Feb 10, 2025 | News, Student Success
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Swim Teams have made history, achieving the highest GPA for both the men’s and women’s programs in the NJCAA. Both the men’s and women’s swim teams have received the Scholar All-America Team award with 3.74 and 3.78 GPAs respectively. This recognition, awarded by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is a testament to the team’s unwavering commitment to excellence in both the classroom and the pool.
SWOCC Swim has long been known for its high standards, but this year’s achievement is particularly remarkable. Under the leadership of head coach Sandra Bullock, the team has continued to raise the bar every season, proving that academic and athletic success go hand in hand. The women’s team has been NJCAA runner-up champions for four consecutive years, while the men’s team has secured the runner-up position for the past three years.
This recognition is a true reflection of the hard work and dedication of these student-athletes. The team not only competes at the highest level in the pool but also strives for excellence in the classroom.
This year, SWOCC Swim recorded the most 4.0 GPAs in program history, with the following student-athletes earning a 4.0 for fall term: Chenoa Baurer, Isabelle McCabe, Dido Toornend, Suzanne Vesseur, Taylor Hagedorn, Lindsey Tatakis, Maison Alexander, Rami Escure, Lars Knudsen, Luke Norris, Jack Roberts, Sergio Rodríguez Rodríguez, and Till Schröder.
The team has two more regular season meets before heading to the NJCAA National Championship in Buffalo, NY, from March 5-8, 2025. They competed at home in Coos Bay on February 9, at the North Bend Municipal Pool, followed by the Tualatin Hills Swim Club Last Chance Meet in Beaverton, OR, on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
This achievement speaks volumes about the culture of the SWOCC swim program. These athletes push themselves in every aspect of their lives, and we are excited to see what they achieve at Nationals this year.
More information can be found here: https://www.cscaa.org/news/2022117/fall2024scholar-2p79k-637p6.
Feb 3, 2025 | Community, Curry Campus, News, Student Success
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 6:00 pm, for a special presentation by Oregon State University’s branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA). This is a free event; all ages are welcome.
Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room (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.
In 2012, a group of students had a goal: to introduce aerospace and aviation to a campus with no formal program for such studies. Oregon State University’s (OSU) branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) was created to fill that void. OSU AIAA is a student-led organization. Since their humble beginnings, they have grown to be one of the largest groups on the OSU campus, serving over 200 members in the Beaver Nation. We invite you to explore their vision and the incredible network of students that fuel their success. The presentation will involve a detailed description of all eight teams housed within OSU AIAA. They will have segments explaining who they are, what they do, and many of the benefits students get by being part of this organization.
About the Presenters:
Brayden Haldezos: Brayden is a senior in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Oregon State University. He is the President of OSU’s AIAA student chapter and is passionate about rocketry, human spaceflight, and aviation. He has served as a Command and Data Handling Engineering Mentor for the NASA L’SPACE Program and has interned at NASA Johnson Space Center as a Payload Systems Engineer for human research onboard the International Space Station. He enjoys providing students with resources and opportunities for success, specifically within the aerospace field.
SWOCC SPEAR Alumni, Damian Lilienthal: Damian is a senior at Oregon State University, pursuing a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He is the lead of the High-Altitude Rocket Team (HART), where he manages a team focused on designing a two-stage rocket with a goal of reaching an altitude of 100,000 feet. Damian also went through NASA’s NCAS (National Community College Aerospace Scholars) program that ultimately cued his interest in the field. Damian has experience in various aerospace projects with his position in HART, including hands-on expertise in rocket propulsion and structural systems. Passionate about advancing the field, he actively engages in both academic and extracurricular projects to promote the program through presentations and career fairs.
Nicholas Alves: Nick is a junior majoring in electrical engineering at Oregon State University. He serves as the Social Media Coordinator for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) club at OSU and as the avionics co-lead for the High-Altitude Rocket Team (HART). His passion lies in aerospace and advancing humanity’s future in space exploration.
Quade Stiansen: Quade is a senior pursuing a dual Bachelor’s degree in mechanical and manufacturing engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering at Oregon State University. He is on the executive board for the AIAA club and assists the Student Competition Rocket Payload Team. Quade’s passion began in high school after he was introduced to the FIRST Robotics Competition. He hopes to pursue a career in the aerospace industry, potentially working for companies like SpaceX and NASA.
Lukas Knipple: Lukas is in his second year at OSU pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. As an avid fan of aerospace, he joined AIAA’s Solar Plane Team and HALE Liquid Rocketry Team when he began at Oregon State. In addition to being the Chief Treasurer of AIAA, he works on design, instrumentation, and control of HALE’s flight vehicle and mobile launch pad electrical systems. All things programming and electrical are his interest, and he hopes to take that passion into the aerospace industry after he graduates.
