The Clackamas Print
February 19, 2003
Jen Nelson pursues dreams, change through
extracurricular activities and political activism
Design Editor
nature anyway, and we’ll get into a
hot topic and my parents won’t even
talk politics with me anymore.”
Nelson describes Brennan as not
only a mentor but also a friend. “He’s
taught me so much, and been a shoul
der to cry on when I needed it,” she
said.
This year Nelson has served as the
president of Phi Theta Kappa. As
president her job to is to facilitate
meetings and make sure things are
going according to plan.
“It’s been a huge learning experi
ence. I have some amazing officers,”
Nelson said.
Jen Nelson’s goal in life is simple:
she wants to change the world; she
says this with a clarity and determina
tion not found in many people her age.
This determination has driven her
academic
and
extra-curricular
involvement at Clackamas the past
two years.
Nelson joined the speech team
winter term last year.
“Initially, I was just looking for a
way to pay for school. I didn’t want to
pay for it and I knew I had the qualifi
cations to do something to pay for it,
so I went to Kelly Brennan and asked
if there was any way to get a scholar
ship and he said ‘Yes, definitely.’”
She started speech team with no
prior experience, and describes her
first tournament as very nerve-wrack
ing.
“I was never very confident at all
speaking publicly,” Nelson said
“Kelly [Brennan] said it was just a
‘get your feet wet’ kind of tourna
ment. I didn’t take home any prizes,
Currently, she is working towards
but from there I learned the ins and
the International Phi Theta Kappa
outs.”
Success was not far off. Last year Convention in Anaheim, Calif. The
Nelson took home a national champi event will focus on health and feature
onship with her persuasive speech on speakers from the American Cancer
lifting the sanctions on Iraq. She also Society. Some ideas Nelson has for
fundraising are a battle of the bands
took home two state championships in
and a golf tournament.
interpretive.
“We have some fun stuff
“They’re all so fun,” said Nelson.
“Like debate, it’s funny because I’ll planned,” she said.
As for reaching her lofty future
go home, and I’m argumentative by
ERJNN LERTEN Clackamas Print
Jennifer Nelson, CCC student and national award-winning speech team member, strives to
change the world as she continues to educate herself. Despite being offered a full-ride_
scholarship to Lewis and Clark College she is considering other schools.
goals, Nelson is already planning.
She’s been offered full scholarships to
several schools including Lewis and
Clark.
“Lewis and Clark will give me a
full ride if I do speech and debate, but
I don’t know if I want to tie myself to
that. I’m tom between going to an
amazing undergraduate program. That
would be Columbia or New York
University. There are some really
awesome schools on the east coast. Or
it’s a matter of knowing someone who
will get me into the graduate pro
gram,” Nelson said.
She has been heavily involved
with the Political Science department
as Dean Danis’ student and teaching
assistant, as well as with the
Conscious Citizens’ Coalition.
“It’s great to have that expertise,”
she said in reference to Darris, “to just
be able to soak it up.”
Although she loves speech and
debate, Nelson’s desire to be political
ly active is driving her to pursue that
avenue.
“I really would like to be able to
focus more on international law and
diplomacy,” she said.
Nelson describes her future plans
using words like activism, lobbying,
and Congress. “As far as career plans,
who I’m going to work for, I have no
idea,” Nelson said. “I know I don’t
want to close the door to possibilities.”
Clackamas instructor, Vietnam veteran Widerburg
compares current conflicts to past war experiences
•The potential war with
Iraq has Vietnam veter
an Widerburg remem
bering the past and
worrying about the
future
The recent onslaught of news about
the chance of a war in Iraq has many
Americans afraid of what may happen
in the near future, but how do genera
tions that fought in past wars feel about
what is going on in the world right
now?
Allen Widerburg, an English
teacher at Clackamas who fought in
Vietnam, shared his war experience
and his feelings about the possible war
with Iraq.
“It’s a very scary time,” Widerbuig
said. “Saddam needs to be stopped.
The president of Korea needs to be
stopped. There are 26 wars going on in
the world right now, and terrorists are
spreading.”
Widerbuig was drafted to go fight
in Vietnam in 1967. He was given 30
days to prepare to be shipped off to
war. He didn’t try to get out of fighting
because he had just gotten married. He
knew that he could either fight in
Vietnam for a year, or go to jail for five
years.
Widerbuig was told that he was
going to be sent to a place that hadn’t
seen any combat yet. He was sent
there, but was quickly transferred eight
miles away from Cambodia and was in
the line of fire the entire year he was
there.
“Right after I got sent home our
base got overrun and my friends got
shot up,” Widerbuig said.
When Widerburg returned home
the whole country was in turmoil.
Many vets were protesting against the
war, and for good reason. President
Nixon said he had a plan for peace, but
it was over five years before it achieved
peace. He falsely told the American
people that they were being bombed,
just to get the country to support him.
Widerburg attended PSU when he
returned home. People were protesting
all over and being clubbed for it
“These days remind me of that a lit
tle bit,” Widerbuig said.
If this war breaks out it will be a dif
ferent war than Vietnam. Both armies
are more technologically advanced
now. Also, Widerburg said in Vietnam
it was mostly jungle fighting, but this
would be desert and city fighting.
Cities in Iraq are veiy similar to our
large cities. Baghdad is really no dif
ferent than LA; there are roads, big
buildings, and lots of people.
“I suggest students get informed
about what’s going on in the world,”
Widerburg said. “The only thing that
we know of Iraq is what the media
wants us to see on TV. Whenever we
see Iraq on TV we see Saddam with a
sword in his hand or shooting a rifle.
We never see what any of the citizens
do.”
ANDY PRICE Clackamas Print
ALLEN WIDERBURG Contributed
Left: Allen Widerburg, English instructor. Right: Widerburg 35 years ago. Widerburg
shared his experiences in Vietnam, and compared them to the recent threat of war.
Widerburg suggests that students get informed about what is going on in our world.
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