Current Fellows

Seth Arendell

I am a Senior studying Agricultural Sciences. For most of my academic career, I have usually been one to simply follow along and follow instructions, avoiding leadership roles due to shyness, nervousness, and the potential difficulty that could involve being a leader to others that must be relied on. However, I have had a significant change of mind in my seeking of leadership roles, and now I am both curious and inspired to learn how to be a leader that can influence others for the better, as well as to learn more about myself.

 

Ashley Armstrong

 

Hi, I am a Senior studying Agricultural Sciences. I see the Leadership Academy as a way to practice a hone my leadership skills more before needing to apply them in my career, as well as practice leadership more often and grow both as a leader and as a person. I sometimes have difficulties fully understanding people and pervious leadership experiences have taught me how to handle those situations, so any chance to learn more ways to better understand people I am working with I want to be a part of.

Charlotte Borges

 

I'm a Junior studying Animal Sciences. I believe leadership is something that cannot be taught in a classroom, rather it is the knowledge you acquire from peers and mentors. My belief makes Leadership Academy the perfect program to give me unique and personal experiences to grow as a student, in future career pursuits, and as a person.

Chloe Bostick

 

I am a Sophomore studying Chemistry. I anticipate the Leadership Academy will prepare me to work with people from all walks of life and teach me how to be able to recognize and harness talent to achieved desired outcomes. I would also love the opportunity to continue to meet new people and expand my circle here at OSU. I hope to master the ability to communicate with anyone and bring people together regardless of outside factors. 

Gillian Campbell

 

Hi, I'm a Junior studying Natural Resources. I hope to have a career in environmental consultancy or a career similar to that where leadership is extremely important for working in teams and connecting with others. Leadership Academy would help me advance those leadership skills. I believe it is also important for me to use leadership skills in my personal life to work in groups in classes and to use in my sorority where I did hold a leadership position last term.

Juliana (Jem) Connelly

 

Hi, I'm a Senior studying Animal Sciences with a bio-health/pre/vet focus. I am really excited for the mentor portion and learning how to better present myself professionally. Most specifically I am bad at selling myself in interviews and am desperate to learn how to do better. I am hoping to attend Vet School after getting my bachelors and I am aware I need help to achieve the level of preparation necessary for a goal like that. I’m hopeful for new networking connections and opportunities that can help me get closer towards Vet School, and to build lasting relationships with educated minds in my future career field.

Olivia Cooper

 

I am a Senior studying Forestry. As a forest management student interested in a career in wildland fire management, leadership and decisions making skills are so important.  Whether I am actively fighting a fire, making decisions on what resources to use on a fire, or planning how to prevent fires in the future, the choices I make can literally be a matter of life or death. Learning how to be the best leader I can be for the sake of my coworkers is very important to me.

Val Coronado

 

I am a Senior studying Agricultural Sciences. I like to do advocacy work for human rights, and leadership could help be advance in my volunteer work to bring new ideas, instead taking a more passive role. I hope to work in extension or with the NRCS, and both these career paths require me to be confident in my knowledge and educate the public, the Leadership Academy will be able to help me find my voice.

Monique Council

 

I am a Junior studying Wood Innovation for Sustainability. I want to be a better more responsible leader, and need better discernment.  I want to make sure everyone feels safe and has a voice in the group, but sometimes that takes the group down a rabbit hole, or takes the group off the topic. I believe the Leadership Academy will help become a better, more confident leader for team and group work. 

Tessa DeHart

 

I am a Junior studying Wood Innovation for Sustainability. I believe that this program will help build, and hone in on skills that will advance me in both my current academic endeavors, as well as in my future career. I have worked in various work environments. From these experiences I have come to understand that there is immense worth in knowing how to act as a teammate, and a leader within your field. I believe that I have just cracked the surface of what there is to know about leadership, and management. I hope that from being a part of the Leadership Academy, I can gain skills that will serve me well within all areas of life.

Cydney Diaz

 

Hi, I am a Senior studying Agricultural and Food Business Management and Sustainability. For me, I think the biggest draw to leadership academy is to make connections and network with others and most importantly, build my leadership skills. As a child, and even as a late teenager, I was a shy introvert who didn’t engage much vocally with the world, but highly valued the wisdom and learning experiences I received from others.I am hoping that leadership academy will help me not only
gain perspective but also improve my leadership capabilities and my confidence to face hurdles.

Alaric Dinh

 

Hi, I'm a Sophomore in Crop and Soil Science. Leadership is utilizing this ability to affect those around you to get things done and enact change towards the group's goals. I wish to be able to cultivate this ability so that I can be a better part of a team, and push not only myself but others to be the best that they can be. As someone who comes from a background with an emphasis on healthy communication styles and conflict management I aim to bring this knowledge to my future endeavors; primarily focusing on motivation and connecting people with the resources that will allow them to flourish.

