Affiliation: Current Undergraduate Students
Jodie Davaz Oral History Interviews
Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 2014 - May 2015
Jodie Davaz (class of 2015), a Digital Communication Arts major and student in the
University Honors College, spent the 2013-14 academic year as Station Manager at KBVR-FM.
She is also the first editor of Beaver's Digest, successor publication to the Beaver Yearbook. Her first interview is devoted to the inner-workings of OSU's student
radio station, her ambitions for Beaver's Digest and her sense of student culture on campus and within the community as it stood in
2014. Her second interview, recorded almost exactly one year later, focuses on the
first year of Beaver's Digest and Davaz's broader reflections on her rich undergraduate experience.
The Lives of International Students
Three life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 3 - 6, 2015
In 2015, Oregon State University served as a home away from home for over 4,000 international
students hailing from 107 different countries. Over the course of three interviews
conducted in March 2015, the experiences and perspectives of four current OSU international
students were recorded, with particular emphasis paid to changing perspectives on
U.S. culture, contrasting systems of education around the world, and the major social
and cultural adjustments required of international students studying at Oregon State.
The international students who shared their stories are Jenny Urbina, a Ph.D. candidate
from Colombia; Kong Zheng Yeang, an undergraduate from Malaysia; Andrea Jara, also
a Ph.D. student from Colombia; and Chidi Okonkwo, a master's candidate from Nigeria.
Alyssa Martin Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 13, 2014
At the time of her interview, Alyssa Martin (class of 2015) was an OSU student athlete
who had spent four years on the women's basketball team while majoring in Civil Engineering.
The daughter of former Beaver basketball player Earl Martin, Alyssa concluded her
OSU playing days with 985 career points and earned Pac-12 All-Academic accolades three
years in a row. Her interview provides an insightful glimpse into the busy world
of the student athlete, juggling school, sports, travel and social life.
Taylor Sarman Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 16, 2015
Taylor Sarman (class of 2016) is a native of Union, Oregon, a small, rural community
located in the northeastern corner of the state. Interested in politics from an early
age, Sarman became active in student government as soon as he began high school, while
also engaging with the Oregon chapter of Future Business Leaders of America as a state
officer. In 2011, his senior year of high school, Sarman was elected as national
president of FBLA. After enrolling at OSU in 2012, Sarman held a number of positions
within the Associated Students of Oregon State University, culminating with his election
as student body president at the end of his sophomore year. Sarman was also the first
student to serve on OSU's newly created Board of Trustees. His interview traces his
life-long involvement in politics and public service, with particular attention paid
to his work with FBLA, his year as ASOSU President, and his experiences as a member
of the Board of Trustees.
Warner Strausbaugh Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 12, 2014
Warner Strausbaugh (class of 2014) served as Editor-in-Chief of the OSU Daily Barometer student newspaper for the 2013-2014 academic year. A Political Science major, Strausbaugh
spent four years on the Barometer staff and worked there in a number of capacities, including stints as a reporter
for multiple OSU sports beats as well as Sports Editor, Managing Editor and, finally,
Editor-in-Chief. His interview sheds light on the culture of the Barometer newsroom and the life of a student journalist. He also shares his opinions on student
attitudes and OSU's campus culture as it stood in 2014.
Nicthé Verdugo Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
February 13, 2015
Nicthé Verdugo (class of 2015) was heavily involved with a variety of student activist
groups during her undergraduate years at OSU. An Ethnic Studies major who also minored
in Women's Studies, Verdugo spent two years on staff at the OSU Women's Center and
was also an active member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) and
the Alta Gracia workers rights campaign, as organized by United Students Against Sweatshops,
a group that she helped to found. In her interview Verdugo discusses the development
of her own sense of identity, her activism in support of fair labor practices, the
culture of the Women's Center, and evolving conceptions of feminism among young people
today.