Whether it is hiking mountain peaks, cheering on the Ducks at away games, or reconnecting with their roots abroad, University of Oregon alumni are embracing their love for travel and showing their Duck pride along the way. These adventures span continents and seasons, highlighting the global footprint of our UO alumni community.
Maria Magdalena Donahue, BS ’05 (art, geological sciences) and Emily Gorelick, BS ’04 (geological sciences)
Maria Magdalena Donahue and Emily Gorelick summited Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous US, completing the 22-mile hike in a single day.
"Starting [our] hike at 2 a.m., we gained ~6,650 feet to reach the peak for a sunny early lunch; the return trip was a mad dash through rain and hail, though [we] returned to the Whitney Portal trailhead safely and elated."
Donahue and Gorelick met as geology undergraduate students at the UO two decades ago and have remained friends since.
Michael McCabe, MS '88 (curriculum and instruction)
Michael McCabe took a 33-day trip through China, his third visit in six years, and is pictured just below Shanzidou Peak at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain near Lijiang in Yunnan Province.
Michael Landes, MEd '91 (special education) and Nancy Callaghan
Michael Landes and Nancy Callaghan took their Duck spirit to the Royal Observatory Greenwich during a recent trip to the British Isles.
Anitra Tykeson, BA '85 (human development and performance)
Anitra Tykeson represented the Ducks while exploring Tunis, Tunisia.
John Ellis, BA '94 (fine and applied arts)
John Ellis sported an Oregon hat while visiting Machu Picchu in Peru.
Robert Boileau, BArch '78 (architecture)
Robert Boileau met members of the Maasai Tribe while on a photographic safari in Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya. He posed for photos with several Maasai people, who threw their “O” alongside Boileau.
Mark Bergeron, BS '95 (biology)
Mark Bergeron visited the Palacio Real de Madrid while studying international business and health care systems in Spain. He said he’s always sure to have at least one Oregon t-shirt to show.
Lynn Heislein, BS '82 (accounting)
Lynn Heislein, president of the Reno Ducks chapter, stood at a very windy Cape Point, South Africa holding a UO flag.
Ken Sprague, Jr., BS '86 (political science)
Ken Sprague, Jr. shared photos from his travels to Moorea, French Polynesia, and Egypt.
Mark Powell, BS '78 (physics)
Mark Powell visited Trondheim, Norway, for a reunion of his paternal grandfather’s family. Powell’s grandfather was born in 1881 and emigrated to the US in 1902.
“[I] took 'Beginning Norwegian 101' back in 1973 and put it to good use,” Powell said.
Mekenna Smith, BA '18 (communication disorders and sciences)
Mekenna Smith joined fellow Ducks at a Mighty Oregon Tailgate in Arizona, posing with the Duck. Take your own tailgate photos to share with us at the Mighty Oregon Tailgate at Penn State!
—By Sameeha Chowdhury, UOAA student associate, class of 2026