By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - October 20, 2025

Each year, fall through summer, both on-campus and Ecampus students majoring or minoring in Spanish are able to receive academic credit for applying their Spanish skills in a professional setting. Overseen by Senior Instructor Raven Chakerian in the School of Language, Culture, and Society, the internship program facilitates partnerships between local schools and non profit organizations with students looking to utilize their Spanish language skills in settings outside of the classroom. With what started initially as a capstone class in spring 2021, Spanish 410 grew into a thriving practicum course benefiting students, as well as the  host organizations and their patrons.

“When students are looking to participate in an internship,” explained Chakerian, “we usually start with these questions: What are your goals? What do you want to get out of this opportunity? And, what can you provide to this organization? From there we try to create a connection that will benefit both the student and the host organization.” 

Though students are welcome to pitch a new internship location, Chakerian maintains a database of local schools and organizations accepting volunteers. Here are just a few students who participated in Spanish 410 internships over the course of a few years:

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Alexia Obrochta

By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - October 10, 2025

For Alexia Obrochta, a second-year Ph.D. student in the School of Psychological Science’s clinical psychology program, research isn’t just about data; it’s about dialogue. Dialogue between substances and stress, between emerging science and cultural stigma, and between her personal curiosities and the evolving field of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Originally from Daytona Beach, Florida, Obrochta’s path to Oregon and psychedelic research started with a book: Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind. The bestselling exploration of psychedelic science prompted her to imagine how substances like psilocybin (the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms) could help people navigate mental health challenges.

“When I first read that book, I saw how psilocybin was being used to treat substance use disorders and other mental health issues,” Obrochta said. “And I thought if it can help with alcohol use disorder, why couldn’t it be helpful for cannabis use disorder too?” 

Obrochta is now one of the early researchers in OSU’s brand new clinical psychology Ph.D. program, housed in the College of Liberal Arts. Her research focuses on the co-use of cannabis and psilocybin, specifically, how people who use both substances report stress and anxiety, and whether the combination may compound or relieve those symptoms.

Obrochta’s interest in cannabis is rooted in observation. She’s grown up watching how cannabis use has become increasingly normalized, especially as alcohol consumption declines among younger generations. However, she’s also aware that normalization doesn’t always equate to safety.

“Cannabis can be incredibly therapeutic for some people, but for others, it can actually make things worse,” she said. “We’re seeing increases in cannabis use disorders, and not enough discussion about the potential harms. I’ve always cared deeply about harm reduction and how we can help people use substances more safely, whatever those substances may be.”

That harm-reduction lens drives her curiosity about cannabis and psilocybin co-use. She’s particularly interested in whether psilocybin could interrupt a potential feedback loop where people turn to cannabis to manage stress, but end up feeling worse in the long run.

“There’s research suggesting cannabis may dysregulate your body’s stress response. So I’m asking: could psilocybin help reset that? Or does it just add more complexity?”

For Obrochta, the field’s newness is part of the draw, but novelty comes with responsibility. As a clinical psychologist-in-training, Obrochta is committed to separating enthusiasm from evidence.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the hype around psychedelics, but I’m open to whatever the data says, even if that data ends up contradicting my hypotheses,” she said. “I just want the public to have access to good science.”

That scientific grounding is especially important in a field where cultural baggage still looms large. She acknowledges that stigma and legal gray areas make recruitment and community engagement a delicate process.

“Some people are really excited when they hear what I research. Others are more hesitant. Building trust is crucial, not just with participants, but with the broader public.”

Obrochta’s move from Florida to Oregon wasn’t just a climate change; it was a change in lifestyle and perspective. After visiting Portland during her undergraduate years, she knew she wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest.

“Even though I came to OSU during a snowstorm, I saw the beauty in Oregon’s extremes. The faculty were so welcoming and clearly passionate about the program—it just felt right.”

Now, she finds inspiration not only in her lab, but in the landscape. Paddleboarding midweek or hiking after a long day of writing. Oregon’s emphasis on nature has helped her find balance.

“Being in nature just makes me a better person. It grounds me, and that makes me a better researcher, too.”

With two more years left in her Ph.D. program, Obrochta is still exploring where her work will ultimately take her. She loves teaching, clinical work, and research, and hopes to build a career that allows her to do all three.

As for the field of psychedelics, she’s cautiously optimistic.

“The research is promising, but access is still a big issue. Oregon’s psilocybin therapy model is expensive and out of reach for a lot of people. I hope that, as evidence grows, we can push for more equitable models like getting insurance to cover treatment.”

Until then, Obrochta is focused on the science: building strong data, engaging with communities ethically, and staying curious.

“Everything in this field surprises me,” she said. “Whether it’s a new paper showing something positive or negative, I’m just excited the research is being done. People care, and that gives me hope.”

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Lauren Damon

By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - October 9, 2025

While most children in Bellingham, Washington, were spending their summers on the shore, Lauren Damon was already waist-deep in the saltwater, crabbing, shrimping, and hopping from island to island weren’t just weekend activities; they were her earliest lessons in how people live with, and depend on, the ocean.

“It just allowed me to be more involved in the ocean,” Damon recalled. “Not just standing on the beach, but actually experiencing it.”

Now an incoming senior in both the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) and School of Public Policy in the College of Liberal Arts, Damon has turned those early experiences into an ambitious double major in oceanography and economics. What began as a love for the water evolved into a fascination with how science and policy intersect; how data about tides and currents can inform decisions about fisheries, coastal development, and climate change mitigation.

