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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 2012)
July 4, 2012 ^ lo r tla n h (O b se rv e r NW C ollege C areers s p e c ia l Page 5 e d itio n Student Seated on Commission P ortland C om m unity C ollege stu dent C harlene G om ez o f Lake O sw ego has been nam ed to the L egislature's H igher E ducation C oordinating C o m m ission, w hich sets goals and acco u n t ability m easures for the state’s c o l leges and universities. G o m e z a tte n d s c la s s e s at th e S ylvania C am pus in southw est P o rt land and serves as that cam pus' stu dent governm ent director o f leg isla tion. She has w orked at PC C to o rg a nize voter registration drives and rep < - Portland Commu nity College student Charlene Gomez has been appointed to the state's Higher Education Coordi nating Commis sion. She is the first member o f her family to go to college. resent student interests at the cam pus and the college. She is pursing degrees in business and the ophthalm ic field. "I am a first-generation A m erican and the first in m y fam ily to go to college," G om ez said. "I w ould have n ev er im agined m y self having the o p portunity to w ork w ith state rep re sentatives, and that's w hy I am so excited and honored for the o p p o rtu nity to serve m y com m unity and the state o f O reg o n .” Math Major has Colleges Calling Him PCC student named national scholar finances are taken care of, I can say 'W hat do you have to o ffer m e?' I don't have to com pro m ise m y education. I can go and pick the school that is the best." T he Jack K ent C ooke F oundation's U n dergraduate T ran sfer S ch o larsh ip Program It's not every day a Portland C om m unity C o llege student is told by C olum bia U n iv er sity to "please, apply." F o r A dam E ide, 33, that day did co m e as a result o f T he Jack K ent C ooke Foundation aw arding him its U ndergraduate T ran sfer S cholarship. It w ill provide him w ith up to $30,000 a y e ar fo r three years tow ards tuition and a stipend, beginning in the fall. T h e northeast P ortland resident is the first P C C student to w in the scholarship in five years and is the first-ever m ale to represent the college. H e is one o f 60 scholars that w ere pick ed from 786 applicants nationw ide. A s a result o f this honor, the m ath m ajo r has been earning inquiries from prestigious colleges and universities all ov er the U nited States that w ould love it if he applied to their in stitu tio n s. E ide, w ho has already been accep ted into Adam Eide Pacific U niversity and the U niversity o f P ort land, said that list o f possible transfer d e sti nations includes C olum bia, w hich sent him an application shortly after being nam ed a scholar. "All th roughout college, you k in d o f have to co m p ro m ise y o u r ed u catio n a little bit b ecau se o f costs," he said. "N ow that m y days o f school, w hich he attributes to tl fam ily situation. W anting do m ore in life than ju s t manag an auto dealership, E ide enrolled at PC C i the fall o f 2010 w here he re-kindled his lov o f math. A fter burning through savings t supports achieving co m m u n ity college stu pay fo r his first year, he earn ed a $ 2 ,0 0 d en ts w ith financial need as they transfer to H ow ard S. W right Scholarship from the PC( and co m p lete their bachelor's degrees at the Foundation for his second year. At the sami nation's top fo u r-y ear co lleg es and universi tim e, he becam e so proficient at m ath that h< ties. w as hired on as a m ath tutor five days a weel E ide's goal is to becom e a m athem atics at the C ascade C am pus L earning C enter. teacher. T his trajectory tow ard reaching this As he exits com m unity college, Eide ha: goal probably w ouldn't have happened if it one last problem to solve - w hat university w eren t for his tight-knit fam ily grow ing up in will he transfer to? The pressure is on to fine V ernonia. an answ er. H e adm its his fam ily struggled during "Not only do I have m y self not to let dowi those tim es as his single m o th er w orked hard but all my fam ily - m y m om , my aunt that h< to raise seven children (E ide's dad left w hen alw ays helped and pushed m e, m y friends he w as ju s t 2 years old). H e help ed out the he said o f m aking the m ost o f the schola fam ily w hen he w as o ld er by w orking at a ship. "A nd now I have a foundation th< B eaverton c ar dealership. H e had been an invested a great deal o f m oney because the honors student as a freshm an, but his grades believe in me, and I can't let them dow n. I hav d ro p p ed o ff his senior y e ar and m issed 58 to m ake sure I succeed for those people." on the Waterfront c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3 performances, four stages, zydeco, blues and swing dances, workshops and artist interviews, and Health Net Health Pavilion. You can sign up for free health screenings for blood pres sure, visual sight, glaucoma, diabetes Harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite, one o f the headliners for the Waterfront Blues Festival. and hearing. The Waterfront Blues Festival also offers eight Delta Music Experience B lues C ru ise s on the b ea u tifu l Willamette River and four After Hours All-Stars Concerts at the M arriott Hotel Ballroom. For details, visit waterfrontbluesfest.com . Regular festival entry is a suggested donation of $ 10 (or more) plus two cans of food (or more) per person per day, making this festival one of the great entertainment bargains of the summer.
