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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2018)
WEEKEND EDITION BUCKAROOS TAKE DOWN RAIDERS DAYLIGHT SAVINGS Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour tonight PLAYOFFS/1B NOVEMBER 3-4, 2018 143rd Year, No. 14 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Age of the Millennials Generation in Eastern Oregon often doesn’t fit trend, stereotypes Staff photo by E.J. Harris Juana Ortiz, of Hermiston, voted for the first time in the 2018 midterm elec- tions. First vote as U.S. citizen Longtime Hermiston resident marks special occasion By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian For Juana Ortiz, fill- ing out her ballot on Fri- day morning was a special occasion. The longtime Hermiston resident was voting in the U.S. for the first time, after becoming a citizen in 2016. “I decided to vote because it’s a right we have,” she said in a mix of English and Spanish. “Your vote makes a difference.” Though she knew how she wanted to vote, Ortiz needed some assistance with the process. She asked her teacher in Blue Mon- tain Community College’s English Language Acqui- sition program to help her navigate some of the paperwork. A former Hermiston Foods employee, Ortiz, who has been in the United States for 26 years, began studying at Blue Mountain Commu- nity College’s English Lan- guage Acquisition program when the facility closed last year. The program, which helps non-native English speakers of all lev- els improve their reading, writing, listening and speak- See VOTE/12A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Millennial rancher Kip Krebs works on removing an old fence line at his family ranch west of Ione on Thursday. Who are Millennials? By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian • Pew Research Center defines Millennials as those born from 1981 to 1996. • In 2017, there were 56 million Millennials in the workforce. • There are 62 million Millenni- als eligible to vote. • In 2014, 32 percent of Mil- lennials were living with their parents. • In 2016, 40 percent of workers age 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s degree or higher. M illennials know all the ste- reotypes that older gen- erations have thrust upon them. They’re lazy. They’re enti- tled. They take too many self- ies. And they’re living in their parents’ basement because they spent too much money on avo- cado toast. As much as “Millennials” has become a shorthand for every- thing wrong with kids these days, half of Millennials are now in their thirties. Some media out- lets use slightly different defini- tions of Millennial, but the aca- demic definition used by Pew Research Center is people born between 1981 and 1996, now ages 22 to 37. According to Pew Research, Millennials are pro- jected to surpass Baby Boom- ers (ages 52-70) next year as the largest generation in the United States, and are already the larg- est generation in the workforce. Kip Krebs, 28, is one of many Eastern Oregon Millennials who resents being labeled as one. He works long days as a ranch man- ager at his parents’ cattle and sheep ranches outside of Ione and in Wallowa County. He has a college degree, a house, a wife and a son. “About the only thing we do is work,” he said. Krebs said there are, of course, people in his generation who are every bit as entitled and lazy as the stereotypes. But he wants people to know there are hard-working Millennials who have their life together too. Peo- ple like him, his wife and their Staff photo by E.J. Harris Millennial Kimberly Nevil, of Hermiston, works at the Work- source Oregon office in Hermiston. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Millennial Megan Lauer, of Pendleton, sorts through paperwork in her office Friday in Pendleton. Lauer is the chief operating of- ficer of Eastern Oregon Independent Practitioner Association. friends in rural Oregon. “A lot of Millennials do seem entitled to things, but I’m kind of old-fashioned,” he said. Jess Schiller, born in 1986, is another Millennial in the agri- cultural community who doesn’t like the label. She and her hus- band run a Red Angus cattle operation in Umatilla County, and she’s working on an associ- ate’s degree from Blue Mountain Community College. “He bought his first bunch of cows right out of high school and in the last 10 years we’ve been able to build it up enough to live comfortably, not outlandish by any means, but I can stay home with our girls and he works on his family ranch as well,” she said in an email. Schiller is one of a growing cohort of Millennial moms. In 2016 Pew Research found 48 percent of Millennial women were parents. When Generation X (born 1965 to 1980) women were the same age, 57 percent of them were parents. While Millennials overall are getting married and having chil- dren later than previous genera- tions, location plays a big role. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics, compiled by the New York Times, shows the average age of first-time mothers nationwide is 26. But the average age in Portland is 27, while in Umatilla and Morrow counties women are having their first babies at an average age of 23. Other Millennials who See MILLENNIALS/12A CHI St. Anthony Hospital Family Clinic is recognized as a Patient -Centered Primary Care Home. What does that mean for you? • Better-coordinated care. • Healthcare providers who will help connect you • Listening to your concerns and answering with the care you need in a safe and timely way. questions. • Healthcare providers who play an active role in your health. • After-hours nurse consultation. 844.724.8632 3001 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton WWW.SAHPENDLETON.ORG Mon through Thurs, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat and Sun, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred.
