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OnPoint Credit Union
Awards Scholarships
to OSAA Students
Continued from Page 4
needed it most. Bradford earned
a 3.83 GPA while pursuing chal-
lenging Advanced Placement
courses and will study pre-law to
become an attorney.
Tara Subramanian of Lincoln
High School is a nationally com-
petitive congressional debater.
She helped rebuild Lincoln’s de-
bate team and coached Beaverton
High School debaters at a time
when the discipline’s popularity
was waning. Subramanian creat-
ed the Oregon Red Cross Youth
Council, where she recruited
and led more than 600 volun-
teers and coordinated statewide
service events. Her international
humanitarian law presentations
educated thousands of students
about foreign policy and war
crimes. Subramanian also orga-
nized the Oregon Youth Neuro-
science Conferences. After tak-
ing 17 college-level classes as
an International Baccalaureate
student, Subramanian will grad-
uate with a 4.0 and attend New
York University.
Austin Baker of Bend Senior
High School captained his basket-
ball, football and lacrosse teams
and helped students with disabil-
ities compete in sports through the
Unified Sports Program. His Uni-
fied Sports Program teammates
played in the gold medal match in
their division. Baker earned a 4.35
GPA while taking college-level
classes through the Internation-
al Baccalaureate program and is
a member of the National Honor
Society. Austin will continue his
education at Wesleyan University.
Charles Black of Central Cath-
olic High School led his school’s
chapter of CommuniCare, a stu-
dent-powered social justice and
community service organization.
A leader in Central’s campus min-
istry and student body vice pres-
ident, Black played five sports
and co-captained his varsity cross
country and track teams and junior
varsity basketball team. He earned
a 4.0 GPA and is a National Merit
Scholar finalist. Black will attend
the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and plans to become
a physician.
Camila Garibay of Sheldon
High School played trumpet in
the school’s concert band, wind
ensemble and marching band and
swam competitively. A student in
the Spanish immersion and Inter-
national Baccalaureate programs,
Garibay earned a 3.74 GPA. She
also participated in Oregon Young
Scholars, a four-year college pre-
paratory program. Garibay will be
the first in her family to attend col-
lege and plans to become a nurse
to honor her grandmother, who
was a midwife.
Lane Shaffer of McDaniel High
School He campaigned for bet-
ter transportation infrastructure
as co-chair of the Transportation
Equity and Environmental Ad-
vocacy committee of the Mult-
nomah Youth Commission. Shaf-
fer earned a 4.0, took college-level
classes, and participated in foot-
ball, cross country, wrestling, and
the student newspaper. He also
served as president of McDaniel’s
Youth Action Council. Shaffer
will major in public health and
public policy on a pre-law track.
All graduating seniors who par-
ticipate in OSAA activities were
eligible to apply for a scholarship.
The Scholar Program is part of
OnPoint’s partnership with OSAA
as the title sponsor of the Oregon
high school state championships.
OnPoint selected winners based
on letters of recommendation and
personal essays about their com-
munity leadership, classroom
success, and how participating in
OSAA activities has helped them
achieve their goals.
Success at Any Age
Earning a
Degree Can Be
Easy at EOU
Story by Michael Dakota
At 46 years old, Kente’ Bates
has accomplished quite a bit in
his life. The native of rural Geor-
gia joined the Army at age 32,
moved to Oregon, and adopted
Portland as his home. In Decem-
ber, the husband and father of two
will add college graduate to his
list of achievements. Bates will
earn a Bachelor of Science with a
concentration in Leadership, Or-
ganization & Management from
Eastern Oregon University.
Bates’ personality is loaded
Kente’ Bates
with optimism and energy. His
positive attitude and drive to his degree from the comfort of
succeed helped him finish his his home. He was also able to
get credit for his life experience,
degree after a 13-year break.
“I was the oldest guy in my including his military training,
platoon when I joined the mil- through the University’s Cred-
itary, I want people to escape it for Prior Learning programs.
the mindset that anything is im- Not only did this cut down on
possible, or it is ever too late,” his time to accomplish his ed-
ucational goals, it saved him
Bates said.
During the pandemic, Bates money as well.
“Eastern Oregon University
decided it was a good time to
is
already
affordable, which re-
go back to school. His wife told
ally
appealed
to me,” he said.
him about Eastern Oregon Uni-
“But
they
also
recognize a per-
versity, which turned out to be
son
has
a
lot
of
past experiences
a great fit for the busy father.
and
give
you
credit
for it. There
Even though the University is
was
nothing
difficult
about get-
located in La Grande, Oregon’s
ting
credit
for
my
life
experienc-
Rural University is a leader in
online education, offering most es, the process was made very
programs digitally. Bates earned easy for me.”
One way that the people at
EOU made earning a degree eas-
ier for Bates was that they met
him where he was in the Portland
area. He was able to meet with
Kerry Thompson, Eastern Ore-
gon University’s Military/Veter-
an Coordinator, and fellow veter-
an, at EOU’s Gresham Regional
Office located at Mount Hood
Community College. Thompson,
based out of EOU’s Hermiston
Regional office, one of Eastern
Oregon University’s 11 offices
spread across the state, drove
the three hours to give Bates the
personal attention the University
is known for. Bates praised “the
great team” when it comes to
serving veterans.
Bates’ optimism is conta-
gious. He urges others to pursue
their educational goals, no mat-
ter the obstacle.
“If you want to get your de-
gree, I would encourage people,
especially those over 40, to do it.
Just put one foot in front of the
other,” he said. “Eastern Oregon
University is an example of a
very well-kept secret, a hidden
gem. Nobody talks about the rest
of the state, but there is a lot of
amazing things over in Eastern
Oregon. Definitely check it out.
It will be worth it.”
To learn more about Eastern
Oregon University, email Alas-
sane Diagne at diagnea@eou.
edu. To learn more about EOU’s
Credit for Prior Learning op-
portunities, visit eou.edu/cred-
it-for-prior-learning.
Five Reasons to Consider
a Career in Healthcare
By Elaine Daugherty,
Human Resources
Director, Shriners
Children’s Portland
As the demand for medical
care continues to be at the fore-
front of national conversations,
it is important to recognize the
underlying foundation of what
keeps the healthcare industry
moving when considering a ca-
reer in healthcare.
Healthcare professionals are
leading the sector with their abil-
ity to combine new ideas with
technology and compassionate
care. These professionals work
on the cutting edge of science,
As you explore a career in
and now more than ever the healthcare, examine these five
combination of science with new key considerations:
technologies is putting healthcare • Impact and Purpose: In
at an extremely exciting preci-
Healthcare, each position
pice for advancements we have
whether direct or indirect
never seen before. These drivers
has the ability to impact
as one can imagine are meaning-
an individual’s life. Peo-
ful, measurable and in demand.
ple come together with
a collaborative commit-
ment to make a difference
in the community. These
impacts give healthcare
workers a sense of pur-
pose and fulfillment with-
in their careers.
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