Each fall the Oregon State University hosts a day that encourages faculty and staff to connect with each other and learn about what other departments and colleges are doing. Intended to inspire and motivate employees for the impending academic year, it is also a day to recognize and honor the people and achievements of its employees.
Taking place September 18, 2014, University Day includes awards to approximately 20 faculty and staff members in various categories for their accomplishments and contributions.
College of Business and School of Human Design Instructor, Brigitte Cluver, who also serves as the Program Coordinator for Apparel Design and Merchandising Management, is the recipient of the OSU Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. This award honors unusually significant and meritorious achievement in teaching and scholarship, greatly enhancing instruction for students.
University Day Award Winner Brigitte Cluver with President Ed Ray.
“Brigitte is an extremely dedicated teacher who finds a balance between empathy and stringency. She is uncompromising in her demand for excellence, and provides ample support for students to succeed in their learning,” said Minjeong Kim, Associate Dean for the School of Design and Human Environment.
Cluver, who holds a B.S. from University of California at Davis and two degrees from Oregon State (M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Behavior in the Near Environment) also worked in the textile and apparel industry as a textile laboratory technician.
“As a life-long learner, Brigitte is open to learning new strategies and commits herself to innovative teaching that results in enhanced student learning. Her courses are always evolving with more effective teaching methods.”
Awards were given by President Ed Ray at the OSU Faculty Teaching Award Reception on Wednesday, September 17 and again acknowledged at an all university presentation held at LaSells Stewart Center in Austin Auditorium on University Day.
Dean Kleinsorge with all five student presenters. FROM LEFT: Obum Gwacham, Frances Chen, Margo Botti, Dean Ilene Kleinsorge, Alexander Mason and Josh Gilardi
Seniors Obum Gwacham (Marketing) and Alexander Mason (Finance), along with MBA student Frances Chen each served as awards presenters throughout the evening, while junior SDHE student Margo Botti accepted a Weatherford Award on behalf of her Grammy Award-winning uncle, Chris Botti, who was unable to attend; and senior Josh Gilardi (Marketing) was selected by Dean Ilene Kleinsorge to present a speech offering a current student’s perspective about the College of Business.
Despite the students’ different roles in the ceremony, each of them had to speak on stage to more than 400 attendees made up of distinguished alumni and business partners, as well as their peers and professors.
Senior Obum Gwacham presents an award to one of the college’s award winners
“I had never done anything like that before,” said Gwacham. “It was certainly the largest audience I’ve ever had to speak in front of, but I enjoyed every moment of it. Seeing how excited the other student presenters were before the event helped calm my nerves, and I was able to feed off their energy,” he said.
“When I was asked to be a presenter earlier in the year before the original event was postponed, I was told that the event had around 300 RSVPs,” said Gilardi. “I was terrified because it’s not just peers I’d be talking to but alumni, business professionals and important others. Talk about an intimidating first impression! After the event was canceled in February, I was relieved but disappointed that I would miss out on the opportunity. I was emailed in April saying the event was rescheduled for May and now they had 400-plus RSVPs, so you can imagine what I was feeling. I was nervous starting the day of the event up until I stepped on stage to speak. Once I started giving my speech though, I felt a lot more comfortable,” he added.
Chen and Botti also learned a lot from the experience after shaking off some early jitters.
Senior Josh Gilardi presents his views of the College of Business from the perspective of a current student
“Speaking at the Celebration of Excellence forced me to step out of my comfort zone,” said Chen. “Not only did I have to remember to speak with confidence and personality, but it was also a learning experience for me in that I learned how to behave properly at such an elegant, formal event,” she said.
“I thought I was inadequate to speak on behalf of my uncle and the College of Business at such an important event, but I quickly got comfortable, and it felt like second nature to me,” said Botti. “The experience confirmed how much I love speaking in front of large audiences,” she added.
Not only did the students hone their public speaking and presentation skills, but they also discovered the power of networking.
“I always knew that Oregon State had a great alumni network, but I truly felt it that evening,” said Gwacham. “I was approached by a number of alums that wanted to help me out with just about anything or answer questions I might have about what could be next for me after graduating,” he added.
Gilardi was also impressed with the alumni he encountered at the event.
“This event was proof that hard work pays off,” said Gilardi. “The award-winning alumni worked hard and were recognized for their efforts and accomplishments in different ways. I worked hard and was selected to speak because of it,” he said.
Overall, the students all said that they had a great time at the event.
