Scholarship

Marianne Mahoney – 2020

Marianne Mahoney graduated from Beaverton High School, attended Lane Community College and is pursuing an Environmental Science/Soil Science degree. She hopes to move on to Oregon State University, add a minor in Ethnic Studies, and continue to learn about bioremediation and environmental racism.

Working as a migrant farm laborer along the West Coast for close to a decade, Marianne saw “first hand the polluting runoff from cattle ranches, logging operations, and cannabis farms” and “wants to fix some of the damage being done.” Her ultimate goal is to work in Oregon State Soil and Water Conservation Departments as an Environmental Conservation Scientist.

“Helping others has been my North Star as I navigate my life. I am trying hard to lift myself up out of poverty, so I can continue lifting up those around me as well.”

Jennifer Hasbrouck and Jamie Allen – 2019

Jennifer Hasbrouck is working on a Master’s degree in Special Education Behavior Management at Western Oregon University. In addition to her studies, she is a mother and activist. Jennifer worked on development of Oregon House Bill 3067 which provides safe child care and family support when families must attend court affiliated appointments, public service appointments, an or are in need of respite care during times of crisis.

Jamie Allen attends Oregon State University, working on a BS in Cultural Anthropology. She is a mother, an activist and a member of the Cherokee tribe. In addition to her coursework, she has been studying Tsalagi, her native language.

Jazmin Tinsley – 2018

This past year Jazmin graduated from Portland State University with a Masters of Social Work, with a Clinical, Youth and Family focus. Shortly thereafter, she was hired as a developing therapist and is now working towards her Clinical Social Worker Licensure. She “absolutely loves learning from and contributing to the people she has the honor of serving.” She “continues to seek out ways to foster justice, equity, equality and connectivity starting within my community and moving outwards.”

Jazmin grew up near the Morse farm and graduated from South Eugene High School. She earlier attended Portland and Lane Community Colleges and graduated from the University of Oregon, with majors in Family and Human Services and Planning, Public Policy and Management. She continues to serve as Board President for the Casa Xalteva which helps youth in Nicaragua.

Sunshine Navarro – 2017 

Sunshine was raised in rural Junction City with her parents and grandparents. Growing up in poverty and sometimes being homeless influenced her to work hard and succeed. She established the Green Club at Sheldon High School. She earned an Associate Degree from Lane Community College and is now a full time student at the University of Oregon, studying Psychology.

Sunshine hopes to become an Occupational Therapist. She volunteers for Friends of Trees and is thinking of starting a nonprofit for cooperative living in Eugene.

Shianne Walker – 2016 

Raised in Eastern Oregon and a member of the Klamath Tribe, Shianne attended Lane Community College before transferring to University of Oregon. At the UO, she majored in Ethic Studies with a Native American Studies minor and graduated with honors. Currently she is continuing studies at the UO, working on a PhD in Critical Sociocultural Studies in Education and focusing on issues of equity in our educational system.

In addition to her studies, Shianne serves as Assistant Longhouse Steward at Lane Community College.

Tony Vezina – 2015 

When Tony received his scholarship, he was finishing his term as Student Body President at Portland Community College. While at PCC, he worked to place an Ex Officio Student on the PCC Board of Directors and received a Diversity Award for student advocacy. He is a Certified Recovery Mentor and Peer Recovery Counselor and is pursuing a Bachelors of Social Work at Concordia University.

Tony was a cofounder of 4D Recovery (4^th Dimension Recovery) and currently serves as its Executive Director. Under Tony’s leadership, 4D has established recovery centers in Portland, Hillsboro and Gresham, helping hundreds of young people recover from addiction.

Tony’s talents and advocacy have made him a leader in youth recovery efforts in Oregon. He serves on the Boards of Directors for the Oregon Recovery High School Initiative and for Oregon Recovers, a statewide recovery advocacy organization. He is a member of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission. His commitment and hard work have earned him the Skidmore Prize and the Portland Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award. Last December on KOIN in Portland, Tony discussed COVID’s impact on addiction: www.koin.com/news/health/coronavirus/covid-thrives-with-people-addiction-thrives-in-isolation/

Merriam Weatherhead – 2014 

A  Sociology major at University of Oregon, Merriam held leadership roles in student government at Churchill High School and Lane Community College. In 2016, she helped lead the Oregon Students Association voter registration campaign that registered over 45,000 students including an unprecedented 6,500 at LCC. Currently Merriam is a property manager in Portland, working on a real estate license, while volunteering with local animal rescue groups.

Dylan McDowell – 2013 

A Yachats native, Dylan’s civic involvement began on the local Youth Council. He graduated summa cum laude from Oregon State University with Honors degrees in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and Education. Following graduation, Dylan worked in Washington, D.C., where he was Program Director at the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. He has returned to Oregon and now works remotely from Salem as Deputy Director of the NCEL.

Dylan chairs the City of Salem Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and serves on Salem’s Climate Action Task force. In 2020, he was chosen as one of 25 fellows to take part in the Blue Pioneers Program Accelerator, a non-degree program through UC Santa Cruz for leaders working on ocean conservation issues. In recognition of Dylan’s efforts for outdoor conservation and health, he was selected for the 2018 Emerging Leaders Program at the Center for Jackson Hole’s SHIFT Conference and now serves on its Advisory Council.

Mary Gross – 2012 

A first-year nursing student at Lane Community College, Mary grew up in Pleasant Hill. When her original plan to become a doctor was thwarted by a medical condition, her strong commitment to education caused her to find a different path to a career in health care: earning an associate degree in nursing, completing a BS in Nursing from OHSU, and becoming a Nurse Practitioner.

Julie Mertes – 2011 

Julie, our inaugural scholarship recipient, was a second year graduate student in social work at Portland State University when she was awarded the scholarship. A high school dropout who earned her secondary education diploma nearly a decade later, she graduated magna cum laude from PSU and finished her Masters of Social Work in 2012. Later she interned with Volunteers in America Oregon and worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the Portland Men’s Residential Center.

Currently a counselor/social worker for Kaiser Permanente in Salem, Julie continues to use her education and hard won knowledge of personal behavioral transformation to help others overcome the kinds of problems and barriers she herself faced. She supervises students who never cease to make her proud and have gone on to do amazing work in our communities. She considers her students to be “very high performers and strong advocates for social care and justice.”

When Julie applied for the Legacy Scholarship, she “was afraid that [she] would not be appropriate because [she] didn’t really have any engagement in politics. Now [she] realizes that everything [she] does in this field is about lifting up and helping others in our community, many of whom go on to be strong advocates for change in our policies.”