What’s new with you matters to us.
Have you been recently promoted or started a new job? Perhaps you are starting on a new educational journey. Maybe, you are newly married or recently added to your family. Let your fellow Ducks know what is happening in your life.
When you submit a class note, it will be considered for publication in the UOAA’s monthly Shout! newsletter, posted to the UOAA alumni website, or highlighted on social media.
Featured Class Notables
Polly Irungu
Class of 2017
POLLY IRUNGU, BA ’17 (journalism), founder of Black Women Photographers collective, an organization dedicated to displaying the talents of Black women and nonbinary photographers that have been marginalized in society, has partnered with Nikon on a $50,000 grant to assist creatives with their projects.
Jada Allender
Class of 2018
BS ’18 (business administration), was featured as a notable graduate by the news service of Arizona State University, where she earned a dual juris doctor and master of sports law and business degree last spring.
Mai Amalie Bak
Class of 2018
Etana, a short film produced by MAI AMALIE BAK, BA ’18 (journalism), was accepted to the Cleveland International Film Festival, Female Voices Rock Film Festival, and Venice Shorts film festival.
William Schoeffler
Class of 2020
Instashowing, an online real estate tool founded by WILLIAM SCHOEFFLER, BS ’20 (business administration), has received more than $1.5 million in funding from industry veterans.
Alicia Schneider
Class of 2014
MS ’14 (special education), an autism training specialist, discussed the 2020 pandemic challenges and opportunities for students with autism during an educational webinar for edWeb.net.
Manuela Baez Ordonez
Class of 2020
BA ’20 (journalism), joined Telemundo 23, a TV news organization in the Central Coast, California, as a multimedia journalist and anchor.
Laurenne Ross
Class of 2020
BS ’20 (art), was featured by Ski Racing Media, an international media company focused on alpine skiing, in a story that dubbed her "the spirit of the world’s best speed team."
Diego Cardiel
Class of 2020
DIEGO CARDIEL, MArch '20, joined the design staff of Bend-based BBT Architects, where he will focus on sustainability concepts and the space where science and community interact.
Laura Queen
Class of 2019
LAURA QUEEN, BS '19 (Clark Honors College, mathematics), a research assistant with the Oregon State University Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, was lead author for a study indicating that the Columbia River basin will see an increase in flooding over the next 50 years as a result of climate change
Brianna Hayes
Class of 2018
BRIANNA HAYES, BA '18 (political science), was quoted in the Keystone, a Pennsylvania news website, for a story about the election of Vice President Kamala Harris who, like Hayes, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first intercollegiate historically African American Greek-lettered sorority.
Taylor Jones
Class of 2019
TAYLOR JONES, JD '19, BRYAN WILLIAMSON, JD '19, and SUZANNE DAIGLE, JD '20, were hired in US bankruptcy court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma, serving in chambers and in reconfigured courtrooms.
Bryce Dole
Class of 2020
BRYCE DOLE, BS '20 (journalism), joined the Pendleton-based East Oregonian as a reporter on public safety, county government, and public health.
Brennan McLean
Class of 2018
The US Marine Corps announced that BRENNAN McLEAN, BS '18 (business administration), a law candidate with USMC Recruiting Station Orange County, will attend officer candidate school this summer.
Latham Wood
Class of 2016
LATHAM WOOD, MA '16 (anthropology), was chosen to assist Four Rivers Cultural Center of Ontario with coordination of the annual Tradition Keepers folklife festivals in 2021 and 2022.
Gabriela Guaiumi
Class of 2015
GABRIELA GUAIUMI, BS '15 (biology), was hired as a public safety officer in Rohnert Park, California.
Crystal Brown
Class of 2016
Massachusetts-based Worcester Polytechnic Institute hired CRYSTAL BROWN, MS '16 (political science), as an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies.
Ken Mastrogiovanni
Class of 2017
KEN MASTROGIOVANNI, BA '17 (music, Japanese), MMus '19 (jazz studies), was named Eugene's “Best Rising Star Jazz Drummer” in the 2020 Best of Eugene Staff Picks by Eugene Weekly.
Carly Gabrielson
Class of 2013
CARLY GABRIELSON, BS '13 (political science), campaign manager for US Rep. Peter DeFazio, worked door-to-door in Georgia to help Democrats win the US Senate during the January 5 election runoffs in that state.
DeForest Buckner
Class of 2015
DeFOREST BUCKNER, BA '15 (general social science), a defensive lineman with the Indianapolis Colts, was selected as the 2020 recipient of the Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year Award by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
Natalie Millar
Class of 2014
NATALIE MILLAR, BS '14 (accounting), was featured in the Enterprise Wallowa County Chieftain of Enterprise for her role as chief financial officer and general manager of Terminal Gravity Brewery and Pub.