Apr 23, 2024 | Curry Campus, News
COOS BAY, OR – The Oregon TRIO Association (OTA) is proud to announce the receipt of a $6,000 grant from the Coquille Tribal Fund. This generous award will support OTA’s mission to provide resources and support for low-income students in the Southwestern Oregon area who are pursuing postsecondary education.
In today’s educational landscape, access to technology is paramount for academic success. Many students from disadvantaged communities face barriers to accessing essential resources like computers, laptops, tablets, and high-speed internet connectivity. The grant from the Coquille Tribal Fund will enable OTA to bridge this digital divide and ensure that these students have the necessary tools to thrive in their academic pursuits.
“We are grateful to the Coquille Tribe for their generosity and support of our pre-college TRIO students. As potential first generation college students, our high school TRIO scholars have overcome many obstacles and worked very hard. They are grateful for the community support and are so thankful to the Coquille Tribe for enabling them to enter college next fall with a laptop.” – DeAnne Varitek, Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Director of TRIO, Upward Bound, and Educational Talent Search.
“Our project aims to address the critical need for technology access among low-income students in Southwestern Oregon,” said Matt Bisek, Executive Director of the Oregon TRIO Association. “This generous grant from the Coquille Tribal Fund will allow us to provide computers, laptops, tablets, and internet connectivity to students in need, empowering them to access online learning platforms, research materials, and educational software.”
The project targets households in the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) community, where access to affordable broadband and essential resources like computers is often limited. According to the 2020 Census, a significant number of households in Oregon lack access to computers or internet connectivity, further exacerbating educational disparities.
“There are 140+ AI/AN TRIO students in the Coquille Tribal Fund target area that OTA can reach,” added Bisek. “This grant will make a tangible difference in the lives of these students, providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed academically.”
OTA’s project addresses the immediate need for technology access and contributes to long-term economic development and educational equity in the Southwestern Oregon area. By providing students with the tools they need to excel in their studies, OTA is helping to create a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape for all students.
For more information about the TRIO Talent Search program at Southwestern Oregon Community College, please visit our webpage. (www.socc.edu/resources/trio-programs). If you or your organization is interested in supporting our TRIO programs with a donation you can do so at: https://www.socc.edu/give. Please label your donation “TRIO Pre-College”.
Apr 5, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus
Brookings, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Campus invites the community to join us on Thursday, May 9, 2024, 12:00 to 1:00 pm for: Inspiring Travel and Strengthening a Sustainable Coastal Economy.
This is a free program sponsored by the Friends of Curry Campus and will be held in the Community Room on Southwestern’s Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway (off Highway 101), Brookings. Bring a friend and a brown bag lunch.
Want to learn more about travel and tourism in Curry County? Stacey Reynolds and Miranda Plagge both play big roles in what’s happening in Curry County now and in the future. Their talk promises to be one filled with stories and strategies.
Stacey Reynolds works as the Global Sales and Marketing Coordinator for the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA). They are a Regional Destination Management Organization for the entire Oregon Coast.
The tourism industry is one of the leading economic drivers on the Oregon Coast. OCVA’s mission is to inspire travel and strengthen collaboration to create and steward a sustainable coastal economy.
The OCVA is the official Regional Destination Management Organization (RDMO) for the entire Oregon Coast as designated by the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon).
OCVA has the honor of working with coastal communities to align partnerships, destination development projects, and destination marketing with the vision of creating “a coastal utopia for all.” This includes coastal stakeholders, new and returning visitors, and the natural resources that make these coveted experiences so magical.
Stacey Reynolds was born in Portland, Oregon but raised in North Dakota. Stacey knew from an early age she’d return to Oregon. The Oregon Coast captured her twelve-year-old heart while on a family vacation during a stormy Thanksgiving, and she vowed to move here someday. Now, as a 15-year resident of the coast, her love for The People’s Coast still runs deep.
Stacey attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, where she studied graphic communications with an art minor. Stacey has used her graphic design skills to market companies of all sizes, including her own small business on the Oregon Coast. Through this experience, she found a passion for building and promoting small community-oriented businesses. She is deeply excited to bring her passion and skills to the OCVA team. Her past projects with OCVA include developing the Oregon Coast Public Art Trail and designing communication pieces for the Oregon Ocean Cluster Initiative.
Stacey lives in Brookings with her son and enjoys hiking the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor, surfing, swimming, and exploring the local rivers.
Miranda Plagge is the Economic Development Administrator for Curry County. She actively promotes the expansion of the tourism industry on the South Coast, while also expanding her responsibilities to include more comprehensive economic endeavors.
Her professional experience prior to Curry County ranged from the picturesque landscapes of Colorado to the dynamic culture of New Mexico. Miranda pursued a Bachelor of Science in Creative Media at New Mexico State University while minoring in Business Administration. Miranda also completed a certificate in Sustainable Destination Management from The George Washington University.
In addition to her professional pursuits, Miranda supports the arts and community development. With her past positions as President of the Ellensburg Theatre Company and Board of Director for Travel Southern Oregon Coast, she continues to promote sustainable development and cultural vitality.
“I lead one of Oregon’s hottest destinations on the southern Oregon coastline. I’m extremely passionate about telling the stories of this region including the businesses that make up this industry. The businesses we support gravitate to my office for direction in social media engagement and strategy. We help educate businesses on the possibilities of scaling up with consistent social media marketing, all while promoting the County with traditional and non-traditional media buys. When I’m not developing marketing strategies, I love traveling – road trips are my absolute favorite! I sit on the Board of Directors for Gold Beach Mainstreet, Rogue Playhouse, and South Coast Oregon Film Festival. I also try to keep up with 15 nieces and nephews throughout the year.”
