CSSA Blog @ Oregon State University

• Alicia Petersen
• David McCandless
• Patrick Moser
• Tristen Shay
• Shelley Yonemura
• Jacelyn Keys
• Naoko Kawamura
• Britt Q. Hoover
• Heather Nicole Christian
• Jennifer Busick
• Jill Creighton
• Ardith Feroglia
• Courtney Nikolay
• Yuliya Dennis
• Don Johnson
• Mary Martin

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Alicia Petersen

Hello! My name is Alicia Petersen and I am a second year student in the CSSA program. I am a full time CSSA student, and I am doing my assistantship with University Housing and Dining Services, as a graduate resident director in Bloss Hall. I am also completing a minor in counseling, and all of the classes that I have had to take thus far have proven to be beneficial to my success here at Oregon State University.

I have chosen to do a portfolio instead of the thesis option. This process has been an exciting journey, as I start to lay the foundation for my “museum” portfolio. I have chosen to do a museum theme for my portfolio defense. I hope to “archive” all of my experience during my time in the CSSA program. This experience has been life changing from the range of opportunities, the professional colleagues that I have gotten the privilege of working with, and also the friendships that have developed over my time here at Oregon State University.

I moved here from Caldwell, Idaho where I worked for two year at the College of Idaho as an area complex director. I completed my undergraduate degree in 2004 from Boise State University (BSU) and I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Health Promotion. I also was a Resident Assistant for three years while attending BSU.

In my downtime I love to spend time with my partner and my dog. Although, the free time is sparse, I enjoy working out, reading for pleasure, cooking, spending time with friends and enjoying the different experiences that Oregon has to offer.

Alicia Petersen

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David McCandless

Hello from the sunny Pacific Northwest! My name is David McCandless, and I am a June 2007 graduate of the CSSA program with my Ed.M. I migrated to Corvallis in September of 2005, a few months after finishing my undergraduate degree at Kansas State University. Born and raised in Kansas, I had an amazing five-year experience at K-State, earning a degree in political science and public relations while working in a broad range of student affairs functional areas. I was excited to head to OSU and start my graduate work, and my experiences since have been amazing.

The CSSA program is a practitioner’s program, and I feel like it left me well-prepared for work in student affairs. I had an amazing experience in and out of the classroom and was provided with many opportunities to to learn and grow and engage in significant, meaningful work while I was at OSU. CSSA students are really given the run of campus, and if there’s a project you can dream up or a committee you want to sit on or an office where you want to gain internship experience, you are usually encouraged to jump right in because of the reputation CSSA students have on campus for doing outstanding work.

I also made amazing, life-long friends in the program and had the opportunity to learn from and network with amazing faculty and staff from around campus and the region. Corvallis is a great college town and has quite a lot to do without the sometimes overwhelming nature of attending an urban campus; it also has the benefit of being located right in the middle of the Willamette Valley, an hour away from the coast and an hour away from the mountains. I definitely found a place to call home.

So what am I doing now? People from our cohort have ended up as far away as Colombia (the country), Indiana, El Paso (TX), Boulder (CO), Fairbanks (AK), and many points in between. Currently, I work as a live-in Complex Director for University Housing at the University of Oregon. My building, the Living Learning Center, has 372 residents and 12 staff. Coming into the position, I didn’t have much residence life experience, but I’ve found that many of the skills and experiences I did have are very translatable to what I do. It’s been an amazing opportunity with a fast learning curve, but because of my CSSA experience, I’ve felt prepared and confident that I have the tools I need to do my job well, and I think that’s ultimately what I had hoped to get out of my graduate experience.

I always welcome any comments or thoughts folks want to share. Thanks for taking the time to read through this whole bio, and enjoy the blog!

David McCandless

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Patrick Moser

Hello, I am Patrick Moser. I am a part time student of the CSSA program and work full time at Western Oregon University as the Assistant Director, Facilities and Operations in the department of University Residences.