“The number of attendees was simply amazing,” said Gwacham. “Some even came in from other states! It’s an event I look forward to being a part of after I finish with my undergrad at Oregon State,” he said.
“It was just a really fun experience for me as I got to see some old friends who are alumni at the event,” said Chen. “They mentored me in different stages of my life, and it was so good to show them my growth and how I’ve changed and make them proud of me,” she said.
One of the keys to a great experience is putting your education into action, and it was exciting getting to see these students thrive on the stage, handing out awards to distinguished alumni and business partners. Perhaps in the future, these students will be back at the Celebration of Excellence receiving awards of their own.
View some photos of the student presenters from the event in the image gallery below:
Frances Chen (MBA) speaks at the 2014 Celebration of Excellence
Frances Chen and Dean Kleinsorge present a Distinguished Business Partner award to Mutual of Enumclaw
Senior Marketing student Obum Gwacham addresses the audience
Obum Gwacham and Dean Kleinsorge present an Award to ‘Crazy Pete’ Newport
Bert Sperling admires his Weatherford Award
Sperling’s 2014 Weatherford Award
Senior Marketing student Josh Gilardi provides the student perspective at the 2014 Celebration of Excellence awards banquet
Gilardi and Dean Kleinsorge induct Jim Williams into the Oregon State College of Business’ Hall of Fame
Student Alexander Mason, Finance, introduces the next speaker
Senior SDHE student Margo Botti accepts a Weatherford Award on behalf of her uncle, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti
The MU Crane inspired two Oregon State students to launch a successful Facebook page and crowdsourcing effort
By now, you’ve probably heard all about the meteoric rise to fame for Oregon State’s Memorial Union Crane. Since its launch in mid-January, the crane’s Facebook page has steadily grown to nearly 3,300 fans, and the page’s founders, senior School of Design and Human Environment students Zak Eidsvoog and Michael McDonald, recently completed a successful Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign that raised $4,572. The pair of designers had hoped to raise just $2,500 with all funds going toward building “a monument to the crane and all it stands for,” but quickly eclipsed their initial goal.
Above are the “stretch goals” that were reached during the successful fundraising campaign
After surpassing their original target goal, Eidsvoog and McDonald decided to have even more fun with the project, while also flexing their design and entrepreneurial muscles. The two friends and classmates quickly introduced a new set of “stretch goals,” for the campaign that if reached, would unlock a series of prizes awarded to the campaign’s donors. Donations started at just $1 each and ranged all the way up to $100.
McDonald said that the SDHE program helped prepare him and Eidsvoog for launching such a successful and multifaceted project.
Eidsvoog and McDonald used their design skills to develop a wide array of MU Crane swag to promote the campaign
“SDHE taught us more than just the design skills that we’ve used to create everything for this project. The program also focused on how social media and the internet can and should completely change your approach to doing business,” said McDonald. “It’s an approach we like to think of as Digital Entrepreneurship,” he added.
Now that the fundraising has been completed, the pair are now focused on finishing the design work for the commemorative statue and getting all of the promised merchandise out to their donors. Some of the perks of donating include posters, buttons, stickers, an EP of crane-inspired music, a series of crane-themed Valentine’s Day cards, and even an “I am the Crane” card game.
Eidsvoog said that they’re getting closer to commissioning an artist to create the statue, which they’re hoping will be located in or around the upcoming Student Experience Center.
“Our artist meeting went very well. At this point we’re waiting to hear back on pricing estimates for various sizes, materials etc., so we still don’t have the exact media decided upon, but we’re making progress,” said Eidsvoog.
No matter where it’s located or what materials it’s made out of, the MU Crane memorial will be a lasting testament to the Oregon State community’s involvement in a fun and spontaneous project, as well as Eidsvoog and McDonald’s creatively entrepreneurial spirit.
(from left) Interior Design and Renewable Materials major Camille Moyers and Wood Science Assistant Professor Seri Robinson go over Moyers’ work.
“We’re working with chemicals and fire today, people,” shouts Seri Robinson, an assistant professor in Wood Science and Engineering at Oregon State, before a meeting of her Renewable Materials in the Modern World class.
“I felled an ash tree in my yard this morning for you.”
While the statement may not be completely out-of-place for the Wood Science majors in the room, it is a little different for the engineers, designers and other students also part of the course.
Which is all part of Robinson’s plan with the class, dual-listed in Wood Science and the School of Design and Human Environment within the College of Business. Her aim is to bring students from different backgrounds and experiences together and teach them the collaboration skills necessary to succeed after graduation.