 

Paola Estribi Mendez

 

I am a Sophomore majoring in Food Science and Sustainable Technologies. I want to be developed my leadership skills and Leadership Academy would help me when I would work with different people and become a better leader that would help in my business.

Emilie Etchart

 

Hi, I am a Sophomore studying Food Science and Sustainable Technologies. I am interested in the enriching environment that the academy provides and the countless opportunities to learn about other people’s stories in an effort to expand my horizons. I hope to deepen my understanding of the world around me through my interactions with other people and organizations. I believe that Leadership Academy will allow me to do just that. Leadership in my interpersonal interactions will help me
understand priorities surrounding professionalism.

Elena Ferraiuolo

 

I am a Sophomore studying Agricultural and Food Business Management and Sustainability. The Leadership Academy is a great opportunity within the College of Agriculture to not only expand on my individual leadership skills, but also work more as a part of a team and with a mentor. I believe the Leadership Academy will help make my experience at OSU more fulfilling, while also preparing me for a future career. In addition, I look forward to the opportunity to serve my school and the greater Corvallis community through this program.

Aiden Finegan

 

Hi, I am a Sophomore studying Natural Resources. I am hoping to use the Leadership Academy as a way to explore what I can do to improve in general as a leader and individual throughout the rest of my time in college and beyond. Having a somewhat limited experience with leadership but having a career path that requires leadership to an extent is an important reason why I decided to pursue this opportunity. In addition to this, developing leadership skills with like-minded peers in the same cohort is another enticing aspect of the Leadership Academy given that it gives me the opportunity to meet new people that I might otherwise not get to know.

Lucy Goracke

 

Hi, I am a Sophomore studying Crop and Soil Science. Taking a single Leadership course already taught me so much about my own way of interacting with others and forced me to look critically at my words and actions. I want to continue to learn more so I can be the best friend and partner that I am capable of being. I also want to be a leader within my major and hopefully someday in my job as well. I feel passionate about helping agriculture adapt to a changing world, but I can't do that just
with scientific reasoning. I want to work on my public speaking skills and my ability to articulate my ideas so I can bring people along with me.

Celeste Groth

 

Hi, I'm a Junior studying Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences. I am generally a shy, independent person, so I need something to bring me out of my comfort zone. And there are so many leadership and life skills I could learn and develop in the Academy that could be extremely useful. I have been a shift lead in my past jobs, and I enjoy it, but there are definitely some things I can work on.

Tessa Hart

 

Hi, I am a Senior studying Ecological Engineering. As an ecological engineering student, I am part of both the College of Engineering and the College of Agricultural Sciences. Despite pursuing this degree because of its applicability within agriculture, I have found most of my time spent and identity consumed by the engineering community. I am most excited about becoming part of the Leadership Academy within the College of Agricultural Sciences because it is a great avenue to reconnect with my interests in agriculture. It would provide the opportunity to connect with likeminded peers and gain mentorship in my fields of interest.While I am confident in the progress I have made so far, a structured environment for these tasks would be immensely beneficial. As I move into my final year of college, I am hoping that my involvement in the Leadership Academy will grow these skills in their potential so that I am prepared when I move into the job market.

Lily Hull

 

I am a Sophomore majoring in Forest Operations Management. This leadership academy creates a unique environment and student dynamic that is connected by major, but also goes beyond the surface level of a typical college student, to connect individuals based on ideas, beliefs, goals, and motivation to lead others. Through team work and collaboration efforts, a student like myself, is able to be supported to learn how to motivate their self and motivate others to achieve success.My experiences in high school were a good foundation to build my leadership skills, however, with my career goals in mind, I would like to continue seeking, learning, and expanding my abilities in leadership; both for my personal life and career goals.

Charlotte Hussain

 

I am a Senior in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences. In my personal life, I see leadership giving me the confidence to voice my opinion even when it isn’t popular. I think leadership skills will improve my ability to navigate complex social interactions where the decision that is best for all parties may not be clear. In my career goals, I believe that strong leadership skills will help me achieve greater success in networking which will help me make connections that I will need to progress in the fisheries and wildlife field.

Maddie Jensen

 

Hi, I am a Junior studying Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership. I want to be part of the Leadership Academy because I want to continue my leadership development and skill set. I take pride in being a leader, bringing people together to achieve desired results. I do well with responsibility and I take ownership of the challenges that come with being a leader. I come with leadership experience, both from the world of sports and the tourism industry.

Evangeline Jorjorian

 

Hi, I am a Sophomore studying Bioresource Research. I see leadership playing a role in my future as I pursue my own research and enter the medical fieldI want to be apart of the leadership academy because I believe it will prepare me for the future ahead of me.