I grew up in Gresham, Oregon and after I graduated from high school I moved to Monmouth to get my teaching degree. In college, my plans changed when I discovered the field of Student Affairs. I was lucky enough to serve as a Resident Assistant, a Hall Director and get involved in student government as an undergraduate. I graduated with a degree in Speech Communication and was ready to work in residence life.

My career started at WOU in 1996 when I was hired as an Area Coordinator, a position I held for three years. I started a master’s degree program at Portland State University while working full time. The commute to Portland and the masters program was not all that I was hoping it to be, so I decided to take a new direction and that has led me to Oregon State University and the CSSA program.

During my ten years in University Residences at WOU, I have had the pleasure of advising and instructing students. This truly is my passion! I had the opportunity to advise the Residence Hall Association at WOU for six years and it is probably one of the most rewarding times in my career to this point. Working with students in leadership positions and helping facilitate their growth through their leadership experiences is at the heart of the Student Affairs profession.

Outside of my work, I am deeply involved in the community of Monmouth. I was on the Monmouth City Council for five and half years. I believe civic service and giving
back to the community is a vital part of being a member of a community and I try role model that value to the students I work with on campus.

I enjoy spending time with friends, traveling, watching and participating in sports, golf, tennis and fishing.

I look forward to the challenges of being a half time student and look forward to working with and learning from as many colleagues in the CSSA program as possible.

Patrick Moser

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Tristen Shay

Hello! My name is Tristen Shay and I am a second year student in the CSSA program. I am a full time student and am hoping to graduate at the end of this coming year. So far I have had an AMAZING time in the program and am excited to share my experiences. I work in a part time assistantship for the office of New Student Programs & Family Outreach. Our office coordinates the summer orientation sessions that all new and transfer students attend. Additionally, we plan opening week activities (called CONNECT week) and are the masterminds behind almost 40 sections of a first year orientation course that is offered during the Fall term (called Odyssey).

I have chosen the Thesis option in the program although I will have to complete a shortened portfolio as well. My Thesis research is on college students with body modification (piercings, tattoos, etc.) and their experiences with peers, staff, and faculty. I also chose to pursue an area of specialization, rather than a minor, in what I am currently calling “Office Management and Technology.” So far in my program, through various outlets, I have taught 3 classes, helped coordinate a peace conference for high school students, presented at a visit day, given an orientation presentation to hundreds of new students, made successful conference proposals, met tons of amazing professional colleagues and made some of the best friends of my life.

Tristen Shay

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Shelley Yonemura

Hello! My name’s Shelley Yonemura and I’m a 2nd year CSSAer. Having traveled to 10 countries, I’m now back in graduate school and now looking for a more stable place to reside…which may just end up being Corvallis!

Writing is therapeutic and gives me perspective, so I look forward to blogging. My journey is a continuous process of letting go of the holding on. Learning how to give grace. Finding peace within. Saying “no” to the good in order to make room for the greater. Becoming more interdependent instead independent. Understanding that I’m a work in progress and that’s okay. Knowing that everyday is a day that I can look for the good and start anew.

In my freetime I am involved with in the community through my church, volunteering, and international students plus I am always searching for my next adventure whether it’s skydiving or cooking new receipes.

-Shelley Yonemura

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Jacelyn Keys

Greetings! My name is Jacelyn Keys and I am currently a second year student in the CSSA program. I am a full time student with an assistantship in University Housing and Dining Services as a Resident Director. I live with my mini-doxie puppy Spencer Edison in the service learning hall. We love the Corvallis area; Spencer loves the beach (primarily because he never hears, “No digging, Spencer”) and the leash less parks. I love Oregon State – this is a phenomenal program and a fantastic university.

In my spare time (mind you, spare time has become a thing of the past since I came to grad school), I enjoy black and white photography, reading, organizing and color coding my shoe collection, entertaining, painting, cooking, and gardening. I would like to qualify the gardening statement; I like to grow herbs and flowers. I do not, however, enjoy mud getting on my hands so I avoid the true “dig in the dirt and pull weeds” style of gardening. I look forward to a time in the near future where I can start doing the things I love once again.

