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Rogue Community College
Nik Sorensen had already earned two master’s degrees when he decided to pivot in his career path and enrolled in science courses at Rogue Community College. Since graduating high school in Talent, Oregon, in 2007, Nik has been on a journey to discover his passion. He served a two-year church mission in Taiwan, then attended Brigham Young University, where he double-majored in history and Chinese,...
At age 16, Kelsey Carlson graduated from Crater High School in Central Point, Oregon, but she was unable to afford college, so she started working. She spent years in low-wage jobs, but when her husband started classes at Rogue Community College to become a diesel mechanic, she thought, “If he can do it, I can do it.” So she did. Kelsey started at...
For 14 years, Whitney Barnard has worked in design. Now, she’s at Rogue Community College in order to get into a more highly-paid position. She knows she needs a design and digital media degree to get promoted, but also has leadership aspirations. That’s why she’s pursuing two degrees at once at Rogue: one for design and digital media and one for business and marketing to...
Laura Quintero Antón is a person who cares about her community. During the 2020 Almeda Fire that decimated Talent, she served as a translator for Spanish-speaking residents who lost their homes. Laura was able to provide this service because she is a native Spanish speaker who learned English in Rogue Community College’s English Language Acquisition (ESL/ELA) program. Now, just six years after moving to Southern...
In 2021, Nicole Thull returned to school after years away and three children. In fact, it was her oldest child who was the catalyst for starting her college career: when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018, Nicole did all the research she could to try to help. “The head of pediatric oncology saw how much I was reading, how hard I was working, and...
Nayely Contreras had an idea she’d like to pursue a career helping others when she first met with a faculty advisor at Rogue Community College. Maybe nursing, maybe firefighting, maybe even criminal justice. “I was all over the place,” the sophomore recalled. She met with Gary Heigel, chair of the Emergency Services Department, to make a plan. “He helped me out.” Nayely took a few...
Rogue Community College center midfielder Rosendo Juarez Flores has his feet on the soccer field and his eyes on the future. The 22-year-old sophomore, who goes by the nickname Pizo, is just four classes away from completing an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) degree with an interest in pre-professional medicine. Pizo’s career goal is to become a physical therapist. “It took my knee to...
A mechanical engineering student from Rogue Community College won the community college division of the InventOR Collegiate Challenge on Friday. It’s the third time in four years RCC students have received the honor, which includes a $1,500 prize. Cesar Navarrete, 31, of Medford, is developing an exoskeletal hand that could help workers from a wide spectrum of industries with jobs that require significant grip strength....
Dan Petersen is not a professional photographer. Forty-two years ago, he might have been surprised to hear that. Originally from Chicago, Dan moved west with his mom in the late ’70s, graduated from high school and adjusted to life in a smaller community. He got a job at a local camera shop and decided to enroll in the Rogue Community College Associate of Arts Oregon...
Question: What does Southern Oregon HOPE get when it connects underprivileged people to livable wage jobs in a worker-strapped industry? Answer: Students equipped with poverty-ending, life-changing skills, an industry equipped with skilled workers—and recognition as a finalist in the 2021 Bellwether Award. Southern Oregon Health Occupations Poverty Elimination, or SOHOPE, is a grant-funded program of Rogue Community College. Since 2016, it has provided low-income students...