Aug 29, 2024 | Curry Campus, Curry News, Student Success
Coos Bay, OR – The Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation is proud to congratulate our 2024-25 Curry County scholarship recipients. Thanks to generous donors, the organization awarded 23 scholarships totaling $23,000 for students from Curry County attending Southwestern for the upcoming academic year.
“Students who receive scholarships tell us that it helps them get started on a goal they thought they couldn’t achieve,” said Karen Pringle Cunningham, SWOCC Foundation Board of Trustees member. “It boosts self-confidence and relieves a financial burden for them and their families. Seeing a thank you letter from a student you helped is a rewarding experience.”
Guided by a board of community volunteers, the Southwestern Foundation organized as a nonprofit organization in 1962, the year after the college started. Since then, thousands of students have attended the college and received Foundation scholarships. These awards help students by breaking down financial barriers and inspiring students to better their lives and futures.
If you are interested in donating to scholarships or volunteering with the Southwestern Foundation visit www.socc.edu/give or call 541-888-7209 for additional information.
2024-25 Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation Curry County Scholarship Recipients:
SCHOLARSHIP |
RECIPIENT(S) |
Andy Toribio Scholarship |
Sonia |
Haro |
Ann Lansing Scholarship |
Steven |
Scruggs |
Baughman Memorial Apprenticeship Scholarship |
Dylan |
Kamph |
Bezzerides Scholarship |
Kylie |
Shaw-Kamehaiku |
Dani |
Marshall |
Cherie J. Mitchell Scholarship |
Jade |
Bernhardt |
Curry Campus General Scholarship |
Brooke |
Gray |
Gracie |
Brozdounoff |
Alannah |
Clark |
Maxine Smith Scholarship |
Stephanie |
Horn |
Menasha Legacy Fund Scholarship |
Aimie |
Bussmann |
Nancy Douglas Memorial Scholarship |
Ava |
Bolster |
New Beginnings for Tribal Students Scholarship |
Oliver |
Merritt |
SWOCC Foundation Board General Scholarship |
Chanel |
Greenwood |
Dustin |
Ledford |
Taya |
Torres |
RayAnne |
Lockett |
June |
Markum |
SWOCC Foundation General Nursing Scholarship |
Amanda |
Higgins |
SWOCC Foundation General Scholarship |
Jeffrey |
Jennings |
SWOCC Foundation General Scholarship |
Sonia |
Haro |
The Friends of the Curry Public Library James Boyle Memorial Scholarship |
Zachary |
Renfro |
The Yellow Cab Taxi Scholarship |
Emmett |
Hawthorne |
*Note: Some scholarship recipients request their award(s) not be listed publicly. The Foundation respects their privacy by not including them on this list.
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May 22, 2024 | Community, Curry Campus, Curry News
The Second Annual Wild Rivers Film Festival (WRFF) in Brookings, Oregon is a few months away, Aug. 15 – 18, 2024, however, the community can get a sneak preview at the Curry Campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College on Thursday, June 13, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm.
Sue Wright and Kat Lidell, board members of the WRFF will be the presenters for this lecture. Each brings a wealth of experience to the film festival.
Dr. Sue Marie Wright, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at Eastern Washington University’s Department of Sociology and Justice Studies. As president of the Wild Rivers Film Festival, she leads efforts like the new summer filmmaking workshop for middle and high school students, showcasing her leadership and commitment to community development. Sue founded and directed the Children’s Studies Program from 2002 to 2012. Dr. Wright is dedicated to fostering creative expression among children and youth through research initiatives, community support, and educational grant proposals.
Kat Liddell, a Brookings native, wears many hats in the community. Liddell has spent the last seven years co-hosting The Insider Report entertainment podcast with Bruce Ellis, and is the Executive Director of Brookings’ newest nonprofit theater company, Threepenny Theater Co. Liddell received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Bushnell University in 2012 and a master’s degree in library science in 2018. By day, Liddell works as a librarian.