Since starting the CSSA program, I have found a few new loves. My academic and/or research passions include identity development, service learning, curriculum development, and Strategic Enrollment Management in community colleges.

I hope you enjoy the blog!

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Naoko Kawamura

Hello! I am a second year student in the CSSA program. The first year in CSSA went by so fast and it is hard to believe that I am going to start my second year of CSSA in the Fall.

There were many challenges during the first year, transitioning to be a student, moving away from my country, keeping a good balance between working, studying and relaxing. But I could definitely survive because of the great support I have had from my cohorts, CSSA faculty and others. I really enjoy working at OUS International Programs as my GTA.

I am excited about this blog because when I was in Japan I learned about the CSSA program through a blog, which was created by a CSSA student. I learned many things from the blog, asked questions, received meaningful information, and now here I am!

A little about my background: I am from Japan. I went to Holy Spirit Women’s Junior College in Japan for two years, earning an A.A. in English and transferred to College of Notre Dame of Maryland for three years, earning a B.A. in computer science. I found out that I really enjoyed working at the International Programs office assisting international students. I then worked at Universities in Japan for three years. I really enjoy working for a university and with students and I wanted to study student affairs in more depth, so I decided to come back to the U.S. English was not my favorite subject in high school, but my passion for the students affairs profession led me to OSU without any hesitations.

I am so thankful that the CSSA program is providing me the opportunity to learn.

Naoko Kawamura

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Britt Q. Hoover

My name is Britt Q. Hoover and I am a second year, full-time graduate student in the CSSA program.

I graduated from Western Washington University in beautiful Bellingham, Washington in August 2007 and 10 days later, moved to Corvallis for graduate school. My undergraduate degree in Pop Musicology was a self-designed, interdisciplinary degree combining the studies of pop music, media studies and cultural and identity studies. During my time in undergrad, I served as a Resident Advisor for three years, completed a housing internship in New York City, and discovered my love for Student Affairs and Higher Education. I could not be happier to be in the CSSA program.

Now at OSU, my graduate teaching assistantship is in the hustling and bustling Career Services. I advise students, facilitate presentations to classrooms and student groups, assist in the coordination of the many career fairs, and work on special projects. I love to hear about students’ accomplishments and goals and help them find ways to channel their passion and energy into a rewarding career. The time I spend with students feels more like life development than career development– and it is really gratifying to be part of that process!

I decided to take the portfolio and area of specialization track in the CSSA program. I am currently developing an online web portfolio to chronicle my evolving philosophy and understanding of Student Affairs. You will undoubtedly read all about my ups, downs, stresses, frustrations and successes with my portfolio project over the next few months. I am excited to embark on this project and start the process of articulating my professional philosophy.

My area of specialization is Crisis Management, as I am quite passionate about student conduct and campus critical incident response. I am currently an intern in the Office of Student Conduct at Oregon State University and hope to gain more experience by interning with the residence halls’ Community Standards Boards this fall. I hope to learn more about preventative and intervention strategies to campus violence, sexual assault and alcohol abuse, in addition to how institutions respond to crises in the community.

As for my other internships, between my first and second year of graduate school I interned in Scotland at a study abroad program as a student advisor and guest conference coordinator. It was an absolutely brilliant experience.

In my non-CSSA time (does such a thing exist?), I love (like, really love) bicycling, composing and playing music, catching up on celebrity gossip, thrift stores, watching bad reality television, architecture, interior design, and fashion. I am looking forward to chronicling my experiences here and thank you for reading!

Britt Q. Hoover

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Heather Nicole Christian

Hey! My name is Heather Nicole Christian, my friends call me Heather Nicole. I am a part of the new 2008 CSSA cohort. I am a full-time, thesis track student with a passion for all things student affairs. So passionate in fact, I havn’t figured out exactly where my niche is yet but am looking forward to exploring.