“The goal is that they get an appreciation for renewable materials, but more importantly, that they learn how to talk to each other,” Robinson said.
The class is designed to be accessible to any student. There are no prerequisites and no tests, with most assignments photo-based. Students are introduced to a topic around renewable materials and then sent out to find examples of it around them.
The class culminates with a group project creating a product out of renewable materials incorporating the skills of each member.
Robinson originally designed the course while working at the University of Toronto when industry leaders approached her with a problem.
“The big issues they had were designers who worked with wood but didn’t know the materials, and scientists who didn’t know how to talk to designers,” she said. “They wanted a class the two could take together.”
Over the years teams created baskets from used chopsticks, blueprints for homes and functional objects like chairs and dishware. The only requirements were that the project use renewable materials and all the talents of the group.
“You work with this group member or everyone fails, just like in the real world,” Robinson said. “Everyone’s background is showcased.”
This is the first year she’s run the course since coming to Oregon State in January. On this day Robinson is demonstrating how to steam bend wood, with students creating twisting and curving creations from some pre-cut pieces and the remains of her ash tree.
Camille Moyers, a dual major in Interior Design and Renewable Materials, said it’s been interesting watching her two worlds come together in the classroom.
While she said the learning curve has been steep for some of her SDHE peers, the interaction has been worthwhile.
“We have some different personalities, but it’s the same as in life,” Moyers said. “It’s important to learn how to collaborate. It’s something we’re going to do the rest of our careers, especially in design.”
Devin Stuart, a junior in Renewable Materials, said working with other disciplines has changed the way she sees her own major.
“It’s cool to do that,” Stuart said of the collaboration. “It makes you think about other aspects of the renewable materials field, like textiles.”
Robinson has big plans for the course. She hopes to run it two terms next academic year and start to include more students from other colleges at Oregon State.
Eventually she wants to open some spots for online students — something she did in earlier versions of the class — creating another challenge for collaboration within groups.
Anything she can do to make her classroom more like the unpredictable world students will navigate as professionals, the better.
“The class is not easy and it’s not designed to be easy, but it prepares you for the real world in a way no other class will,” Robinson said. “But you have to be willing to step outside your comfort zone.”
Camille Moyers bends a piece of steamed wood in her Renewable Materials in the Modern Age class.
(left) Seri Robinson, assistant professor of Wood Science demonstrates steam bending in her Renewable Materials in the Modern Age class.
(from left) Interior Design and Renewable Materials major Camille Moyers and Wood Science Assistant Professor Robinson go over Moyers’ work.
(from left) Camile Moyers inspects a bent branch with Assistant Professor Sara Robinson.
(from left) Jennifer Tambe, a housing studies major minoring in renewable materials, and Kayla Ream practice their steam bending.
Students add spalted dyes to the steam-bent wood.
(from left) Robinson assists student Kayla Ream.
Robinson and Ream inspect the finished product.
Practicing steam bending means a lot of broken pieces.
Oregon State Graphic Design alumni Darrin Crescenzi and Erin Mintun speak to students at a talk at the LaSells Stewart Center on campus.
As Darrin Crescenzi and Erin Mintun went through their presentation slides a beautiful photograph of the Empire State Building framed in a window flashed across the screen.
“That’s the view from Erin’s office,” Crescenzi said.
Next came a different work shot from a few years earlier. The pair is in the background, blurry, while the camera focuses on a laptop in the foreground with the time front and center.
“That’s at 5:44 a.m. in Fairbanks Hall.”
For Crescenzi and Mintun, Oregon State University graphic design alumni now living their dreams in New York, the two pictures are directly connected. Those late nights at OSU helped lead to the careers they have now, because of the power of design thinking and a lot of hard work.
“It’s not to pat ourselves on the back,” Crescenzi said of the photos, “but more show you that this is a staging point, a launch pad if you take your education seriously.”
The two returned to Corvallis last week as the OSU Alumni Association named Crescenzi an Alumni Fellow, and stopped to give a talk to current students about the lessons they’ve learned since graduating in 2007.
Sponsored by the Oregon State School of Design and Human Environment, the event focused on the value of a design education and design thinking, with OSU Professor of Graphic Design Andrea Marks introducing her former students.
Crescenzi made a name for himself at Nike, designing the branding for LeBron James and the U.S. Olympic basketball team. Fast Co. Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. He now works for branding firm Prophet.