“I didn’t want to be cornered into studying one species like in marine biology,” Damon explained. “Oceanography lets you look at the broader systems: waves, wind, tides. And then economics comes in when you ask, ‘Okay, if we know what’s happening, how do we make decisions about it?’”

That realization came early in her OSU career. An introductory microeconomics course caught her interest, helped along by a friendship that bloomed in the lecture hall. Soon after, a class in environmental economics and policy sealed the connection. “That was the course where I saw it click,” she said. “We talked about hazardous waste cleanups, non-market valuation, and how you put a dollar amount on the environment. It was exactly the intersection I wanted.”

Damon has since leaned fully into both disciplines. She served as president of the United for Oceanography Club and held leadership roles in the Economics Club, all while remaining active in her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi. “AOII [pronounced ā-ō-pie] has really connected me to the community,” she said. “I’ve done park cleanups with the Corvallis Parks Department, organized service events, and built leadership skills. It’s taught me how to organize people and take charge. These are skills I’ll carry into my career.”

This past summer, Damon tested those skills during an internship with The Balmoral Group, an environmental consulting firm in Seattle. There, she worked alongside other interns to assess the company’s carbon emissions and recommend sustainability strategies. The hybrid schedule gave her a taste of both city-life professionalism and the realities of remote work. “I loved the balance,” she said. “One day I’d dress up, take the light rail downtown, and work face-to-face. Other days, I could roll out of bed and start in my PJs. It was the perfect mix.”

Her biggest project involved collecting utility data, surveying employees about commuting and sustainable practices, and quantifying the firm’s carbon footprint. The team then presented recommendations to the company’s sustainability council. “It was rewarding to know our work could actually shape the company’s environmental goals,” Damon said.

For Damon, the appeal of this kind of work lies in its tangibility. Policy, she admits, can sometimes feel abstract. But when applied to coastal communities, it becomes concrete. “Take erosion, for example,” she explained. “You look at the environmental factors causing it, then weigh the strategies to fix or slow it down. Each option has costs and benefits. Economics helps decide which is the best strategy. That’s where I see myself: helping communities make those decisions.”

Balancing two majors, multiple leadership roles, and internships hasn’t been without challenges. Time, she says, is her biggest struggle. “I want to do everything, and I don’t want to give less than my best,” she said. Her solution: an arsenal of calendars and to-do lists. “If it’s not written down, it’s not happening,” she laughed.

During summer and into fall term last year, Damon studied abroad via OSU Go at James Cook University in Townsville Australia. Focusing strictly on oceanography, Damon was considered a marine science student in one of the highest-ranked programs in the world, right on the Great Barrier Reef. She frequently used her advanced open water scuba certification, participating in many dives along the reef and around Australia.

Upon returning, she began working in the Coastal and Fluvial Sediments Dynamics lab under CEOAS Associate Professor Emily Eidam. While a lab member, Damon analyzed the concentration of the radioisotope lead-210 in ocean seafloor sediment from the north and south poles to determine how old the sediment is and how fast it's accumulating. 

After she graduates this December, completing two majors in just over three years, Damon plans to step back before diving into her career. She’s heading to New Zealand on a working holiday visa, ready to balance travel with part-time work. “I’ve been going non-stop,” she said. “I want to take a moment to not do school, explore a bit, and then come back ready to lock in.”

Whether her future leads to the private sector, graduate school, or consulting work, Damon already has a vision for her dream role: analyzing environmental restoration projects and advising organizations on the best path forward. “I’d love to be the person who gets called in when there’s an issue, like erosion or restoration, and run the economic analysis of the options,” she said. “And then, years later, to check back and see if the recommendation actually made a difference. That would be really rewarding.”

From Bellingham’s tides to OSU’s labs and now toward a global horizon, Damon has found a way to blend her two worlds – waves and numbers, and science and policy. For her, the ocean isn’t just a place of childhood memory. It’s a future she’s determined to help shape.

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Lindsay Schnell

By Katie Livermore, CLA Student Writer - October 10, 2025

Lindsay Schnell, ‘09, grew up living and breathing sports. She’s always seen the game—and reporting on it—as something more than just what’s on the field, court or mat.

In a male-dominated field, Schnell has used her identity as a woman to approach stories from a different angle.

When reporting for The Oregonian in 2011, every news outlet planned to write a profile on Kenjon Barner, then a star running back for the University of Oregon football team, leading up to the game against Washington State. 

The previous season’s matchup between the Ducks and Cougars had been a scary day in college football, with Barner leaving the field in an ambulance after being knocked unconscious while returning a punt. 

Instead of writing the typical athlete profile, Schnell asked: “what was it like for Barner’s mom to witness her son’s injury?”

“We know there's so much data about how dangerous football is, and there are a lot of parents who won't let their child play football because of the danger,” Schnell said. “So I called his mom.”

As it turned out, Barner’s mom was afraid of flying. So much so, she hadn’t been on an airplane in 25 years. When she witnessed the play on TV at home in California, she hopped on a plane and flew to Pullman. She was with him when he woke up in the hospital. 

“I wrote through her lens. She hadn't wanted him to play football, and she had tried to discourage it,” Schnell said. “I think that I came at that from a different perspective than a lot of men would.”

Over the years, Schnell has fought for representation of women sports reporters, lending her journalistic talents to The Oregonian, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and more. She’s covered sports in 42 states.

