through night school at PSU. She graduated with a BA in English, while still giving her six children happy childhoods. The degree opened doors for her and she eventually found a career in the life insurance industry. PSU was there for my mother in her time of greatest need.