Mintun joined Nike after graduating from Oregon State and moved to product design, and now is the active editor for Stylesight in New York.
For each, the career path has been improvised. Within Nike they took advantage of opportunities outside of their daily work and built a reputation as hard-working, creative designers who could take on any task.
They key for Crescenzi was the design education he received at Oregon State, which he said more than anything trained him how to think about creative problems no matter the medium.
“Design is a way of thinking,” he said. “This education is changing your brain, the way you think about the world. You can’t turn it off.”
That mindset makes designers valuable in a wide range of jobs and industries, he said, creating possibilities for those willing to step out of his or her comfort zone.
“Your skills are applicable to a massive field of design and creative fields,” Crescenzi said. “The skills you’re learning are doorways to different jobs if you keep our head up.”
Mintun remembers that when she was initially approached to join Nike as a color designer after an internship, her first thought was ‘What is that?’
“I’ve never known a job existed before I got it,” Mintun said. “You can take it a different direction and apply the same skillset.”
Crescenzi said when he approaches any product he thinks first about the person who is going to be using or experiencing it.
“It’s about the consumer, the end-user,” he said. “You’re empathizing with their experience, the same thing as if you’re designing a poster for a friend’s band. It’s not a logo or a color pattern, but that entire experience.”
Mintun said that while designing footwear for Nike she searched for patterns and colors that conveyed the meaning of her subject — from the London Olympics to the feel of cities like New York and Tokyo.
“It’s all about storytelling,” she said. “We’re communication designers, not graphic designers.”
On top of that skillset is the will and desire to put in the work needed to get what you want.
One of their final slides read “Hard work trumps talent every time.”
“It’s why we love Oregon State and wear the Beaver badge proudly,” Crescenzi said. “This place teaches you how to work.”
Oregon State Graphic Design alumni Darrin Crescenzi and Erin Mintun speak to students at a talk at the LaSells Stewart Center on Campus. Photos by Jeffrey Basinger/OSU Alumni Association
Oregon State Graphic Design alumnus Darrin Crescenzi, senior designer at Prophet, before his talk at the LaSells Stewart Center. Photos by Jeffrey Basinger/OSU Alumni Association
Oregon State Graphic Design alumna Erin Mintun, active editor at Stylesight, speaks to students at a talk at the LaSells Stewart Center on Campus. Photos by Jeffrey Basinger/OSU Alumni Association
Oregon State Professor of Graphic Design Andrea Marks introduces Crescenzi and Mintun. Photos by Jeffrey Basinger/OSU Alumni Association
Oregon State Professor of Graphic Design Andrea Marks introduces Crescenzi and Mintun. Photos by Jeffrey Basinger/OSU Alumni Association
College of Business student Parker Edwards on his internship this summer with Alaska Airlines.
Oregon State College of Business student Parker Edwards heard a familiar phrase over and over this summer.
“I don’t know if this is possible, but …”
The Business Information Systems major spent his summer in Seattle with Alaska Airlines as a systems and process intern. Working with maintenance and engineering, Edwards’ job was to structure the huge amount of data connected to every aircraft and make it easier to find areas needing repair.
“I love data,” Edwards said. “It’s so powerful. People get really excited. Someone would come in and say, I don’t even know if this is possible, but if you can find a way … if I could click a button.”
Edwards was just one of a number of College of Business students who worked around the country and the world this summer as interns with some of the biggest companies in their industries.
Edwards’ role with Alaska combined his interest in technology and problem solving with his love of aviation.
“I want to get my pilot’s license as soon as I get out of school,” he said. “Also working with an airline that’s as prominent in the northwest as Alaska was a great opportunity.”
Interning with an airline also comes with perks beyond great experience.
Between his time as a system and process analysis intern with Alaska, Edwards and other interns flew free around the west coast and to Alaska and Hawaii. Edwards’ favorite trip was a day in Honolulu, leaving in the morning and returning the next day.
Edwards also had a great view at the office.
“Because it’s at the hangar, you can go downstairs at any given time and there would be 747s and just outside the door it’s SeaTac International Airport,” he said. “That was probably the coolest thing I could do there.”
Georgia Brown on her internship with Daimler Trucks North America.
Georgia Brown is still finishing her summer internship with Daimler Trucks North America in Portland.
That’s because Brown is part of MECOP. The prestigious, Oregon industry-sponsored program places students in a pair of paid six-month internships with some of the biggest firms in the Northwest.