Now, she’s a reporter for The Athletic, a subscription-based sports journalism website owned by The New York Times. 

From humble Oregon beginnings

Raised in Sandy, Oregon, Schnell’s parents nurtured her learning and education. Her dad taught at Mt. Hood Community College and her mom taught at a local elementary school. 

Schnell practically grew up in a gym. Outside of their day jobs, her dad was the college’s basketball coach and her mom was an official. Whether it was playing or watching or debating the game, Schnell’s family, including her two younger brothers, loved all things sports. 

Above all, Schnell’s obsession was basketball. 

“When I was in middle school, I watched so much college basketball on TV,” Schnell said. “I initially wanted to be like a color analyst because I had some very strong opinions. But I also always loved reading and writing. Later in middle school I realized, ‘Oh, these two things fit together.’”

That’s when she manifested her dream of writing for Sports Illustrated, by etching it into her middle school yearbook like a prophecy of the future.

During her first year at Sandy High School, Schnell enrolled in an introductory class in journalism. From there, she knew exactly what she would pursue with her life, and committed with full force. 

She was all in. 

After writing as a reporter, Schnell became sports editor of Sandy High School’s student newspaper.

Senior year, she attended the National High School Journalism Convention, went to newspaper camp at Oregon State, and meticulously researched college journalism programs. 

“I knew what I wanted to do,” Schnell said. “I was super nerdy in a good way, and just really leaned in.” 

In 2005, Schnell was named the High School Journalist of the Year, and has started a trend at Sandy High School—three more Sandy students have won the award since.

With her love of journalism and a plan, Schnell was set on attending University of Missouri, considered one of the best journalism schools in the world. 

“I wanted to go so badly,” Schnell said. “I slept in a Missouri shirt every night, and my parents were like, ‘we're not letting you take out that many student loans.’ Obviously, I was 18, so I was very dramatic, and I thought they were ruining my life.”

Meanwhile, Oregon State University’s newspaper, The Daily Barometer, was named Best-All Around Daily Student Newspaper from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2002.

At most other journalism schools, like Mizzou, Schnell would be forced to wait until her junior year to be published in the student paper. The Daily Barometer was different; Schnell could write immediately. 

OSU became the obvious choice. She jumped into reporting for The Daily Barometer, focusing on sports. 

During that first year, Schnell and Leslie Davis, ‘07, KBVR-FM’s station manager, drove from Corvallis, Oregon, to Omaha, Nebraska, to cover OSU in the Men’s College World Series, which culminated in the Beavers’ first baseball national championship. This came after she’d traveled to Oklahoma City to report on the OSU softball team, which was making its first-ever appearance in the Women’s College World Series. 

The two drove through the night, napped in the car in Walmart parking lots, all to see OSU baseball crushed by the University of Miami, 11-1, in their first game. 

“I was like, ‘oh my God, we drove halfway across the country and they're gonna lose,’” Schnell said. “Instead, they won every elimination game. It was really incredible.”

They were there for two weeks. It was both exhausting and rewarding to see the dawn of OSU baseball’s transformation into the powerhouse they are today.

Schnell still remembers the half second of silence among the crowd, when outfielder Tyler Graham caught the final out in Game 3 of the championship series, cementing OSU’s 3-2 win over North Carolina. Disbelief washed over fans. 

“We had no idea what we were doing, but we were at every game, we were at every practice, we were in every press conference,” Schnell said. “It was a really good lesson in being persistent, in trusting your instincts. I was so adamant that we had to be there.”

From the beginning, Schnell was adamant OSU baseball would win the whole thing. And they did. 

At the same time she covered OSU’s CWS run for The Daily Barometer, Schnell also wrote for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon, and The McMinnville News, bringing news back to local communities from Omaha.

Getting her start

After graduating, Schnell moved on from student journalism to explore freelance work. She covered Oregon sports, particularly the Beavers, and pitched profiles on student-athletes throughout the state. 

By 2008, Schnell was the number two beat writer for Oregon sports for The Oregonian—as a freelancer. 

“I had worked really hard to become better,” Schnell said. “Anytime I was in a press box, and there was a professional journalist there, I was trying to make friends with them, get their feedback. All of those things really helped.”

As a woman covering sports in a male-dominated field, Schnell said the greatest positive is “at halftime in the press box, there’s never a line for the bathroom.” 

All jokes aside, it’s challenging. 

“I was fortunate in that growing up in Oregon, being an athlete in this area, I knew a lot of the people who would eventually become my colleagues and co-workers,” Schnell said. “They knew my family and I as athletes, so I think that did give me a foundation of respect.”

Schnell has always leaned into her unique lens in sports reporting. And it’s paid off. 

“As a woman, you move through the world differently, and so you see things differently, and then you bring that perspective to a newsroom, just like if you're a person of color, a person of the LGBTQ+ community,” Schnell said. “We need more diversity within our industry, especially because we cover a very diverse group of people in athletics. The reporters in the locker rooms and in the press conferences don't always reflect that diversity.”

In late 2009, Schnell ran her Corvallis apartment complex for reduced rent, was a part-time employee at the Hattie Redmond Women’s Center, and worked as a receptionist at a nearby therapy clinic.

All while freelancing for The Oregonian. 

When she finished her day jobs, Schnell headed out to report on OSU’s football practice.

In winter 2010, ESPN hired Schnell as a full-time freelancer, where she focused on high school girls’ basketball recruitment. 

