Tag Archives: Juntos

10 weeks as a PROMISE Intern

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Written by Ricardo Perez, PROMISE Intern

 

Ricardo Perez
Ricardo Perez, OSU Open Campus 2016 PROMISE intern

I am Ricardo Perez and I am the 2016 PROMISE intern for Outreach and Engagement, Open Campus. I am entering my junior year here at Oregon State University studying Business Management with an option in International Business. After hearing about the large professional development growth the previous PROMISE interns had, I decided to apply to the program in hopes of obtaining the same skills.

Having the opportunity to be mentored by Jeff Sherman, the program leader for Open Campus, has been far from boring. Jeff gave me the tools necessary to evolve into a more competent individual in the business world. Through my experience, Jeff instructed me on programming logistics, how to use project management software, how to communicate with community partners and he gave me the freedom to create new projects.

I would also like to mention Hollie Conger. Hollie is in charge of marketing and communications for Open Campus. Hollie greatly influenced my experience and positively impacted my marketing skills. Through our work, Hollie showed me how to manage social media accounts, edit video, maintain the website and use Adobe Illustrator.

My experience as an intern would not have been the same if it were not for these individuals. Being able to intern for people who create an engaging and energizing environment made my time as an intern the best it could be. The support they gave me and the skills I acquired have truly impacted my professional development.

Ricardo Perez PROMISE workshop
Ricardo Perez with OSU Open Campus mentors Jeff Sherman and Hollie Conger

My main project was to organize the 2016 Roads Scholar Engagement Tour. The main goal for The Roads Scholar Tour is to invite newer faculty and employees who are new to engagement, to gain a sense for community engagement and to form relationships with colleagues who do similar work. This year’s tour is located in Central Oregon, with stops in Warm Springs, Redmond, and Bend. Having the opportunity to construct The Roads Scholar Tour and collaborate with so many members has enhanced my communication skills and prepared me for a career in business.

Along with planning The Roads Scholar Engagement Tour, I was involved in small projects for the Juntos program. Through this experience, I had the opportunity to work with Ana Gomez, the main coordinator for Juntos. Working with Ana made this experience so fun and exciting! Seeing someone who is so passionate in helping others really sparked my fascination with the program. Through my experience, I learned how Juntos works to empower families around education, is constructed to prevent youth from dropping out of high school and encourages families to work together to gain access to college. My main project for Juntos was planning the 2017 Family Day, an event where families have an opportunity to visit the OSU campus and learn more about the different resources available.

It is hard to believe that my journey as an intern is more than half way complete. My experience here at Outreach and Engagement, Open Campus has been one I will never forget. The amount of professional, as well as personal growth I developed is something I never thought would happen in a short 10 weeks.

I am honored to interact with people who truly enjoy positively impacting the Oregon community. I would like to give thanks to my mentors who have shown me the immense impact Outreach and Engagement has, as well as preparing me for the professional world. Jeff, Hollie, Ana, and Pam, thank you for all your hard work and for providing me the best experience possible at Outreach and Engagement.

Pursuing Community-Based Education Partnerships

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Written by Ann Marie Murphy —

crookcounty-650x280OSU Open Campus is a community-based education partnership convened by Oregon State University. It provides local access to learning in order to address the unique educational needs of Oregon’s communities. (Source: OSU Open Campus website)

 

What does that mean?

 

Programming depends on the area, community needs, and partner involvement. Open Campus builds on the foundation of the OSU Extension Service, providing an expanded way to access the university’s resources. Typically, Open Campus programs are designed around three goals:

 

  1. College & Career Readiness
  2. Degree Completion
  3. Economic & Community Development

 

Juntos, is one program coordinated by Open Campus. It involves middle schools, high schools and Latino kids and their families, to help make education part of family goals, encourage high school graduation and continuing on to college. It’s gotten a lot of press lately, including being recognized in September 2015 by the White House as part of its Bright Spot in Hispanic Education awards.