“The most appealing thing about it was the fact that I would graduate with a year’s worth of work experience in my major,” Brown said. “I’m not exactly sure what I want to do once I’m out of college and having the chance to work for some of the most competitive companies in the Northwest is a great way to find out.”
As a project management intern in the Daimler IT Finance department, Brown works as an analyst for her group, bringing together research from different sources to create easy-to-comprehend reports on a variety of topics.
“Since I started my internship, I’ve developed the department’s Sharepoint site, created a customer relationship database in Access, and am working on documenting and learning TM1,” she said. “My knowledge of IT in general has improved and developed way more than I ever thought it would.”
Beyond the valuable real-life experience, Brown said her internship has helped her learn more about what she wants out of her own career.
“I’ve talked to students before who are hesitant to do an internship because they don’t know if they would enjoy that field, but I think this is the best way to try different career options and see what works for you,” she said.
In the School of Design and Human Environment Internship Program, more than 163 students completed internships during the 2012- 2013 school year with more than 109 companies. Overall, 11students interned in New York City’s Garment District, eight in Los Angeles and three internationally.
Through the program, facilitated by SDHE Internship Coordinator Sandy Burnett, students take a preparatory class before their internship and then a “Field Experience” course during, with weekly check-ins to mark progress and goals.
Merchandising Management student Kahli Lanning interned with Donna Karan during the summer, where she was able to work with teams from Donna Karan Japan.
“Getting to sit in on their meetings and being able to practice my Japanese in a business setting was a great experience for me,” Lanning said. “It is a great program, and I think the experience I gained will be invaluable to my future career.”
North Carolina State University Professor Meredith Davis gives a talk at Oregon State Oct. 5
Meredith Davis has seen major shifts in the design industry in her nearly 30 years as an educator.
As the complexity of the field has increased so has the need for collaboration across disciplines, both inside and outside the classroom, Davis said at a talk at Oregon State University Oct. 5.
The Professor of Graphic Design and Director of Graduate Programs in Graphic Design at North Carolina State University came as a guest of the Graphic Design faculty at the OSU School of Design and Human Environment.
A leading design educator, Davis is a 2005 National Medalist of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and now serves on the AIGA Visionary Council to define “The Designer of 2015.” (Oregon State alumnus Darrin Crescenzi recently spoke to AIGA about his views on the future of design.)
The talk, titled “The Changing Context for Design Practice,” touched on a some key questions for designers to consider as the craft changes over the coming years.
She sees the rapid advancement of technology making design tools easier for non-designers. That’s moved the industry away from its craft-based tradition to a more strategy-focused role.
“We have to teach collaboration and evaluate it,” Davis said. “If you don’t, you say it doesn’t matter.”
That makes it more important than ever for designers to be able to communicate with those in other areas — specifically business and technology. Davis noted that 65 percent of graphic design is now screen-based only and that a majority of her students are now working in software design.
Davis was impressed with Oregon State’s efforts to bring designers in contact with other disciplines, with SDHE moving into the College of Business last year.
“You’ve made an enormous step by pulling design into business and starting that collaboration,” she said.
Growing up, Aleigha Larrondo was always the one family and friends turned to when in need of fashion advice.
It’s something the 2006 Oregon State Fashion Merchandising graduate still loves to do, just now for a few thousand more friends.
In 2011 Larrondo decided to see if she could help others create their own personal style and started MyFashionistaStyle.com. Two years and nearly 8,000 YouTube subscribers later, Larrondo’s made a name for herself as someone with a key eye for style and knowledge of the industry.
http://youtu.be/m8aTOe7adso
Now that social media success has helped her earn a spot on the Portland Fashion Week Style Collective, a group of Portland fashion industry influencers invited to cover the event and given VIP access to shows and the designers themselves.
“Helping women, and providing support and inspiration to those lost in the fashion madness, are why I do what I do,” Larrondo said. “Oregon State’s degree really helped me gain such an understanding of the fashion world and how things are directed and made.”
That understanding helped her make one of her favorite videos, “Size is Just a Number.”
Larrondo used her knowledge of the fashion industry and the manufacturing and marketing of garments to explain the sizing system in women’s fashion. She explained how women could use that information to buy clothes that fit and looked better.
She’ll bring that perspective to her time at Portland Fashion week, which runs Sept. 12-14 at the Portland Convention Center, with events around the city Sept. 15-20.
Larrondo wrote she “just about hit the floor” when told of her selection for the collective, in part because of a new feature of the event.