By September 2010, The Oregonian hired her full-time to report on football, baseball and women' s basketball. 

After four football seasons, Schnell would fulfill her dream—working for Sports Illustrated. For the next three years, she built connections, won multiple awards, and refined her craft. 

Then came the lay offs, a common experience among journalists. Schnell describes it as an “unfortunate rite of passage.”

“I didn't have a backup plan,” Schnell said. “All I wanted to do was be a journalist. Within this industry, journalism in general, but in particular sports journalism, it is not nine to five. You work so much. So many weird hours, weekends–and I'm not complaining—but to go from that to nothing was very jarring.”

Four months later, however, Schnell found herself back on her feet. Originally hired to cover men’s college basketball at USA Today, she deviated from sports and moved to the national news desk for three years, covering topics such as domestic violence in Alaska, Catholic Church sex abuse scandals, and more. She moved back to sports full time in July 2022, just in time to cover the World Track Championships in Eugene, the first time that meet had ever been held in the United States. All together, she spent seven years at USA Today, covering national stories and women’s sports.

Calling the shots

Earlier this year, Schnell became a reporter at The Athletic, which has opened a new world for her reporting. 

“I really think The Athletic set the standard within sports journalism,” Schnell said. “They steer the conversation. That's when you get better, is when you're around people that are better than you.”

The biggest change from USA Today to The Athletic was moving from women’s sports to primarily men’s basketball. Still, she finds ways to explore sports through her own lens.

While covering the College World Series this year, Schnell received a phone call informing her she’d won the Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage by the Associated Press Sports Editors. This award, created in 2024, aims to elevate journalism in the field of women’s sports reporting, according to the A.P. 

Stories in her portfolio highlighted topics of race, motherhood, mental health, and body image in women’s sports. 

Next, Schnell looks forward to covering more college hoops, and the Winter Olympics in Italy for The Athletic. For now, she resides in Portland and primarily writes remotely for The Athletic. She also teaches the next generation of journalism students at Linfield College. 

"I know it's unorthodox or unusual to work as a national reporter if you don't have a journalism degree or 'traditional' background. In college, my CLA adviser, Polly Jeneva, once told me 'You can create a world-class education for yourself no matter where you go to school.' I really bought into that, and I think my career is proof she was right. I'm really proud to be an Oregon State alum — and die-hard Beaver women's basketball fan, of course." 

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Xuerong Lu

By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - September 26, 2025

Public relations scholar Xuerong Lu focuses her research on crisis communications and how people engage with or decode messages from corporate institutions. In a competing and conflicting informational environment, messages published in a crisis can be interpreted by the public in a myriad of ways; Lu’s research looks to understand how certain voices stand out amongst informational conflict. 

“Today, the public is an active player because they can post, share and communicate just about anything on social media,” explained Lu. “The public is no longer a passive audience, but a part of crises and now more than ever, conspiracy polarization has complicated the information landscape, particularly in public health.”   

In a new study published in March 2025 in the Journal of Communication Management, Lu and her co-authors Wenqing Zhao and Yan Jin, both from the University of Georgia, as well as Toni van der Meer, University of Amsterdam, explore how corporations engage in social-political issue communication with exacerbating a crisis. The findings reveal both challenges and opportunities should a corporation choose to explicitly communicate its issue stance with stakeholders on social media. 

“For public relations purposes, people expect government agencies to comment on societal issues,” explained Lu. “But for organizations, there’s a distinct challenge and hesitancy to take a clear stance. What kind of voice should corporations have around societal issues?”

According to Lu and her co-authors’ findings from a mixed-design online experiment, when a corporation chooses to engage in political advocacy by taking an explicit stance, it is inevitable to contribute to the perceived polarization among stakeholders. In contrast, corporate engagement in political corporate social responsibility aimed at fostering mutual understanding rather than taking a stance, resulted in significantly lower perceived polarization.

“While studies have well understood how social media and mass media facilitate the formation of polarization, little is known about how corporations contribute to the polarization process,” said Lu. “Practically, the results provide guidance on what type of political engagement corporations can make for social good.” 

Getting ahead of a crisis is a strategy that organizations can and have utilized to stop false stories from spreading. Under misinformation attacks, particularly on social media, organizations can proactively and effectively correct misinformation to counter the misinformed narrative. Known as “prebunking,” Lu and Jin test the effectiveness of this strategy in a new study published in the Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management.  

In an online experiment with over 350 U.S. adults, Lu and Jin tested how different prebunking messages during a misinformation crisis affected readers’ trust and perception of the company. Everyone read a prebunking message by a spokesperson at a fictitious company and a misinformed post by a fake social media user. The prebunking message came in four styles: (1) the spokesperson blamed themselves, (2) the spokesperson shared a sad story that portrayed the company as a victim, (3) the spokesperson spoke about learning and growing from the crisis, and (4) the spokesperson shared a non-narrative story, but only facts about the crisis. 

Lu and Jin’s found that the narrative stories didn’t change the readers’ perceptions of the crisis, but if people liked the spokesperson and felt a connection to them, they were more likely to believe their statement and want to correct the misinformation. 

“It’s a huge challenge to debunk each voice on social media during a crisis and people will inherently dismiss prebunking messages” explained Lu. “But it turns out that liking the spokesperson mattered more than trusting them, and appealing to empathy and connection is what affected people’s perception.” 

