Photo Story - Faces of Linn Benton Community College

The following photo story consists of 6 individuals who go to, or who are involved in campus life at Linn Benton Community College. 9 individuals were interviewed, but only 6 made it to the final version of the photo story - not based on the lack of individuality of the subject, but based on selecting what 6 images would work best together.

The interview questions prepared were designed to dig slightly deeper than "what do you do as a student at LBCC?". The interviews got a better grasp on who these people are as individuals.

Furthermore, this photo story seeks to find how LBCC's written core themes align with real people who spend their time on campus. The core themes of LBCC are as follows:
-Educational Attainment
-Cultural Richness
-Economic Vitality


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Spring Term 2022

Gracie Bratland is majoring in Bio because, "It's super interesting and can be the basis for a lot of different careers." She chose LBCC because the financial aid was much better than the financial aid she was offered at OSU. For work, she is a Dietary Aide at an old folks home.

When Gracie is not at school or work, she can be found rock climbing or immersed in classic literature. She also enjoys writing her own short stories. One of her passions is baking, which she jokingly claims to do too much of.

She describes herself in one sentence, "I am mostly directionless and sometimes fun."

Alli Golden is focusing on her general studies at LBCC right now. She wanted to come to LBCC because, "I wanted to move away from my hometown and try something new!" Currently, she works in the Courtyard Cafe located on campus, but plans to leave the cafe and fight fires in eastern Oregon during the summer. 

Outside of school and work she enjoys animals, connecting with, and meeting new people. Her hobbies include photography, reading, working out, and hanging out with friends. 

"Can you describe yourself in one sentence?", I asked.
She replied, "I would describe myself as awkward, funny, a mix between funny and outgoing, and driven."

Michael Roberts is majoring in Forestry. He loves nature and the idea of having a  job that can positively affect nature and promote the growth of the ecosystem.

Currently he works at the Courtyard Cafe on the LBCC campus as the assistant manager where he "leads a diligent crew of workers" and prepares food for hungry customers. 

When Michael is not working or studying he enjoys taking hikes with his dog in nature, playing his guitar, and writing music.

 He chose LBCC because he lives in Corvallis and is able to be dual enrolled at LBCC and Oregon State University where they offer a good Forestry program.

Colette Lajoie is trying new things at LBCC. She was previously a music major, but is currently an undecided major. She said, "I chose LBCC because they offer a lot of support for literally everything." She also mentioned LBCC's great financial aid, "It's been more cost effective for me to go to a community college rather than a state college."

Colette is currently focused on her education and temporarily put a hold on working, although she does teach voice lessons. She is grateful for her amazing parents that faithfully support her.

She loves family, friends, and nature. She is more extroverted than introverted so having strong connections with people is important to her. One of her hobbies is to make and listen to music. She is a regular at concerts and live music events! 

When asked to describe herself in one sentence she replied, "I am balanced, and both a supported and supportive person."

Hope Kenyon is a pastor and community advisor for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. You may recognize her from the "Coffee and Conversations" booth set up in LBCC's courtyard twice a week. She chose to be involved on the LBCC campus because she knew some of the people from Chi Alpa that were already involved at LBCC. She wants to help create community at LBCC.

Hope can relate to the struggles and stresses of finals week as she herself has a bachelor's degree in Biology, and has taken additional courses on pastoral ministries and biblical studies. She applies her biblical studies at work where she works as a pastor and community advisor at Oregon State University and LBCC.

Outside of work Hope is passionate about, "learning about other people's experiences, hearing people's stories, reading biographies, and watching biographical movies. I am passionate about finding the beauty in people and things." 

Her hobbies are baking, gardening, taking walks to explore, hanging out with friends and family, and dancing. If she had to describe herself in one sentence she would say, "God has healed me and helped me grow and I want to help others experience healing and growth."

Aaron Kaio teaches communication studies classes at LBCC, specifically public speaking and  interpersonal communication. When asked why she chose LBCC she replied, "someone at the college reached out because they needed someone last minute to teach a couple of classes. We knew one another through college speech and debate circles." She has a masters in communication studies from PSU.

 LBCC is not the only school she teaches at. In addition to LBCC, she also teaches at Mount Hood Community College, the University of Portland, and Portland Community College.

When asked, "what are you passionate about?"
Her response was, "I want people to be their authentic selves and not feel bad about it or apologize for it. We all need a better work and life balance in this country."

When Aaron is not working she likes to do a list of things including: playing soccer, jigsaw puzzles, escape rooms, treasure hunts, watching formula one racing, and watching sumo wrestling. 

She describes herself in one sentence, "I am a smart, funny, and fluffy mom-teacher-coach who is just a big kid doing a pretty good job at pretending to be an adult while helping friends and family with what ever they need."

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The statement, "everyone has their own story" was assumed to be true going into the assignment. These interviews not only displayed the accuracy of what is written on LBCC's "about page", but also solidified the assumption that every person you see on campus has a story to tell - their story.