We Love Our Alumni
As SOJC students saw their world turned upside down by the pandemic, alumni once again showed what a tight-knit flock SOJC Ducks can be. Their offers of wisdom, scholarship support, mentorship, and micro-internships were a lifeline to students and recent grads who were unsure of their next moves. From popping into Zoom classes to helping recent graduates get new endeavors off the ground, our alumni have made a huge difference to our community while making names for themselves in their own careers.
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2020 Hall of Achievement:
Meet the Best of the Best
Where can a degree from the SOJC take you? Just ask one of our newest Hall of Achievement inductees or the 2020 Eric Allen Outstanding Young Alum. They have made huge impacts in their fields as journalists, communication directors, sportscasters, and teachers. This fall, we honored four new inductees and our Eric Allen Outstanding Young Alumni Award winner at a virtual gala.
Jumpstart: Career Advice from Successful SOJC Alums
As they prepare to graduate into an uncertain economy, SOJC students are understandably anxious. To help them prepare for the rapidly evolving fields they are about to enter, associate professor Ed Madison hosts a new video series that calls on dozens of successful SOJC grads to offer current students their career strategies for challenging times—and more than a little hope.
Next Generation Leaders Podcast: Conversations with Young Alumni
Wonder what recent SOJC grads are up to these days? Carolyn S. Chambers Professor of Journalism Damian Radcliffe talks to young alumni who are already making waves in their careers, from social media stars and copywriting phenoms to journalists succeeding at newspapers and on the airwaves. Hear what success in journalism and communications looks like post graduation.
Tyson Winter '11, now the social media manager for NASCAR, shares how senior instructor Kelli Matthews’ Principles of Public Relations class showed him how to make a career out of helping athletes and sports leagues promote themselves on social media.
Multimedia Journalism Master’s Alum Makes Elemental Change
For her culminating multimedia journalism master’s project, Ashley Baker ’20 combined visual storytelling with her background in chemistry to explore how orthorexia—an eating disorder characterized by obsessing over healthy diets—disproportionately affects athletes. Now a communications and program manager for an arts and culture nonprofit, Baker uses her scientist’s point of view and artistic eye to tell transformative stories.
After taking an immersive media course in the Oregon Reality Lab at SOJC Portland, Enton Lok ’20 learned about virtual reality’s power to inspire compassion and spur people to action. For his strategic communication master’s capstone project, Lok developed a VR campaign to recruit volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest. The innovative approach helped him land a job as a full-time strategist for Portland advertising agency Twenty Four 7.
Former UO Women’s Basketball point guard Minyon Moore ’20 has always wanted to start her own clothing line. Now, with skills she learned in the advertising and brand responsibility master’s program, the recent grad is already making her dream a reality.
Erica Ciszek ’14, an alum of the SOJC’s doctoral program, focuses on social change and strategic communication as an assistant professor at the University of Texas Austin. Learn about her commitment to advocacy and social change, and how the SOJC was fundamental in her path to teaching public relations.