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Francisco with Benny (Paige Krebs, '25) | Credit: Lily Middleton, '25

By Halle Sheppard, CLA Student Writer - September 25, 2025

At Oregon State, everybody knows Benny the Beaver. Whether it's at a football game, or even just roaming the halls of the Memorial Union, every student, faculty, and staff can recognize the celebrated mascot. The lovable, anthropomorphic beaver has been a key part of student life at OSU since the 1940s, and while many have donned the costume, each wearer has their own story to tell.

For three years, marine studies student Hailey Francisco, ‘25, held the honor of portraying Benny (and Bernice) during OSU’s many sporting and commemorative events. 

“It was literally like putting on an alter ego,” explained Francisco. “I felt like a celebrity, where everyone knows you and the joy you bring.” 

During the weekdays, Francisco was in Bexell Hall, learning as much as she could about the ocean through the College of Liberal Arts’ marine studies degree (MAST). Originally from the Seattle area, Francisco grew up constantly spending time on the coast; she enrolled at OSU as an ocean sciences major (now oceanography) in the College of Earth, Oceanic, and Atmospheric Sciences. After a few terms, she didn’t see herself thriving in the STEM-focused degree program, but still wanted to pursue an ocean-related degree. Francisco discovered MAST, a humanities and social sciences-forward program with coursework in communications, philosophy, writing, public policy, and more.

“I appreciated MAST so much,” said Francisco. “It provided me with the hands-on experience I wanted on the coast studying organisms and marine environments, but on my terms. I got to decide for myself which direction I wanted to take the degree program.”

Francisco took advantage of MAST’s experiential-learning courses, including Food from the Sea (FW 324), Marine Policy (PPOL 448), and Introduction to Marine Life in the Sea (BI 111). One of Francisco’s favorite experiences as part of MAST was her time in Introduction to Sharks (FW 115), where she travelled to Willapa Bay in S.W. Washington to help catch and tag broadnose sevengill sharks. 

Hoping to serve as a science educator in the future, Francisco’s MAST capstone project aimed to increase the awareness of ocean acidification (OA). Francisco created educational learning resources for educators to use in the classroom about the ongoing effects of OA, including a 30-page book eloquently explaining the ongoing effects of the ocean’s decreasing pH. Other educational materials included presentation outlines, communication resources, quizzes, reflections and all the things teachers needed to know about ocean acidification. “I wanted to distill this very scientific issue into something even younger children could understand.”

Francisco’s MAST capstone project of developing a toolkit aligned perfectly with her internship at Marine and Coastal Opportunities (MACO), OSU’s central hub dedicated to connecting students and faculty with the Oregon Coast. As part of her internship, which frequently took her to OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Francisco created MACO’s Communications Toolkit to support OSU faculty in teaching and mentoring at the coast. 

Apart from her time in MAST, interning for MACO, and transforming into Benny, Francisco was active in her sorority, Delta Gamma, for all four years, including serving as president of the chapter during her senior year. 

“I really wanted to find a close knit, tight friend group that shared my values,” Francisco said. “You’ll find your home wherever you go, but I felt a connection with Delta Gamma. It felt like home.”

Her time in her sorority has led to her current job, as a collegiate development consultant, where Francisco will be  travelling around the U.S. and Canada to other Delta Gamma chapters, providing oversight and guidance to members nationwide. 

“I just decided that I really wasn’t done with Greek life yet, and I still feel like I have people I can support and things I can do to help.” Describing it as her “first adventure of many,” Francisco is greatly looking forward to getting out there and trying something new. And yet, in the future, she plans to return to the Pacific Northwest and continue working in a marine-related field. 

“If we could figure out ways to communicate about the ocean more effectively,” explained Francisco, “I think more people would care about the changes that are happening to it.”

Her school spirit has never waned, and Francisco remains as devoted to the university as ever. “I love OSU and I’ll definitely be one of the alumni who returns for all of the football games and brings my kids in the future. I can’t wait to return.”

Until that day though, Francisco left her mark at OSU and even contributed to its history. During a 2023 football game, OSU re-introduced Bernice Beaver, with Francisco reprising Benny’s female counterpart for the first time since her “retirement” in 1998. 

“It was so cool to be a part of something historical and I know it meant a lot to Beaver fans,” said Francisco. “My years at OSU have meant so much to me.”

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Catie Leebrick

By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - October 1, 2025

When Catie Leebrick, ‘25, walked across the stage to receive her diploma, she carried more than the weight of a Spanish degree and three minors in education, sociology, and film studies; she carried a story of shifting passions, rediscovering old loves, and learning how to see the world through multiple lenses at once.

Leebrick, who grew up in San Luis Obispo, California, has always had language at the heart of her life. Raised in a household where Spanish was encouraged, even though her family isn’t of Latin or Spanish descent, her parents enrolled her in a dual-immersion elementary school where every subject was taught in both English and Spanish.

“It gave me this perspective that there’s never one way to look at something,” Leebrick said. “Language holds so much power. If you don’t have a word for something, you can’t fully know what it is. I think that shaped the way I see the world."

But by the time she was supposed to start AP Spanish in high school, her brain was burnt out. At OSU, she initially declared sociology as her major, considering a career in juvenile justice and possibly law school. Yet something pulled her back.

“I loved sociology, but it sometimes gave me a really pessimistic view of the world—these systemic problems are so big, what can we even do about them? Which I know is a very privileged perspective” she said. “Education felt like the way forward. And Spanish became part of that. I wanted to teach, to make a difference.”