For more information please 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/.
Jan 21, 2025 | Community, Curry Campus, News, Student Success
COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 6:00 pm, for “The Case for Humans Hunting Ice Age Animals in Eastern Oregon 18,000 Years Ago” with Patrick O’Grady, Ph.D., District Archaeologist for Burns District Bureau of Land Management. This is a free event; all ages are welcome.
Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room (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.
About the Lecture:
Rimrock Draw Rockshelter (35HA3855) is a small and shallow rockshelter located in Harney County, Oregon at the north edge of the Great Basin. Situated in wide-open sagebrush steppe country, the location looks much like a thousand other nearby places where one might expect to find stone tools dating from the mid- to late-Holocene. However, the archaeological record at this site ends around 7,000 years ago, shortly after the cataclysmic eruption that formed Crater Lake from Mount Mazama, and human occupation of the site begins much earlier. Dates of 18,000 to 17,000 years before present have been obtained through high precision Accelerator Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon assays (AMS14C) on Camelops and Bison tooth enamel fragments collected from deeply buried archaeological deposits. The teeth are associated with stone tools and chipping debris indicating human contemporaneity at the site. Other evidence suggests that several genera of Pleistocene herbivores were butchered and consumed there. This presentation will include an overview of fieldwork at the rockshelter to contextualize the provenience of the dated enamel fragments.
About the Presenter:
Patrick O’Grady earned his Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon and worked for their Museum of Natural and Cultural History from 2005 until 2023. Before that, he worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation as a highway archaeologist. He is currently the District Archaeologist and Tribal Liaison for the Burns District Bureau of Land Management in southeastern Oregon where he did much of his research. O’Grady’s focus over the years has been on hunter-gatherer adaptations, Paleoamerican archaeology, geophysical field applications, and zooarchaeology, including the development of a substantial comparative osteological collection for the University of Oregon.
For more information about the lecture series contact Dr. Win McLaughlin, Assistant Professor, Geology at win.mclaughlin@socc.edu or 541-888-7002.
For more information on upcoming lectures 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/.
Jan 2, 2025 | Community, Curry News, Foundation, News, OCCI News, Student Success
Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation is accepting scholarship applications to help students achieve their educational and career goals. Any credit-seeking student—those pursuing a degree or certificate—planning to attend Southwestern during the 2025-26 academic year is encouraged to apply. Applications are open January 1 – March 1, 2025, at www.socc.edu/scholarships.
With one simple application, students can be considered for multiple scholarships. Students who apply by 11:59 p.m. on February 1, 2025, will be eligible to be considered for a $1,000 Early Bird Scholarship. The final deadline for all applications is 11:59 p.m. on March 1, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Thanks to the generosity of community donors, Southwestern Foundation awards more than $300,000 in scholarships annually. These funds are available to students pursuing nearly every field of study at the College’s Coos and Curry campuses and at the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute (OCCI).
Workshops to Help You Succeed!
Need help with your scholarship application? Have questions about the FAFSA/financial aid? Join us at one of our FREE workshops!
Scholarship Writing Seminar – Build confidence and learn tips for writing strong essays.
Coos Campus, Empire Hall Lakeview E (above cafeteria)
- Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025:
- Session 1 = 11:00 a.m. – Noon
- Session 2 = 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Financial Aid and Scholarship Drop-In Workshops – Get personalized, in-person help from financial aid and scholarship experts. Bring your specific FAFSA or scholarship questions, or use this time to work on your application with representatives on site. Computers will be available for use.
Coos Campus, Tioga 301 (1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay):
- Monday, Jan 27 @ 1:00 – 3:00pm
- Friday, Feb 7 @ 3:00 – 5:00pm
- Thursday, Feb 13 @ 10:00 – 12:00pm
- Wednesday, Feb 26th @ 4:00 – 6:00pm
Curry Campus, Room 232 (96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings):
- Tuesday, Jan 28th @ 10:30 – 2:30pm
A Legacy of Support for Students
Since 1962, the Southwestern Foundation has helped thousands of students achieve their educational and training dreams by breaking down financial barriers. Scholarships make it possible for students to focus on their education, build skills and prepare for future career success.
Interested in supporting Southwestern students? Visit www.socc.edu/give to learn how you can contribute.
Contact Information
For more information about Southwestern Foundation scholarships, visit www.socc.edu/scholarships, email foundation@socc.edu or call 541-888-7209.
Dec 9, 2024 | Alumni, News, Student Success
Southwestern’s newest degree program, Associate of Applied Science in Human Services, will graduate its first cohort of students this spring. Already, they are planning their future careers and how they want to serve the community. What draws people into the Human Services field? Some answers might surprise you.