This year’s festival will feature a film made by local young people. Students are invited to learn the art and craft of film making through a week-long workshop at the Curry Campus. The youth workshop film will be presented at the festival. Registration for this free class is May 13-June 28. The Class will be held the week of July 15-21. More information is available at: https://www.wildriversfilmfestival.com/event-details/summer-youth-filmmaking-workshop.
The film workshop is funded this summer by grants through the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, The Ford Family Foundation, and Brookings Harbor Education Foundation.
Last year the festival organizers screened 60 independent films from around the world that were entered into a competition for cash awards. This year the festival organizers will screen many more films and are including a screenwriting competition.
The film festival is attended by film makers and film enthusiasts. It gives the public an opportunity to meet the film makers. Selected films will include a Q & A with the film makers after the show. The festival is a multi-day experience for south coast residents and attracts people from outside the region contributing to the local tourism 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.
Stay tuned for upcoming talks in our speaker series. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.
May 20, 2024 | Curry Campus, Curry News, News, Student Success
Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 6:00 pm, for our Annual Student Research Symposium. In addition to the student presentations, a poster exhibit will be on display starting at 5:30 pm in the Umpqua Hall Main Lobby. 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.
For those not able to attend in person the lecture will be streamed live on the College’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@southwesternOR/streams.
Southwestern’s student SPEAR (STEAM, Pathways, Experimental, & Academic Research) Team is actively working on a variety of science research projects. Participation on the team teaches students valuable skills and allows them to gain hands-on experience.
Students within Physics, Engineering, Geology, Computer Science, Biology, Agroecology, and Sociology will be showcasing their work for the community. Our SPEAR team is led by Krystal Hopper Meyers and mentored by Professors Aaron Coyner, Win McLaughlin, and Derek Morrelli.
Some of the projects include:
- attempting to increase flight time for an electrical aircraft using magnetic induction,
- recent developments in nuclear propulsion,
- searching for micrometeorites within local storm drains and investigating if they were significant in supporting early plant life,
- researching the fossils, chronology, and relationship to Cascadia megathrust earthquakes at Fossil Point,
- comparing the composition and extent of the Oregon Coast basalt and if it correlates with Yellowstone hotspot or not,
- interplanetary ion population modeling working with a Lead Scientist at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio,
- locating never found before asteroids using data sent to us from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PAN-STARRS) located at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii,
- statistical analysis of King Tide heights and frequencies working NOAA tidal data.
Many of these projects are supported by grants awarded through Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium.
Additionally, Professors Jason Bennett and Maria Farinacci have two students who will be presenting research on invasive Green Crabs. These students recently finished an internship with South Slough National Estuary Research Reserve Lead Scientist, Dr. Shon Schooler. Posters from Professor Dana Pertermann’s Sociology students’ will also be on display. Topics from their research include Indigenous culture and raising grandchildren, Japanese marriage customs and culture, the study of forensics in time over the last 100 years, and changes in the human diet.
Please join us and help support these students while learning more about the exciting things happening at the College within our STEAM programs!
For more information contact Krystal Hopper Meyers, STEAM Pathways Assistant, at 541-888-7416, or krystal.hopper@socc.edu.
To learn more about STEM degrees at Southwestern visit: https://www.socc.edu/programs-classes/stem.
May 7, 2024 | Curry Campus, Curry News, News
Southwestern Oregon Community College is excited to announce that selected credit classes during summer term are being offered on a “Two for One” deal. Register for one summer class and take another course for FREE!
Our “Two for One” summer deal allows students a cost-effective way to explore their options and career pathways. Do you need to get ahead on credits over the summer? Are you looking for a way to broaden your horizons? Maybe you only have a few credits left to earn your degree. There’s no better time to enroll at SWOCC.
Both classes students register for must be for credit. This offer excludes Oregon Coast Culinary Institute courses. All required fees and books are the student’s responsibility. The second class must be of equal or lesser value. Classes may be in-person or online and must be a minimum of three credits, with a maximum limit of two free classes. Tuition waiver will be added to student’s accounts on July 3, 2024.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to double your learning potential this summer at Southwestern!