Her academic path shifted accordingly. Sophomore year, she declared a minor in Spanish in addition to her minor education. Then came a turning point: studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain.

Though she was only 19, younger than most of her peers, the experience widened her horizons. “It just showed that the world is so much bigger,” Leebrick said. “My problems felt so small, and I really liked that. It reminded me that there’s this whole world functioning outside of myself.”

Back in Corvallis, she threw herself into another passion: storytelling and creativity. At DAMchic, OSU’s fashion and lifestyle magazine, she rose to assistant editor by her senior year. She credits the experience with showing her that creativity could be more than a hobby.

“Growing up, creativity was never really seen as a career path in my family,” she said. “But with DAMchic, I saw that it could be. Fashion, film, writing; they’re all ways of communicating.”

Two projects stand out from her time with the magazine. The first, an article titled Trapped in a Sweater Vest from DAMchic’s The Pride Issue from Winter 2024. This was the moment she realized her vision and passion could translate into a full editorial spread. The second, far heavier in scope, was a feature she wrote about her best friend Sophie, for the magazine’s most recent issue, DAMchic: On Display. Sophie Bottum-Musa is Palestinian and a class of 2025 graduate of OSU.

“It opened my eyes in ways I’m not proud to admit,” Leebrick said. “I’d been living with this ignorance-is-bliss mindset about what is happening to Palestinians. But once you really see it, once you listen to someone you love, you can’t go back. That piece was the most important thing I’ve ever worked on.”

Now, Leebrick is preparing for her next chapter: a master’s program in Global Communications at the American University of Paris, starting in Fall 2026. Until then, she is working as a TK teacher at home in California. At AUP she plans to focus on film, specifically documentary work, combining her love of language, her sociological lens, and her creative drive.

“Film is communication. Fashion is communication. Language is communication,” she said. “That’s why this program feels right. It’s a way to keep everything connected.”

Her time moving between cultures, California, Oregon, Spain, and soon France, has already shaped her identity. Each place, she said, has left a mark. “There are little parts of me from all of them,” she said. “But I don’t plan on staying in one place forever. I want to keep moving, keep learning.”

That sense of openness, of keeping doors wide, seems to define her. Leebrick has her eye on documentary filmmaking, maybe teaching one day, maybe even law school down the road. But for now, she’s content with the uncertainty.

“I’ve had a very privileged life,” she said. “So why not go for it? Why not try everything I can? I just want to keep learning, keep seeing more of the world, and keep telling stories.”

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Lily Middleton

By Katie Livermore, CLA Student Writer - September 25, 2025

Lily Middleton, ‘25, has always been enamored with history and its power. Now, her goal is a continued focus on Holocaust education for future generations. 

Born in San Jose, California, Middleton was a self-described “choir kid,” and grew up with a supportive, diverse friend group through school. She was also involved with sports, like volleyball. 

During her junior year of high school, she was placed in the newspaper class. 

“I was like ‘I don't want to do this,’” Middleton said. “I also heard that the teacher was tough and he would make people rewrite stories last minute–pretty brutal. So I tried getting out of it.”

Spoiler alert–Middleton did not get out of the newspaper class. Instead, she made the best of it and became a photographer and Student Life Editor. She added her newspaper friends to her band and athlete circles. 

Senior year, Middleton became a co-managing editor and began teaching photography to the rest of the class. That year, the paper won the National Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association, the highest honor in American student journalism awards, for their excellence in coverage, content, photography, graphics, and overall quality of work. 

“I still have never from the ages of 16 to 22 taken a photography class,” Middleton said. “I just kind of made it up and learned as I went.”

Her first summer back from college, she returned to her high school as a guest speaker to teach photography to the same newspaper class. 

Middleton wasn’t exactly itching to go to college during high school. Her mom signed her up for a college preparation course and scheduled two tours in Oregon–one of which was Oregon State University. 

“I loved it the second we drove onto the campus,” Middleton said. “I was like, ‘this is incredible.’”

When Middleton toured, she found Orange Media Network (OMN), where she was welcomed with open arms. She couldn’t stop thinking about her visit, and landed upon OSU as her dream school. 

During her freshman year, she started as a photographer at OMN, focusing on sports and taking every assignment she could get her hands on. It even led to a trip to cover the Beaver football team’s appearance in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl in Los Angeles, where she worked alongside professional photographers from other news outlets.

Later on, she started freelance photography on her own, covering the OSU Women’s Lacrosse team and OSU Women’s Basketball team. 

“Even though I didn't stick with it, it was cool just to know I could do that,” Middleton said.

During her sophomore year, Middleton branched out from photography and became the OSU Women’s Volleyball team beat reporter for The Daily Barometer. 

“I played volleyball in high school and did club volleyball, open gyms and stuff freshman and sophomore year,” Middleton said. “It was fun to get to know some of the girls on the team.” 

She couldn’t stay away from photography for long, however, and started to explore lifestyle magazine shoots and even more controversial hard news photo coverage. During the encampments for Palestine, Middleton was the primary photographer that covered the event.

“It was nice to show how my photo journalism interests translated to history, peace, and literacy,” Middleton said. 

Middleton began college as a political science major with minors in constitutional law and applied journalism. After about two years, she realized her love of history. Classes with Dr. Kara Ritzheimer and Dr. Paul Kopperman inspired her to change her major to focus on history and peace studies. 

“I was annoying in class,” Middleton said. “I was one of those people in the back that's always raising their hand. It always had to do with German history and World War II.”