I was raised in Olympia, Washington, but was born in Salem, Oregon; not too far from Corvallis and am excited to be an Oregonian once again. I completed my undergrad at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington in 2006 with a B.A. in Sociology, a field that I am in love with and when I was introduced to the world of student affairs as a Residence Hall Leadership Council member, and then as an RA I felt that I could fuse the two things together. I studied a lot of student development theory and then completed two sociological research projects my senior year focusing on college student behavior. During my senior year I attended the Oshkosh Placement Exchange (OPE) and interviewed with many, many universities to be their next hall director. I decided on the University of Minnesota, Morris; a small public liberal arts university on the prairie. I moved to the small town of Morris, Minnesota in the summer of 2006 to find a large world of opportunity in a very tiny place. So if anyone has doubts about working at a small college, talk to me, I bet I can change your mind As a hall director I spent lots of time working with student leaders and first year students, all the ah-ha moments are the icing on my cake and the fact that I get to see them on a daily basis is so wonderful. In the twilight of my years at UMM I applied to a few different graduate schools and actually ended up in the place that I dreamed about when I first decided to enter the field, OSU! I am so pleased to be a part of such an amazing program. I loved my years as a hall director and am looking forward to exploring different parts of student affairs. Alongside my academic work at OSU I have an assistantship in the Women’s Center, that I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of. As an undergrad I always dreamed of directing a women’s center as I had such a good experience working with CWU’s, Center for Student Empowerment. Everything leading up to graduate school has been amazing and eye opening, I can’t wait to explore all the opportunities ahead of me at OSU!

To tell you a little bit more about me, I am a lover of all things musical and artistic. I have been singing and dancing since I was very young; and have been drawing and creating things since I could remember. In the rest of my free time I love to write, hike and spend time with my fiancé Joe, play with my amazing tabby cat Berlioz, cook and bake. I am hooked on a few TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Ace of Cakes, Jon and Kate Plus 8 and Law and Order SVU. I love movies, especially crime mysteries and romantic comedies. I should wrap this up because as many of you will find out, I could write for days. I love life and telling stories through pen and paper (or keyboard) and most of all love sharing information, lessons and stories with people. I am a life long educator and learner and I am ecstatic to write for this blog as my story unfolds. Have a wonderful day!

-Heather Nicole Christian

“Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History” -Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

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Jennifer Busick

Hi, my name is Jen Busick and I start the CSSA program this fall. In 2002 I graduated from Cal Poly State University located in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California where I earned a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Management.

I studied abroad in England my junior year of college and on my breaks from school I traveled throughout Europe. You can definitely say that I got the travel bug! When I returned home for my senior year, I began working part time at my university as the Student Assistant at the International Programs office and found my calling to work in student services.

After college my boyfriend and I traveled for about a year in New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Fiji, and finally ended the traveling with a road trip around the United States. We fell in love with the Northwest and immediately moved to Portland where we lived for over two years.

In June, 2005, I got hitched to the boyfriend mentioned above (aka, Ryan) and for our honeymoon we bicycled across the U.S., starting in North Carolina and ending in Portland, Oregon. It was a good test of our marriage and I am happy to report that we are still going strong!

The past couple of years we have served in the Peace Corps in Bolivia where I worked mainly in education teaching about nutrition, hygiene, and computers. It was a very challenging and rewarding experience and now I am looking forward to washing machines, Mexican food, and people not arriving hours late for a meeting!!!

In my free time I enjoy cooking, hiking, knitting, reading, dancing, tennis, and as you have probably already figured out, I love to travel and learn about other cultures. I am excited to be working with the New Student Programs and Family Outreach office for my assistantship and to be joining the 2008 CSSA cohort at OSU.

I hope you enjoy my blog entries and I look forward to some responses…happy reading!

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Jill Creighton

Greetings! My name is Jill Creighton, and I am a very recent alumna of the CSSA program. I am currently serving as the Coordinator of Judicial Affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder. For me, this was “the dream position” as I exited graduate school. I picked up my life and moved 2000 miles into middle-America…which in itself has been quite the adventure.

