Abdul Alamro*
Alexis Knight*
Amelia Hansen*
Amy Groh
Andrew Dunn
Annika Rietmann
Ashley Durning
Baylee-Ann Amion-Jarra*
Isabella Giraud
Brad Remsey
Claire Hammond
Daisy Chen
Danielle Cacdac*
Diana Esparza
Elizabeth Brentano
Emily Nix
Hannah McAuliffe
Helen Wayne
Henry Golb
Howard Tardy*
Ian Thomspon-Hernandez
James Neeley*
Jasmin Yang
*Graduating SeniorJasmin Yang*
Jensen Kemble*
Jessica Gutierrez
Jordan Chulyak
Joseph Matteo*
Joshua Lewis*
Karissa Dempewolf
Katie Duggan*
Kirsten Jones
Lizz Duhn
Logan Quinn*
Madeleine Johnson
Maizy Kesterson
Matt Liszewski*
Metzin Rodriguez
Otillia Schreuder
Paul Catino
Pedro Usabiaga Orantes*
Sebastian Powers-Leach
Teresa Valdez
Rachel Villarreal*
Zahra Kiesler
Zoe Reeder
-->
Academy Reel Moments
-->
Academy students do a phenomenal job balancing school, work, home life, research, honors college, double majors, AND Leadership Academy. However, one student stood out from the rest. Nominated by his peers, Forestry Senior Paul Catino won the 2019-2020 Outstanding Fellow Award. Some quotes from his nominators:
"Paul is always pushing us to really engage and talk about what we're learning and reading. He made me think about everything which ultimately helped me apply what I'm learning."
"Nominating Paul was a no-brainer. He brings so much to the Academy!"
"Paul always challenges me to think differently. He is really skilled at that."
Congratulations, Paul!
-->
As a result of active recruiting and greater overall awareness of the Academy, applications for the 2020-2021 cohort grew to 83, with the number of College of Forestry applicants quadrupling. Here are some facts about this cohort:
- 63 students admitted
- 15 majors represented
- 11 forestry students
- 29% identify as being from an underrepresented group (compared to 20% in CAS)
- 15% transfer students
Laura Piceno Alvarez
Samantha Amador
Kadi Atiyeh
Layle Bennett
Jessica Bradley
Hannah Circle
Jensen Comment
Emma Coughlin
Zowie DeLeon
Leanne Eklund
Charlotte Epps
Shea Fleetwood
Dennet Flores Elizondo
Reuben Garnett
Brandon Giller
Tarisha Goosman
Madison Gray
Paige Hahn
Ruth Halla
Carver Heine
Briauna Herrick
Emma Holmes
Anne (Myrtle) Horel
Laura Howard
Mason Justice
Bridget Levy
Shanti Lindberg
Emma Loftin
Rob LusterJamie McEntire
Gabriel Millen
Thomas Monin
Ariel Montgomery
Lucas Norton Guerrera
Morgan Orem
Javier Rivera
Savannah Rodriguez
Brianna Rubio
Kevin Sanchez
Eric Perez Santiago
Quinton Schmelzenbach
Olivia Schmidt
Madisen Schreder
Bailie Shultz
Kiley Silver
Jacob Simmons
Eamon Smith
Tayessa Smith
Eric Soto
Hope Stansell
Allison Studnick
Benjamin Swancutt
Aoife Vaughan
Kaitlyn Waid
Hannah Walker
Taylor Watanabe
Cassandra Waterman
Le'Waski Watkins
Yu (Irene) Shiuan Yang-->
Nothing is certain but change...
The COVID-19 pandemic this past Spring forced us to re-imagine delivery of the Leadership Academy. Despite this challenging time Drs. Velez and Traini adapted the curriculum, delivery platform, and student experience. We expanded our engagement with industry partners by offering a remote conference-style panel of eight guest speakers, incorporating new content such as “Leading through Change,” and “Leadership Across Cultures,” and we successfully maintained feelings of connectedness and belonging through the transition.
The Leadership Academy is uniquely situated to provide an experience unlike any other on campus. One of only five agricultural leadership programs in the nation, Academy fellows are graduating with a competitive advantage as illustrated by a recent alumni survey, which showed that over 86% of fellows received a job offer in their field prior to graduation. There is no doubt that the Academy is delivering workforce-ready students. Previous board member and Northwest Farm Credit Services employer Brent Fetsch said “…we are very pleased with the return on our human capital investment…during the interview process, graduates from the OSU College of Ag Leadership Academy clearly stood out. They were enthusiastic, well prepared, and articulate.” Academy alums said of the impact of the program:
“I helped coach a high school wrestling team and got involved in Toastmasters which I would not have done if I hadn't been in the Leadership Academy” -2015 alum
“I joined the Academy because of how unique of class/group this was at OSU. I have not encountered anything like it before and I am so glad I was able to partake during the 2015-2016 year.” -2016 alum
“The Academy also really allowed me to stand out on my veterinary school application, as many don't get the chance to fully develop their personal development in order to prepare for a challenging graduate program like the Academy provides.” -2019 alum
The demand for the Leadership Academy will continue to grow as faculty and student awareness, industry involvement, and employer preference for student leaders, spokespeople, and policymakers expands. We know the 2020-2021 academic year will bring about more opportunities to refine and build on our pedagogy and delivery of the Academy, and we're excited and eager to bring you along on this journey with us! That's a wrap!
If you are an OSU faculty or staff member, and would like to be a mentor for the 2020-2021 academic year, please email Faith at
Faith.Vawter@oregonstate.edu
We will be back in September. Stay safe and healthy!