For more information and to register contact the Student Success Center at 541-888-7352 for the Coos Campus, and 541-813-1667 for the Curry Campus.
Mar 31, 2024 | Curry News, Foundation, News, OCCI News
COOS BAY, OR — Experience an evening of culinary excellence and exquisite wines as the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute and Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation present the 2024 Winemakers’ Dinner on Saturday, May 4.

OCCI chefs present at the winemakers dinner.
The Winemakers’ Dinner immerses guests in an evening of conversation and storytelling with premier Oregon winery Willamette Valley Vineyards. Scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m., at OCCI, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, the menu will pair six wines with the fine cuisine of award-winning OCCI Executive Chef Randy Torres and his student chefs. This multi-course meal will feature carefully crafted food and wine pairings that highlight the unique and complimentary attributes of spectacular Northwest cuisine.
Sit down among friends and listen as the storytelling starts relating the tale of Willamette Vineyards’ creator Jim Bernau’s dream to develop an old orchard overcome with blackberry vines into a world class winery known for producing the finest Pinot Noirs. The conversation will touch on propagation, terroir and the art of fermentation. Today, Willamette Valley Vineyards grows grapes in five regions and has assembled a team of winemakers who bring experiences from throughout the West Coast wine industry to create a wide array of award-winning wines.
The event is a collaborative fundraiser to showcase the skills of the college’s Culinary Competition Team and assist the college’s culinary program with investing in equipment. Having participated in the World Culinary Olympics this year, Chef Torres and his student chefs will talk about their experiences and their creative thoughts in creating the menu.

OCCI executive chef Randy Torres demonstrates plating to student chefs.
“It’s important to know that we invest 100% of the funds raised from tickets to this event directly into top-quality equipment for our kitchens,” said Chef Torres. “Likewise, being able to hire the finest chef instructors and inspire excellence in our students is a direct result of the college and community’s commitment to our students.”
Tickets for this fundraising event are $190 per person. Seating is limited. “We are grateful for this support and ultimately being able to support the local economy and provide excellent chefs for the tourism and culinary industries,” Torres said.
For more information or to purchase seats, please contact the Southwestern Foundation at (541) 888-7209, email foundation@socc.edu. or go to www.socc.edu/give.
Mar 12, 2024 | Community, Curry News
Brookings, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Campus invites the community to join us on Thursday, March 14, 2024, 12:00 to 1:00 pm for “Curry County Watersheds and You!”.
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.
The Curry Watersheds Partnership is a group of non-regulatory organizations working together to help local landowners and communities keep our shared lands and rivers healthy and sustainable. The Curry Watersheds Partnership includes the Curry Soil and Water Conservation District, the South Coast and Lower Rogue Watershed Councils, and the Curry Watersheds Nonprofit. Our staff and dedicated network of volunteers are focused on improving our watershed health through community-based restoration efforts, scientific monitoring, and educating the public through local schools and community presentations.
Guest Speakers Kelly Timchak, Robie Lascheck and Liesl Coleman:
Kelly Timchak always knew she wanted to work in creeks and rivers. She previously worked for the Port Orford Ocean Resource Team and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Science in Fisheries from the University of New Brunswick, Canada. Kelly is the Lower Rogue Watershed Coordinator.
Robie Lascheck has a passion for mountain lakes and crystal-clear rivers. He received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Oregon, and Master of Environmental Management from Portland State University. He has worked on a variety of natural resource monitoring projects. His tool set includes natural resource monitoring, data analysis, and GIS. He is the South Coast Watershed Council Coordinator.
Liesl Coleman is a happy and hardworking Manager at Curry Soil and Water Conservation District. One of the things she loves most about the work of the Curry Watersheds Partnership is building relationships that endure and create respectful stewardship of the watershed.
Stay tuned for upcoming talks in our speaker series. Talks this spring will focus on travel and tourism and the Wild Rivers Film Festival. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.