After one class, Middleton was invited by Dr. Kopperman to intern with the Holocaust Memorial Committee. For the next two years, she met with Holocaust survivors and planned events throughout the year. 

“It was the most rewarding thing ever, because most of my time being a history major, I took many classes like Hitler's Europe [HST 338] and Holocaust and History [HST 425],” Middleton said. “Once I actually started working in the internship, it made it worth it. Then it was like, I'm not just learning [sic] and maintaining this information, I'm doing something with it.”

Now, she’s met Holocaust survivors like Dr. Irene Butter and Dr. Eliyana Adler, pioneering Holocaust educators and even her favorite author, Wendy Lower, who wrote the Holocaust book, The Ravine. 

Now, Middleton hopes to continue her history journey in graduate school somewhere abroad in Europe–hopefully Germany or Norway—after spending several months studying abroad in Berlin. First, she’s taking a gap year living in Seattle with friends, where she hopes to continue learning German, taking photos and even start volunteering at a museum. 

“My gap year, it's going to be me deciding what I want to do for a grad program, if I want to stick with Holocaust education, or if I want to branch out and go more general like public education,” Middleton said. “The best way to combat a lot of the issues that led to the Holocaust, and that Holocaust education seeks to combat, are based in public education. So I think that's the path I'm going.”

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Brooke Jennings

By Jessica Krueger, CLA Student Writer - September 25, 2025

Ask Brooke Jennings, '25, what psychology and art have in common and they’ll tell you: “They go hand-in-hand." Jennings graduated magna cum laude in spring 2025 with a major in psychology and a minor in studio art, areas of study which–as Jennings has engaged with them–are more similar than they might appear. 

Jennings decided to pursue a degree in psychology because they wanted to better understand how people think and behave. “Psychology is fundamentally important in how we interact with people and the world,” they said. “Even if your work isn’t in a psychology field, it’s still super valuable information to have.” 

Throughout the course of their academic career, Jennings learned about development, decision-making processes, interpersonal relationships and the internal and external factors which shape peoples’ lived experience. As a research assistant in Dr. Jeff Loucks’ CHILD Lab, Jennings learned about memory and attention span, working with Loucks in the preliminary stages of his research to better understand how young children observe and learn sequences of actions.

If psychology is the means by which Jennings has come to understand the mind, it is their artwork which aims to connect people and emphasize the importance of having empathy for one another. Using a wide range of mediums from acrylic paint to digital software, Jennings’ most recent works abstracts the human figure with bright colors and interesting postures to evoke a connection between the physical body and the expression of emotion.  

“I really enjoy focusing on themes of the body,” they said. “Figure represents who we are, but at the same time we are so much more than the way that we look.” Art is a way to bridge these internal and external selves, they continued, emphasizing its therapeutic capacities. 

“There’s such an interesting relationship between art and psychology. Obviously there are different ways that they present themselves to the world, but there’s so much with art that involves processing things, the way that we behave, and self-expression. Art is a healing process.”

Asked about their classes in studio art, Jennings expressed gratitude for their instructors: “They have so much knowledge about art and they’re so helpful with offering guidance, but they’ll still give you the space to express yourself the way you want. It’s nice to have people who you feel like are rooting for you in your career and in your studies because art is obviously very subjective.” 

Jennings has enjoyed making art since they were a young child. In 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Jennings realized their love of painting was something more than just a hobby. That’s when, they said, everything started to click.

During their time at Oregon State, Jennings’ work was featured twice in the university’s art and literary journal PRISM, in volumes 144 and 145. Their work was highlighted again in spring of 2025 when Orange Media Network (OMN) videographers met Jennings in the art studio to see them paint in action.

“The process of making art is its own art form,” they told the camera, meanwhile adding the finishing touches to their canvas painting of a bright red apple core. “I’m just putting my all into it, or even if I don't put my all into it, (I’m) just giving what I can to it and (with) that I feel accomplished.”

Besides their contributions to OMN, Jennings also served as a marketing officer for Montage Collective in 2024, a long-standing fine arts club on campus which promotes fine art and gathers student artists together throughout the Corvallis community.

“I had a lot of fun living in Corvallis,” Jennings said. “I also really enjoyed the campus. It was a really beautiful place to live and such a relaxing place to be at. I met a lot of amazing people. All of the programs that I was a part of were very supportive and welcoming. They always wanted you to be involved, which I think is really special.”

Originally from Orange County, California, Jennings came to Oregon State University as a recipient of the Provost’s Distinguished Scholarship. They didn’t want to attend college in California and felt that Oregon had a lot to offer with its community and natural environment. 

Now that they have graduated, Jennings is moving back to Southern California to be closer to friends and family. They have a full time position lined up working in risk management.

And in their time off? Jennings will be making an impact in Southern California’s local art scene. They are inspired by its vibrant culture and are excited to connect with local artists. There, Jennings will continue their craft, with dreams of one day becoming a tattoo artist and pursuing their art full time. 

“I’m not really someone who has a direct goal with my career right now. I just want to keep my doors open,” Jennings said.

“You don’t always need direction,” they added. “Sometimes it’s helpful to go with the flow of life."

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Madelaine Corbin

By Jessica Florescu, CLA Student Writer - September 18, 2025

A multi-disciplinary research-based artist, Corbin’s acclaimed expertise in crafting natural fibers and dyes has led her around the world with notable awards and accolades. Growing up mere miles away from Oregon State’s campus in Corvallis, Madelaine Corbin, ‘17, now supports the university’s Craft Center as its program coordinator. 