 

But there’s more to Open Campus than Juntos, and there are a lot of really good initiatives happening—and really good people involved—in the eight counties currently being served by Open Campus.

 

AVIDspeaker2016i-1024x576Take Crook County for example. They are giving students the tools for college readiness, which includes helping them succeed in high school. And that means helping students understand the benefits of higher education, developing good habits, and planning ahead and looking toward the future.

 

Why the focus on college readiness in Crook County? Only about 14 percent of the county’s population holds a bachelor’s degree. Most students will be the first in the family to pursue a college education. Getting into college can be a complicated process, and if a family hasn’t had experience figuring out the process, it likely is intimidating. Open Campus is there to help. Partially funded by the counties, community leaders also are committed to improving educational outreach, which often leads to economic and community development.

 

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a college readiness program, is one such initiative in Crook County and throughout Oregon. In Crook County, it is a collaboration with leadership teachers at Crook County Middle School, career class instructors, and Central Oregon Community College.

 

Learn more about AVID and Open Campus activities by checking out the Open Campus Blog.

OSU Extension identified as Outdoor School preferred partner

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O&E_v_cmykQuarterly Conversations are designed to share what is happening within the Division. This month’s conversation featured a presentation about Outdoor School by Susan Sahnow, director of Oregon Natural Resources Education Program.

 

View the video of the November 20 Quarterly Conversation.

 

With the passage of Measure 5 in 1990, Oregon’s property tax and public school funding systems were fundamentally changed. Outdoor school for 5th and 6th graders in Oregon was cut in many communities; in some areas, parents and communities raised the money needed to keep it operating.

According to the website Outdoor School for All, “In spring 2015, the Oregon Legislature overwhelmingly passed the historic Outdoor School Bill, establishing for the first time a statewide commitment to Outdoor School programs. The Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition is now focused on securing permanent public funding for every Oregon student to experience a full week of Outdoor School or similar programming.”

Susan noted that OSU started outdoor school in 1958, and that the Oregon Legislature believes OSU Extension is the preferred home for the program. Outdoor School requires approximately $22 million in funding annually in order to offer a week-long, live-in experience to every child in Oregon. If you want to stay abreast of its progress, Outdoor School for All will send email updates. You can sign up here.

Click O_E presentionODS-Sahnow to view Susan’s PowerPoint presentation.

 

Other Division News:

 

Melody Mitchell, acting director of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) told the group that PACE developed and delivered a program to the College of Pharmacy in a record 26 days! Stay tuned for more about PACE in a future blog post.

 

The Division has closed on 2 of the 17 approved positions planned for the Division (an Open Campus and 4-H position in Grant County and an Open Campus Outreach Program Coordinator in Yamhill County), and is close to closing on a third position.

 

Scott (along with representatives from Agriculture Experiment Station and Forest Research Laboratory) met with the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) to help them understand the scope and value of Extension activities in advance of budget proposals reaching them for review. He noted that two areas were of particular interest to the commissioners: Juntos (Open Campus) with its 100% graduation rate and 100% progression to college; and that of the more than 700,000 adult Oregonians that have some college credit but no degree, one-third expressed an interest in completing a degree.

 

The concern and fear expressed at the Student Speakout on Monday, November 16, is a reminder that all of us need to consciously create positive and welcoming environments for our learners.

 

Jeff Sherman, OSU Open Campus and Special Initiatives Leader announced the 2015-16 Cohort for the Leadership Development Program for Executives. Dave King, Associate Provost of Outreach and Engagement, Educational Outreach, said to the audience, “It’s not too early to be thinking about joining next year’s cohort.” The application for the 2016-17 group will be available July 1.

 

The next Quarterly Conversation is scheduled for February 19, starting at 8:30 a.m. in Kidder 202 and via streaming. Contact Ann Marie Murphy to share topics you would like to hear discussed (AnnMarie.Murphy@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-1327)