I completed my Ed.M degree in the spring of 2007 (which means that I chose to complete my degree via the portfolio option after a personally belaboring experience with the thesis option). While at Oregon State, I held my assistantship in the Office of Student Conduct and worked closely with several departments and organizations on campus including: the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), the Sexual Assault Response Network (SARN), the Greek Life Advisory Council (GLAC), the Academic Success Center (ASC), the University Exploratory Studies Program (UESP), Student Life and the Dean of Student Life, and the CSSA program itself with orientation and Campus Days.

In my search for graduate schools, I had the option to attend three other institutions with higher education administration/student affairs programs. I chose Oregon State’s CSSA program for a myriad of reasons. First, I cherished the fact that I would not have to write a thesis (though through the first year, I decided that would be the road I wanted to take, and later abandoned that road). Second, during my Campus Days (the CSSA interview weekend) experience, I was enamored by the involvement of the students. To me, it showed that the students truly cared about the welfare of the prospective students. All my questions were answered thoroughly, and I met a lot of great people! Third, I am a native of Washington State (the Seattle area to be exact), and I enjoyed the prospect of being able to see friends and family on weekends. Finally, as a native Northwest, the desperation to stay near trees, ocean air, and mountains (all within a 1 hour drive) was essential for me.

The two years I spent at Oregon State were a bit insane for me, as I was balancing life on my own (though with a dog), life as a graduate student, life as a professional, and life with a long-distance partner. My partner lived in Washington State, pursuing a bachelor’s degree, while I pursued and balanced the demands of a 20 hour/week assistantship, a full graduate class load (minimum of 12 credits), and caring for my puppy. Together, we learned to navigate the challenges and rewards of a long distance relationship in addition to our already intense academic and professional commitments. In the end, it all worked out for us—both having graduated, and as you can see in my photo, we married this summer. All in all, I have gone through a ridiculous amount of transitioning in the last few months—graduating, getting a new job, moving to a foreign state, getting married, and transitioning into that new job.

I look forward to blogging about my time in the CSSA program, my portfolio and thesis battle, my job search process, and the transition into my new position.

Jill Creighton

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Ardith L. Feroglia

Hi hi hi! My name is Ardith Laverne Feroglia, and I am a first-year, full-time student in the CSSA program (CSSA Cohort 2010). Currently, I’m a portfolio-track student with hopes of specializing in international education/education abroad and/or academic advising. My assistantship is with the University Honors College, where I function as an events programmer, an advisor to a student organization, and a live-in academic partner (i.e., I live in a residence hall)!

I grew up in eastern Washington but currently claim Seattle, WA as my home. I graduated from Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA) in 2008 with a BA in communication and a minor in business administration. I was also a cheerleader and an active member of the Filipino-American Student Association (FASA) while at WWU. Immediately after graduation, I took a job as an administrative assistant with a retail company in the greater Seattle area. However, about three months into my job, I realized that I belonged in education. The draw of staying in the academic realm, as well as staying involved with other activities, was too great to ignore.

I took some extra time to make sure student affairs was the path for me, working full-time and researching graduate programs for the remainder of ’08 and most of ’09. One of my best friends from WWU suggested that I look into Oregon State, simply because she had grown up in Corvallis, OR and thought it was funny. Little did she know, OSU is home to one of the best programs in my field of interest.

Long story short, I had an amazing Campus Days experience. I knew OSU was the school I wanted to attend, and I literally jumped out of my chair when I received my admissions offer e-mail. An assistantship offer later sealed the deal, and I gladly accepted. I should mention that when I accepted, I was halfway around the world in Madrid, Spain taking part in a volunteer program. I decided that since I was going back to school in fall, I was going to travel for several months in Europe. I was lucky enough to live with a host family for one month in Madrid, then spent the following month visiting cities throughout Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and England. That particular venture solidified my interest in working with an international audience.

So far, I’m enjoying my time in the CSSA program. If you’re looking to learn more about me as an individual, I run a blog at www.trainsandsunsets.com.