Emma Joy

 

I am a Junior studying Animal Sciences. Working in the veterinary world would be my biggest portion of leadership, I want to be able to have tips to be able to be a good leader and be a part of a team that is better suited with me being a follower and a leader, through learning in this program. I think it would provide me valuable resources, information and knowledge to apply after I graduate within the leadership realm. I want to get to know the idea of leadership more to get out of my comfort zone.

Jenna Kamppi

Hi, I am a Sophomore in Animal Sciences. I am currently planning to go to veterinary school in my future after I graduate. I feel that leadership plays a big role in that career from the way you manage your time and skills to how you interact with other people while still maintaining a healthy work life. Currently, I feel like the extra help with my leadership will round out some rough edges and help me further my leadership role from FFA and 4H. Overall, you can never have too much leadership experience and I want to make sure I am the best person I can be.

Wiley Lang

I am a Sophomore in Animal Sciences. I will continue to be a part of different Ag organizations in our community and state such as Coos County 4H, Coos-Curry Farm Bureau, Oregon Farm Bureau, and Oregon Cattlemen's association to help keep our agricultural community successful. These organizations are all built on the foundation of good leadership and I want to be a part of continuing that. I believe that the leadership skills I have and will acquire throughout my life will help me contribute to my commitments and help others become leaders as well.

Kaia Larson

Hi, I am a Senior studying Crop and Soil Science. I want to learn new leadership skills and improve upon my ability to be a leader by practicing effective communication and being part of a team. Together, we will develop trust in one another and choose roles that fit our personality and skills to accomplish difficult tasks and co-create new goals to build a shared vision
of community for our academic and social experience as Agriculture Science students.

Steven Lauterback

I am a Sophomore studying Ecological Engineering. I would like to develop more "soft skills" outside of the traditional classroom environment. I feel that I am doing well at learning some of the basic math and science concepts that will help me in future education and vocations, but I would like to have more of an opportunity to develop communication and networking skills.

Alexis (Lexi) Leathers

I am a Sophomore studying Agricultural Sciences. I spent my high school career participating in FFA, and I grew substantially in my communication abilities, teaching skills, and learned to adapt to a variety of situations while working with a diverse group of people. I am looking forward to continuing my leadership development in being surrounded by fellow developing leaders, and working with mentors within the Leadership Academy to continue to improve. I am also looking forward to networking and connecting with like-minded individuals and working as a group!

Andrew Marks

I am a Sophomore studying Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership and Sustainability. I believe that leadership is like a skill that if you are not constantly practicing you will begin to lose. Leadership is also fluid, and every individual needs to be led in a different way, and the only way you can become a more effective leader is by exposing yourself to multiple different perspectives and individuals.

Hannah McLeod

I am a Senior studying Agricultural and Food Business Management. I see leadership playing a large role in applying for jobs in operations or management. In my future jobs, I hope to have the ability to motivate, inspire, direct, and achieve any organization's goals. The more effective the leader the more successful the project or company. Leadership can also play an important role in anyone's personal life by allowing people to grow more emotionally intelligent. Learning the best ways to handle disgruntled employees, constant questions, or even making sure workers stay on track can be an emotional minefield. However, the more emotionally intelligent you grow the better you can navigate how to be an effective leader. People are always changing through their lives, and good leadership is a great way to make sure you are growing in the right direction.

Gabriela Morales Navarro

Hi, I'm a Junior studying Agricultural and Food Business Management. As a candidate member of this academy, I strongly believe that I will be able to gain valuable knowledge. The ability to lead is a valuable skill that I would like to work on in order to achieve success in the future. The development and success of society depend on the leadership of qualified leaders. There is a saying that says "tell me who you're with and I'll tell you who you are" and I've found that it's true. As a result, you fill yourself up with the good or the bad of those around you. This is why I am joining the academy in order to surround myself with people who have similar leadership thoughts to mine. This will ensure that we can contribute to each other and learn from each other.

Silas Osborne

I am a Junior in Natural Resources. I know that being a leader isn't just being able to stand in front of a crowd, projecting directions and encouragement. Being a leader can simply be advocating for yourself and others. A leader can also be a person that can express themselves in a way that inspires others. I don't believe that you have to be loud to lead, you can lead by example, encourage others with your own self-confidence, and inspire with your passion for what you love and believe in. I think being a leader is allowing others to see the brightness you contain and letting that uplift them. I know that's how I pick my leaders, and if I were to lead others, that is how I would like to do it.

Lauren Papke

I am a Junior in Agricultural Sciences. I want to instill a trusting and respectful relationship with my students so we can be successful. I believe that working with a mentor and getting more training from Leadership Academy will help prepare me for my career in Ag education. It is another goal of mine to be an Ambassador for the College of Agriculture Science and I believe leadership academy will help prepare me for that.

