We’re about people!
Brick-and-mortar is all well and good. But it’s people that really matter.
Welcome to our features section, where we can go more in-depth than a mere news release. These are stories that inspire us to do better and be better.
Blue-ribbon resolve
May 29, 2024 – By C. Brandon Chapman
Deer Park Elementary School in Montana is located on Middle Road, which makes sense since it’s actually located in the middle of nowhere.
It’s also where recent doctoral graduate Sheri Modderman is an elementary school principal… and national award-winner.
From orchards to opportunity
May 08, 2024 – By C. Brandon Chapman and Thomas Arend
Priscilla Meza was raised in a cherry orchard. Or, because it’s Washington state, tops in the nation for sweet cherry production, lots of cherry orchards.
It wasn’t by choice.
Fast forward 15 years: ““As a Mexican-American individual with immigrant parents, education is seen as an open door to many opportunities.”
Back to his roots
August 23, 2019 – By C. Brandon Chapman
Some kids want to grow up to play baseball or soccer, to be a doctor or lawyer, to be a police officer or firefighter. Not many folks are like Barry Warren. He always knew he wanted to be a school principal.
And now he is. But the road wasn’t always easy; it certainly didn’t happen quickly. That’s just what happens. In accomplishing career goals, sometimes it takes longer for some than for others.
Student moms: Balancing act
August 23, 2019 – By Hannah Schneider
Three student mothers from the College of Education share their experiences raising a child while going to school. Between balancing classes, relationships, and raising a child, student mothers are unstoppable.
Those students are Samantha Brosnan (pictured here), Jessica Santana, and Savannah Kerr.
One mile at a time
February 12, 2018 – By Kara McMurray
Micah Snell is just 8 years old. He’s completed more than 20 marathons.
And he’s never even taken a step.
Micah was born to Jeff and Suzie Snell seven-and-a-half weeks prematurely on Dec. 1, 2009, with cerebral palsy. Though he is unable to walk or talk, his impact is being felt in a big way.
A positive equation
June 22, 2018 – By C. Brandon Chapman
When it came to math classes growing up, Margarita Magaña totally sucked. And now she’s a math teacher.
That’s irony enough. But the story doesn’t actually end there.
It’s probably her early math struggles that helped her get through one of life’s hardest, scariest ordeals: finding out there was a huge mathematical certainty of your soon-to-be bundle of joy dying.
Making an impact
February 01, 2017 – By Kyla Emme
In a previous story, we spoke with three Libyan friends named Eman, Riema and Ibtesam. After receiving their Ph.Ds together, they told us about Tom Salsbury, the advisor they credit for getting them through the dissertation process in one piece.
Tom is not just an advisor, though. You can find him teaching in multiple College of Education area. He’s a jack of all trades. And a master of them all, too.
An unbreakable bond
December, 14, 2016 – By Kyla Emme
There are three of them, and unlike the “Best Friend Forever” bracelets that supposedly signifies the unbreakable bond of youthful friendship, these BFF’s have something that transcends the inanimate objects.
They’re Ph.D. recipients. They’re teachers. They’re Cougs. They’re also immigrants from a Libyan city you may have heard of – Benghazi. While their story is one that spans almost 20 years – you’ll get a taste of it within minutes.
Never done
September 26, 2016 – By C. Brandon Chapman
Kelp may be the new kale, and orange may be the new black, but if you want the snowclone that Kathy Nitta obviously believes in, it’s this: when it comes to age, apparently 50 is the new 20.
That’s because even though Kathy is now in the third age bracket, she’s attending classes at WSU, a feat usually undertaken by Millennials who were in diapers at the same time as Kathy’s own children.
Destined to succeed
June 13, 2016 – By C. Brandon Chapman
A guy can speak five languages, yet lets his hands do most of the talking. Nope, this is not a riddle. This is Nicholas Yap.
Nicholas is a recent graduate of Washington State University’s College of Education. As a well-prepared kinesiology alum, he has the world at his fingertips.
There’s a good chance he also has his fingertips on your T7 vertebrae.
Going full circle
May 18, 2016 – By Dustin VandeHoef
The student has become the student teacher for the student teacher who taught him as a student. Read it again. We promise it makes sense.
The curious coincidence of Erik deVeer and David Korsak began in the sixth grade when fresh-faced deVeer walked in as the new student teacher. A young Korsak was a student in the class, unaware he was catching a glimpse of his own future.
Seeking a greater call
August 25, 2014 – C. Brandon Chapman
When you’re on an oil rig out in the middle of the ocean, you have plenty of opportunity to think about both life and livelihood.
It’s exactly where Sola Adesope found himself in the late 1990s, working for Chevron Nigeria Limited. The country is one of the biggest oil-producing countries in the world and is a vital part of Chevron’s U.S. business, in terms of exploration, production, and manufacturing.
A fire within
May 20, 2014 – By C. Brandon Chapman
Go ahead, make a snide remark about rugby. Carly MacKinnon will then knock your teeth in!
That may be an exaggeration. Or not. She’s pretty friendly and down-to-earth. But at the same time, she’s pretty darned serious about rugby; crazy about it.
Living her best life
February 20, 2014 – C. Brandon Chapman
Not a single place in Washington state has it been warm this winter. But Maren Talcott just couldn’t care less, because she’s not in Washington – she’s in Guatemala. And it’s, like, 75 degrees every day. And the sun is shining. And she’s right on Lake Atitlan. And she has a bunch of new friends. Life, you could say, is pretty decent.