Anna (Carder) Perry – Coos Campus
Anna Perry once thought she’d like to be a teacher. She tried college in 1989 enrolling in fall term at SWOCC. But life just didn’t cooperate for her to continue. It was after working for many years in the school districts, assisting children dealing with disabilities and behavior challenges, that she took the leap. Those years spent at the South Coast Educational Service District and the North Bend School District fueled her hunger to figure out what a child needs. “Behavior became my curiosity!” Perry said.
Born in Japan to an American dad and Japanese mother, at 10 Anna immigrated to Oregon. She ended up in the foster care system. She would spend the next seven years bouncing between eight different homes. Sometimes she was removed from a living situation without any explanation. A case worker would pick her up from school and take her to a new home. “I felt a lot of embarrassment. Wondering what was wrong with me that people didn’t want me,” she remembers. “But as I matured, I tried to take with me one positive lesson learned from each home situation and use it in my life.”
Ultimately, these experiences led Anna into a career working to understand and help children.
“My degree is a goal I finally see coming to light. Now I want to go back to working with kids locally and bringing all that I’ve learned to the community I love.”
“I’ve been really impressed with how my schoolwork and classes have organically complimented each other. From my Interpersonal Communications class with Dr. Ali Mageehon to Psychology with Cheryl Davies, and my Human Services classes with Dr. Lewis. They really have this curriculum figured out! They have the right people with the right experience sharing their knowledge.”
“My education at SWOCC has given me confidence. I understand so much more, and I have grown with new skills, knowledge, and experience all centered around mental health and behavioral issues.”
Ashley Cook – Curry Campus
The day we interviewed Ashley Cook for this feature coincidentally happened to be a significant milestone in her life. Nine years ago, she got clean, after spending more than half of her life struggling with addiction. To get away from a bad situation in California, family members helped her start over in Brookings.
Homeless, with only a backpack and a skateboard, it’s here she found St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church – which proved to be a pivotal connection for her. She started engaging at the church, getting meals, showers, and volunteering for whatever needed to be done. Eventually, she landed a job cleaning hotel rooms.
Slowly, slowly she got her life back: a driver’s license, a place to live, her kids! Narcotics anonymous was her main support resource. One of their mottoes resonated with her, “we only keep what we have by giving it away.” After losing both her father and brother in drug-related deaths, Ashley gained a new perspective and felt compelled by a desire to give back and be of service to others.
So, she signed up for school. “I knew I wanted to do something useful, but I was scared to change. I’m too old. It’s too hard, I would think.”
“I want to be the person for struggling teens that I wish I had when I was their age.”
Eventually Ashley met with Val Cowan, the Curry Campus Academic Advisor. When Val learned about Ashley’s background, and desire to become a drug and alcohol counselor, she knew the Human Services degree would be a perfect match.
Have there been challenges? Of course. “I would be feeling down on myself. This is hard. I’m not doing well . . . then I’d turn in a paper and get an A and think, ‘Wow, I can do this.’ I also struggled with using technology. I wasn’t tech savvy, so I had to learn all of that, too. But John and Val at the Curry Campus were always there for me. And Dr. Lewis is amazing!”
“Now I’m addicted to learning and I want to keep going, perhaps earn my bachelor’s so I can work with young adults or at-risk teens. I’m ready!”
Whether working with individuals facing mental health challenges, addiction, families in crisis, or marginalized communities, social workers and counselors play a crucial role in supporting and empowering people to overcome obstacles and build better futures. Southwestern is committed to educating these future professionals!
To learn more about the Human Services degree contact Dr. Jenn Lewis at 541-888-7249 or by email at jennifer.lewis@socc.edu.
Read what our featured students have to say about their instructor Dr. Lewis:
“Professor Lewis is the heart and soul of my decision to continue my education. Her kindness, caring heart, and dedication have surpassed my expectations. I want to thank her for her compassion as we’ve navigated many challenging subjects.” – Anna Perry
“She’s an amazing teacher bringing tons of experience with her. She’s very supportive and understanding. She’s always there encouraging me when I am struggling with an assignment or just in general. She makes everyone feel included and doesn’t want to leave anybody behind.” – Ashley Cook
Sep 1, 2024 | Curry Campus, News, Student Success
Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College announces the names of students who excelled spring term for the 2023-2024 academic school year. These students are being recognized with placement on the college’s Dean’s List (DL), Honor Roll (HR) and Academic Excellence (AE) list.
• Academic Excellence – students must receive a GPA of 4.0 in at least 12 credits
• Honor Roll – students must receive a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99 in at least 12 credits
• Dean’s List – students must receive a GPA between 3.0 and 3.49 in at least 12 credits