Stay tuned for upcoming talks in our speaker series. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.
Apr 1, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus, News
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College will be hosting a financial aid workshop on the Coos Campus (1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay) on Monday, April 15, 2024. This event is free and open to all. It will take place on the third floor of Tioga Hall in the Tutoring Center from 8:00am to 5:00pm. The first 40 people to arrive will receive a $10 Gas/Grocery card.
CURRY COUNTY RESIDENTS: Join us via zoom from the Curry Campus, Room 232 (906082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings). The first 10 people to arrive will receive a $10 Gas/Grocery card.
Financial aid advisors will be available to assist people with submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the first step in securing funding to pay for the costs associated with going to college. Applying for federal and state aid can be time consuming and difficult. The Financial Aid staff at Southwestern would like to provide current students, prospective students, and the community assistance with navigating this process.
The workshop offers hands-on assistance from trained professionals who will be available to help you navigate the FAFSA from beginning to end. Our staff will also be able to access any successfully submitted FAFSAs that we have received to review them for errors and assist you with making corrections to the form.
It is important to submit your FAFSA as soon as possible as Southwestern has a Priority Deadline of August 1, 2024 for the submission of all additional required paperwork.
For more information contact Stevie Jennings, Director of Financial Aid at Southwestern via email at stevie.jennings@socc.edu or by calling 541-888-1615.
General information regarding financial aid can be found on our website: HERE.
Mar 25, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus, News
Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College is excited to present a lecture by Dr. Alex Ruzicka, Director of the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory and Professor of Geology at Portland State University, who will discuss the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory. Please join us on Thursday April 25, 2024, at 6:00 pm. This is a free event; all ages are welcome.
Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room 184 on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay.
Curry County residents can join us for a watch party in the Community Room on the Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings.
About the lecture:
The Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory (CML) at Portland State University started in 2003 and now hosts one of the largest public collections of meteorites in the United States. Join CML Director and Professor Alex Ruzicka as he reviews the start and growth of the lab, its goals, and the techniques used for specimen analysis. The talk will focus on serendipitous discoveries made by students and lab personnel.
About the presenter:
Dr. Ruzicka is a Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland State University, and the Director of the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory. Dr. Ruzicka studies the origin and evolution of the solar system and the bodies within it. His research specialty is the geochemistry, petrology, and cosmochemistry of meteorites.
For those unable to attend in-person, the talk will be streamed live through Southwestern’s YouTube channel.
For more information about the lecture series contact Dr. Aaron Coyner, Associate Professor of Physics, at 541-888-7244, aaron.coyner@socc.edu.
For information about studying physics at Southwestern visit our Physics webpage.
Mar 15, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus
Brookings, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Campus invites the community to join us on Thursday, April 11, 2024, 12:00 to 1:00 pm for: Odd Creatures in Our Tide Pools.
Bill Gorham, a marine biologist who’s lived and dived around the world from Alaska and Australia to Hawaii and the Virgin Islands retired to Brookings with his wife, Vicki, in 2017. Bill’s passion for the ocean started as a kid in Illinois (huh?). In this talk, he’ll share stories and images from decades of diving, teaching, beach combing, and tide pooling. Discover what you can find when you slow down and look closely at the things on the beach, whether they live in or on it, traverse through it, or simply get washed up. Explore the weird animals and plants, both common and hidden, that find unique ways to make the intertidal home.
Bill wants to motivate the audience to take care of the ocean and all its resources whether from discarded trash, overfishing, marine heat waves, or acidification. And, he’ll provide some words of wisdom for safe beach combing or tide pooling by reminding you about slippery rocks, rogue waves, mean crabs, spiny fish, and other surprises.
This is a free program sponsored by the Friends of Curry Campus and will be held in the Community Room on Southwestern’s Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway (off Highway 101), Brookings. Bring a friend and a brown bag lunch.
Stay tuned for upcoming talks in our speaker series. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.
Mar 6, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus, News
Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College is excited to announce open house events for those who would like to learn more about our new SWOCC Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program.
CURRY COUNTY RESIDENTS: Join us Thursday, March 21, 2024 at the Curry Campus, Room 232 (906082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings).
COOS COUNTY RESIDENTS: Join us Friday, March 22, 2024 at the Coos Campus, Tioga Hall, Fourth Floor, Rooms 409 and 410 (1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay).
These events are free and will run from 12:00pm to 7:00pm.
The open house provides an opportunity for anyone who is interested in obtaining entry-level construction skills to try out heavy equipment simulators, meet the instructors, and find out more about how to prepare for a career in the trades. We will also be set up to help people apply to the program.
The SWOCC Works program is tailored for individuals 16+ years old who are seeking the transferrable skills needed to enter apprenticeships, or to apply to jobs that may include operating equipment such as forklifts, loaders, bulldozers, graders, and cranes. In just two terms, participants will undergo 120 hours of FREE training under the guidance of industry-experienced instructors and earn a certificate of completion issued directly from the Bureau of Labor and Industry.
SWOCC Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program Highlights:
- No experience required
- High school juniors and seniors eligible
- Classes available at SWOCC’s Coos and Curry campuses
- Earn a BOLI-approved certificate
- Gain entry-level construction skills
- Obtain OSHA 10 certification
- Preparation for a career in the trades
For more information and to apply, please contact us via email at swoccworks@socc.edu or call 541-888-1545.