Selin Petrosian

I am a Senior studying Crop and Soil Science. I would like the opportunity to engage with fellow students, mentors, industry professionals, and others with the purpose of self-improvement. I have been attending OSU partly in person and partly online and I feel like I want more practice with in person soft-skills, especially ones related to working with others and leadership. I want to spend more time interacting with others in a meaningful way while I learn how to be a better leader.

Ceph Qualman

I am a Sophomore studying Natural Resources. I want to build my leadership skills to help the communities I am a part of. I have been to a few smaller leadership events/programs and enjoyed learning about leadership as a whole. I want to be able to create change in the environments I am in, and I want to learn more tools to create change with equity and inclusivity.  I often volunteer to be the leader in group projects and I know that my confidence would benefit from learning  from the Leadership Academy. I could make better connections with the academy, some I might keep after college. The relationships, resources, and lessons I would gain with the Leadership Academy would be invaluable to my academic and personal future.

Elia Rybolt

Hi, I'm a Senior studying Agricultural Sciences. I want to be part of the Leadership Academy for the growth aspect while doing it with the support of others. Leadership plays a key role in my life through my student worker jobs and the clubs I am a part of to pursue community engagement. 

Jaiden Sakamoto

Hi, I am a Senior and an Agricultural Sciences major. Some of my most meaningful experiences at OSU thus far have started with conversations with my professors, and through the Leadership Academy, I’m hoping to connect with more mentors who can share their expertise and experience. There’s also always room to improve my ability to communicate, lead and work with others, and the Leadership Academy can support my development in those areas.

 

Olivia Schneider

I am a Senior studying Agricultural Sciences. I find that being an introvert, or someone who prefers less stimulating environments, has presented both strengths and challenges in my leadership. Having a strong sense of empathy, good listening/observational skills, and an open mind to other perspectives has served me well in being a leader who values the opinions and ideas of her team. However, it has also hindered me in certain areas, like networking and just putting myself out there in general, which is why I want to join the leadership academy.

Hannah Suba

I am a Senior studying Microbiology. I want to be a part of the Leadership Academy because I feel like I need to step outside my comfort zone. I want to gain a variety of skills when it comes to leadership, including but not limited to communication, organization, responsibility, decision-making, and critical thinking skills. In other words, I can apply it to my life in the future whether it is towards my personal or professional experiences. I can gain and learn these skills when it comes to encountering new learning opportunities from being a part of Leadership Academy. With the knowledge I will have gained from Leadership Academy, I can influence other people in a positive way hoping that they too will want to become a leader later on in the future.

Zoe Suba

Hello, I am a Senior studying Microbiology. Being a part of this academy would be an amazing experience for me to be able to take in some components of being a leader than what I have already learned. I feel like I have always had the characteristic of being a leader in me for a long time. However, I am always seeking new ways in trying to improve myself in terms of what I need to do and how I need to do anything differently in order to show my best leadership qualities that I have to offer to the community.

Heather Thomas

Hi, I am a Senior studying Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences. I have a good understanding of how leadership relates to the military. I am very interested to learn how these skills can be applied to civilian life and how they are not applicable.There are many ways that leadership affects personal and career life. I believe that learning to be a better leader will also help with learning to be a better follower.

 

Kathleen (Katie) Unruh

Hi, I am a Sophomore studying Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences. I would like to be a part of the leadership academy because it is a way to meet peers that have similar interests. I also want to expand my leadership skills and be more prepared for any job I might take on in the future. I’ve always been more a a stand back and “follow” kind of person, but by being a leader I can take charge of research opportunities, working at a zoo or wildlife refuge, and being in charge of a team somewhere.

Emma Wilkinson

Hi, I am a Junior studying Animal Sciences with a pre-vet option.  I tend to have a hard time speaking up when it comes to being in front of large groups of people, but I do not want that to be something that holds me back in the long run. As I have held several leadership positions during my time as a student which required me to participate in public speaking, I want to become more confident with my public speaking skills. I would also like to find more opportunities to grow and participate within my major. I would like to be able to represent my field of study well and learn new, important information that relates to my major.

Chris Wilson

Hi, I'm a Sophomore in Agricultural Sciences in Forest-Civil Engineering. I see leadership playing a role in my career goals through the jobs I'm wishing to get. My current career goals is to use my education to serve the US through public service working either within the United States Forest Service or the Army Corp of Engineers. Leadership is a very important skill
in either of these departments I want to work in. Since I'm hoping to work my way the the upper GS levels and have a managerial position. Such as through reviewing jobs on public lands and seeing if they follow environmental protections, administering our nations forest, or possibly in the summer working as a wild land firefighter.