Corbin came from a creative family, but was particularly influenced by her grandmother. “Many of my family members are art makers, but my grandma always had beautiful art projects from all around the world that she collected. Each object was infused with a story of her travels and the artisans who crafted it.”

Corbin’s journey at OSU initially started when she enrolled in the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts’ JumpstART, a pre-college program for students wanting to pursue a creative field. Beginning her first year at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, Corbin transferred to OSU after her first year to be closer to family and friends, as well as the school and art studios she was already familiar with.

While a studio art and art history student, Corbin had the opportunity to study abroad in Athens, Greece, and then Rome, Italy, with support from two scholarships, the AHA International Travel Scholarship and Sponenburgh Travel Award. Corbin describes both trips as “transformative” for her, but it was her experience in Athens that continues to shape her work today.

“Being able to just walk around the city helped open my eyes to a new place I had never been before,” Corbin said. “I painted site-based watercolor pieces and explored new areas of the city and adjacent islands every week. I was able to explore culture through art.”

During her time as an undergraduate student, Corbin also studied under the mentorship of renowned interdisciplinary artist Mary Mattingly. As part of the New York Arts Practicum, a summer arts program, Corbin worked with Mattingly on her floating food forest sculpture located on a mobile barge in New York City. The repurposed barge, called Swale, was meant to explore food as a shared civic resource and challenge laws prohibiting food production on New York City’s public land. 

“At the time, I was working on a project about mobile color and growing plants similar to Mattingly’s project focused on food,” explained Corbin. “Working with other artists to convert a floating barge into a garden with edible plants was one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had.”

At OSU, Corbin was awarded the Helen E. Plinkiewisch Scholarship, which covered her tuition, and while still an undergrad, Corbin began delving into color theory and experimental dyes. Starting her junior year, she became a research assistant in the chemistry lab of Mas Subramanian Ph.D. focused on discovering a new blue at the time. 

“There was a tangible similarity between art studios and science labs,” Corbin explained. “People in both were asking big questions about color and earnestly seeking answers. Each of these environments were also open to the unexpected results that can lead to new discoveries.” 

Corbin would continue her study of blue while earning her M.F.A. in fiber at the distinguished Cranbrook Academy of Art, just outside of Detroit, Michigan. Corbin had an interest in looking further into the loss of color that she noticed around her.

“It began with noticing environmental changes that resulted in less color, such as with greying skies around cities, the pinks of different salmon populations, and pH-sensitivity in flowers grown in different soils,” Corbin expressed. “I wanted to learn more about where color comes from and where it is going.”

Her research-based woven art installation The Climate Crisis is a Crisis of Color showcases blue dye fading through cloth. “Blue is an indicator species in our environments—there are water-sensitive blues on land, migrating blues in the ocean due to its changing temperatures, and disappearing blues over the skies of many cities.”

All of Corbin’s research on the color blue can be found in her book The Stuff of Everyday Magic, which traces the history and sources of blue in the natural world, as well as how it’s fading because of our warming planet. 

Throughout her artistic career, one of Corbin’s favorite projects is , which involved a mutated suit with arm holes sewn together and an iridescent weave structure woven with glow in the dark thread.

“The concept is the idea of humans holding hands together at the end of the world, and it started with noticing conjoined flowers on my walk to school everyday,” explained Corbin. “This project let me look at hope and optimism in a different way than I had before.”

After graduating from Cranbrook, Corbin began teaching at Wayne State University in Detroit as an instructor of weaving and fiber arts. Soon after starting, she was awarded the Fulbright Research Study Award to return to Greece. For nearly a year, Corbin studied traditional textiles and natural dyes in Athens, on various Greek islands, and in Northern Greece.

Corbin has also received a myriad of recent awards and fellowships due to her dedication to research on natural dyes, including the Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Emerging Artist Award, an Oak Spring Garden Foundation artist residency, a Creative Residency at the Bloedel Reserve, a Prairie Ronde Artist Residency, Pine Meadow Ranch Residency, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Stuart Thompson Fellowship, Honorable Mention for the Dorothy Waxman International Textile Design Award in 2020, and finalist status for the Redmond Design Prize. 

In 2025, Corbin began working at OSU’s Craft Center as a program coordinator supporting student artists with their projects.

“I have been supported by OSU’s mentor community, so it feels really fulfilling to start giving back to these creative students,” said Corbin. “I’ve been impressed by the students’ engagement, and I’m excited to bring my expertise and amplify what they are already doing.” 

Opened Monday through Saturday, the Craft Center, located in the basement of the Student Experience Center, offers the space and tools for students looking to explore craft in a multitude of ways, including ceramics, sewing, weaving, glass torch, stained and fused glass, printmaking, woodworking, and more.

“My goal,” explained Corbin, “is to create a welcoming and beautiful multidisciplinary space for students looking for a sense of wellness, balance, and belonging.”

In addition to working at OSU, Corbin runs a dedicated space for textiles and furniture making in Philomath with her partner Kai, called Omnibloom Studio, as well as running natural dye workshops across the state. 

For current students majoring in studio art, Corbin’s advice is to keep pursuing the creative fields. “You should make things everyday; keep on with all of your questions and ideas and know that paint, clay, fiber, color—these materials can communicate deeply if you listen to the world at your fingertips.”