Korrin Bishop
Major: Planning, Public Policy and Management
School:
Class: 2011
Korrin came to the UO with lots of ideas about what she might like to study. She explored mathematics and sociology鈥攕he even considered a degree in ancient Greek classics after in Greece. That is, until a friend told her about the Planning, Public Policy and Management program. A few intro courses later, she knew she鈥檇 found the right fit. Her professors weren鈥檛 just talking about theories, they were giving her the tools to apply them鈥攁nd hopefully to change the world a little. These days, Korrin is working for Abt Associates, a consulting firm that partners with places like the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to create systemic change across the country through federal homelessness prevention programs.
James Bek茅
Major: Advertising
School:
Class: 2014
James started as a marketing major. Then he became a sociology major, then cinema studies, then journalism. Finally, he discovered advertising. He did exactly what we encourage UO students to do: explore, figure out who you are, and find what sets your imagination on fire. Eventually, James gathered everything he鈥檚 good at and everything he loves鈥攁rt, video, music, words, and a curiosity about what makes people tick鈥攁nd ended up in a completely wonderful, totally unexpected place. Today, he鈥檚 a creative director who helped create a spot for Beats by Dre that aired during the Super Bowl. He鈥檚 making advertising into art, blowing up the internet on behalf of some of the top brands in the world, and feeling pretty good about deciding to explore his options in the J-school at the UO.
Sage Limpp-Wagner
Majors: Geography and German
School:
Class: 2013
With her double major in geography and German, Sage mapped her own career route鈥攆ull of unexpected turns that all came together just right. She started with courses in geographic information systems and a part-time job in the , learning to create complex mapping systems that track, predict, and display information like weather patterns and traffic flow. After graduation, she moved on to Google鈥檚 GPS emergency response team, where she worked on real-time visualizations of barriers like road accidents. And now, she uses her data and mapping skills to coordinate long-term relief programs for victims of natural disasters at the non-profit All Hands and Hearts.
Matt Keown
Major: Music: Percussion Performance
School:
Class: 2013
Matt鈥檚 been playing music on anything he could find since he was a kid, a habit he picked up from his father. From and bongos to glass bottles and even a cactus, he could always find a way to tap out a rhythm. Matt came to the UO to get his BA in music, following in his father鈥檚 footsteps. He studied under a professor who鈥檇 made an impact on his dad 35 years before, joined the prestigious Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, and even met the woman he鈥檇 eventually marry (also a percussionist). After graduation, Matt鈥檚 beats have come to a crescendo, leading him to the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins, the Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab in California, and yes, Carnegie Hall. These days he鈥檚 working on his Doctor of Musical Arts at Yale, where he鈥檚 the fourth percussionist in 20 years to have been accepted into the program.
Mary Vertulfo
Major: Art and Technology with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies
Schools: ;
Class: 2018
Mary wasn鈥檛 sure about going to college in her hometown of Eugene, but after taking a UO class in high school, she was sold. She entered the UO leaning toward international studies. In the , Mary鈥檚 class was led by an art major. Curious about art and encouraged to dip her toes in the water, Mary took Drawing I. She loved it, and found that art students had a passion similar to her cohort in international studies. Mary pursued her bachelor of fine arts, organized student art shows, and helped launch the first-ever UO Zine Fest. A week after graduation, Mary moved to Colorado to join Legwork Studio on a three-month contract鈥攖ime to make sure it was a good fit for everyone. Two months in, after working on projects for and Pandora, they asked her to stay as a full-time designer and animator.
Diara Melendez
Major: Business Administration with a minor in Spanish
Schools: ;
Class: 2013
Diara first came to Oregon by way of Nevada, by way of Chile, to study physics. Whip-smart, with a can-do attitude and deep scholarship support, her path seemed pretty much set. But like many of our students, she found a new passion when she arrived. She switched her major to global management at the Lundquist College of Business and immediately dove right in. First order of business: study abroad in Spain. Next, get noticed. She became active in several organizations on campus, including Lundquist鈥檚 CEO Network, an organization for business students of color. Soon, she was being recruited by several corporations, and eventually landed a job at one before she鈥檇 even graduated. Today, Diara is thriving as a Relationship Manager at KeyBank.
Kieran Maher
Major: Business Administration: Marketing and Sports Business
School:
Class: 2015
As a business student, Kieran found his focus by connecting with amazing professors, collaborating with peers, and joining the . He took what he was learning in the classroom and gained real-world experience while still in college. Since then, pretty much every job he鈥檚 had has been tied to the University of Oregon, thanks in part to learning the value of networking, putting himself in the right places surrounded by the best people. He鈥檚 worked in corporate partnerships for TrackTown USA, the nonprofit that organizes major track and field events including the US Olympic Trials and the World Championships, and he鈥檚 currently coordinating campaigns for big players like Nike. Kieran often meets other Ducks in the industry鈥攖hey鈥檙e easy to spot when they鈥檙e sporting the 鈥淥.鈥
Jon Colligan
Major: Chemistry
School:
Class: 2011
Do you ever wonder how your mint gum gets so minty? Or how each new tube of toothpaste tastes and smells exactly like the one that just ran out? Jon Colligan does. Jon provided specifications for the minty-freshness in gums, toothpastes, and hard candies for household names like Colgate and Wrigley. As a chemist for Callisons, Jon blended mint oils to match the consistent standards that companies and their consumers depend on. Though he鈥檚 moved on from mixing flavors, he can still identify each of the 30 types of mint in the US by smell alone. Today, he continues to use his chemistry background as a civilian contractor doing chemical screening for the US Navy鈥攋ust minus the taste test.
Ashleigh Fischer
Major: Architecture
School:
Class: 2014
Ashleigh had a bachelor鈥檚 in architecture with an engineering minor, and a passion for sustainability and competitive running. What better place to get her master鈥檚 than the lush green UO campus, surrounded by miles of running trails and home to one of the best architecture programs anywhere? She embraced every opportunity. She participated in a Passive House monitoring study and learned to hack a house to gauge everything from air quality to energy efficiency. She jumped at chances to research and get published. And she got involved with the Energy Studies in Buildings Lab that provides students with opportunities to consult with working professionals at firms throughout the Pacific Northwest鈥攊ncluding ZGF Architecture. The connections she built at the firm during her lab led to a job there specializing in sustainable design integration.
Grant Gurewitz
Major: Public Relations with a minor in Geography
Schools: ;
Class: 2013
Grant started his UO college career as a pre-business major intending to make the leap to sports business marketing. It wasn鈥檛 long, though, before he began rethinking everything鈥攖hanks, in large part, to the time he spent with other new students in his . He lived, learned, and exchanged ideas with them, and they exposed him to options he鈥檇 never considered. One discovery led to another and the next thing he knew he was majoring in public relations and minoring in geography. It might sound like an odd combination, until you hear where he鈥檚 ended up today: Grant manages industry communities and events in Zillow鈥檚 marketing department. He鈥檚 telling the story of a company that specializes in merging vast amounts of real estate and demographic data with a navigable geographic digital environment.