Other stuff I like: dancing, cheer, playing piano, blogging, road trips, hiking, “the outdoors,” quirky humor, and random adventures.

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Courtney Nikolay

Hola!  My name is Courtney Nikolay and I am a first-year student in the CSSA program.  If I do everything right, *fingers crossed* I should be graduating with my M.Ed. in June of 2012.  I am currently assistantshiping, interning, taking classes, and volunteering mainly in the areas of service-learning and civic engagement.  My assistantship is with PeaceJam Northwest, an amazing international organization which works to educate and inspire youth to become involved with global calls to action which address ten of the most pressing issues of our time. This year’s conference features Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum and I’m so excited to meet her in person!  I am interning in the Community Service Center helping plan two Alternative Spring Break trips; one to Yakima, Washington focused on hunger and homelessness (which I will be co-leading), and the other to Portland, Seattle, and the Columbia River Gorge alongside the University of Oregon.  Additionally, I am participating in the AmeriCorps Students in Service program this year in which I volunteer for 300 hours at different non-profits like the local humane society and the community meal program.  My academic specialization is community-based learning, so all of these experiences focused on service are perfect as I work toward my goal of becoming an International Service-Learning Coordinator.

I am from a small town in Wisconsin, but attended the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities for three years, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for two years.  I graduated with a BA in international studies, economics, and peace studies.  With my love of everything international, I volunteered abroad in New Zealand, studied abroad for a semester in Seville, Spain, taught English as a foreign language in England for a summer, and took part in a human rights delegation throughout Guatemala while in college.  I also worked in the study abroad office for a year, which made me really start to think seriously about becoming a student affairs professional in international education.

After I graduated, I spent a year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Center for Volunteerism & Student Leadership.  This was by far one of the most influential years of my life and it definitely helped me make my decision to go to grad school in higher education administration.  I am thrilled to be at OSU spending my days working with students and my nights reading and writing about them.

When I’m not on campus, you can find me walking dogs from the humane society around Corvallis, taking care of my foster cat, Bisty, enjoying vegetarian food (I’ve been a vegetarian and sometimes-vegan for the last 8 years), watching obscene amounts of Scrubs on my couch, or planning my next international trip.  I’ve also built up a strong reputation for being a Diet Coke and Qdoba aficionado.

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Yuliya Dennis

My name is Yuliya Dennis. I am in the CSSA Cohort 2010. I received my undergrad at OSU and loved it here so much that I decided to go to graduate school here. My assistantship is in Student Leadership and Involvement. I mostly advise the Memorial Union Program Council. I love the CSSA program and love my cohort!

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Don Johnson

Welcome to the CSSA Blog. To better help you understand me, let me give you a little background. I have been a faculty member in Student Affairs at OSU for the past thirty-two years, so I have a little bit of background to work with. I have worked closely with the program for my entire career as an assistantship supervisor and have taught in the program for the past five years. Currently I teach courses on transitioning into the field of Student Affairs, Spirituality in Higher Education and Organizational Architecture. My lab work consists of having a son preparing to graduate from a different college. Please feel free to ask me anything about anything. I think you would find this program, this university and this community, as an exceptional place to be.

Don Johnson

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Mary Martin

Greetings! My name is Mary Martin and I will begin the CSSA program in September 2008. I graduated from Oregon State in 2001 with a BA in American Studies, but my road to CSSA began around 2004 when I realized that the most gratifying part of my job was interaction with college students and student affairs professionals. I admire students who take ownership of the struggles and triumphs of their educational experiences, and professionals who focus on providing valuable opportunities for students and others in a variety of ways.

I don’t have an exact job in student affairs in mind for myself yet and I’m not exactly sure what I will minor/specialize in although I have some pretty definite ideas. What I do know is that when I look at the list of nine CSSA Competencies a lot of possibilities come to mind and I am a great believer in possibilities.

I look forward to sharing my CSSA experience and hope that you’ll share your comments and suggestions with me!

Mary Martin

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