This year’s Portland Fashion Week will be the first to have plus-sized and “Sample Sized” models walking the same runways and not in separate shows.
“This means it won’t be specific shows for Plus Size, then regular — it’s going to be mixed,” Larrondo said. “I think diversity is what makes life beautiful — in all capacities and genres. So this is an industry first, and I will be witnessing it from the front row!”
SDHE Associate Dean Minjeong Kim speaks with Carmen Steggell.
Steggell laughs as SDHE Professor and former Associate Dean Leslie Burns gives her a hug while speaking at Steggell’s retirement celebration.
Elif Tural presents Steggell with flowers at Steggell’s retirement celebration.
The easiest way to measure Carmen Steggell’s impact on Oregon State is the number of stories there are to tell about how she has helped and inspired others.
As the colleagues, friends and current and former students stood up to talk and share their appreciation of Steggell Friday at the Hawthorne Suite at Milam Hall, that impact seemed to grow larger and larger.
This year Steggell, School of Design and Human Environment Associate Professor & Graduate Program Coordinator, is retiring after 14 years at OSU.
From current Professor and former SDHE Associate Dean Leslie Burns’ story of Steggell filing in for her while Burns took a sabbatical to the numerous students who mentioned how her classes inspired them to continue in design, there was no shortage of remembrances of how Steggell made an impact at OSU.
Steggell served as Program Leader for the Housing Studies Program and as Core Director for “Gerontechnologies” in OSU’s Center for Healthy Aging Research. Her research has focused on the interactions between human behavior and seniors’ residential environments, with an emphasis on supportive technologies for aging in place.
Her undergraduate teaching included light frame construction, kitchen and bath design, housing policy, housing for the aging and real estate finance. Steggell is also the author of educational materials used extensively by affordable housing providers across the nation, including “The ABCs of Homebuying,” “The ABCs of Community Land Trusts” and “Ready to Rent.”
Students talk to business representatives and alumni during a session at the SDHE Career Symposium.
Students of the School of Design and Human Environment got an opportunity to start building their future Thursday at the school’s annual Career Symposium.
Held at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center, the 27th annual event connected students with Oregon State alumni and representatives from industry leaders such as adidas, Columbia Sportswear, Nike and many more.
“As internship coordinator, this is when it all comes together, to see the students in action,” said Sandy Burnett, SDHE senior instructor and internship coordinator. “Almost every year you see students making those connections for internships.”
Titled “Envision Your Tomorrow,” this year’s symposium was also special as it was the first year the event was student-organized.
“This year we all agreed to give that project management experience to the students,” Burnett said.
OSU student Demarcus Gentle listens during a session at the SDHE Career Symposium.
College of Business Dean Ilene Kleinsorge set the tone in her opening remarks, reminding students the work they put in that morning could have a major impact on their opportunities after graduation.
“Today is important for you and your future,” Kleinsorge said as she helped welcome students. “The career preparation you do as a student the netowrking and oportunites you create for yourself are a valuable part of the experiential learning that will help you establish your carrer. And I differentiate a job and a career.”
The event provided plenty of chances for students to connect with companies and alumni in a number of different ways. Students could find their favorite alumni or business in the main ballroom for networking or to talk job and internship opportunities, while side sessions allowed smaller groups to dive into topics such as branding and creating a professional identity.
In a session on starting your own business, Oregon State alumni Leanna Petrone, owner of Leanna NYC, and Jillian Rabe, owner of Jillian Rabe LLC, talked about their paths to entrepreneurship.
Petrone worked in the New York fashion industry for 12 years after graduating from OSU with a BS in Apparel Design and a minor in Merchandising Management before realizing her dream was to own her own business, like both her parents did. She said the process is more work than she imagined, but fulfilling in a way her previous jobs weren’t.
“Every day, week, month, year, I’m on,” Petrone said. “But every day I do what I love.”
Alumna and business owner Jillian Rabe speaks at a entrepreneurship talk at the SDHE Career Symposium.
Rabe — whose company produces fashion shows, video and photo shoots and other events and marketing services — graduated from OSU with a degree in speech communication an psychology. She quickly realized she had other interests, and eventually went into business for herself.
“No one is going to work as hard for you as you are,” Rabe said.
Each fall the Oregon State University hosts a day that encourages faculty and staff to connect with each other and learn about what other departments and colleges are doing. Intended to inspire and motivate employees for the impending academic year, it is also a day to recognize and honor the people and achievements of its employees.
