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S3 E8 - Alumni Tell All Ft. · Inside the OSD

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  SPEAKER1: Today we have a special edition of Inside the OSD.
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  I'm excited to welcome OHS Principal Jim Pliner as our guest host for this episode about our annual OHS Alumni Day.
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  I can't wait to hear the great things our amazing alumni are doing!
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  SPEAKER2: Welcome to this episode of Inside the OSD podcast, where it's all about the kids.
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  Here's your guest host, lifelong educator and OHS principal, Mr.
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  Jim Pliner.
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  SPEAKER3: Hello, Oregon School District.
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  I'm Jim Pliner, principal of Oregon High School, and I'm excited to be the guest host for this week's episode of Inside the OSD podcast.
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  One of our favorite days of the year is when our alumni come back to OHS to spend a little time sharing their experiences about their life after high
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  school. Let's dive right in by hearing from the coordinator of the Alumni Day, Mr.
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  Brad Ashmore. Brad, can you start by telling us a little bit about your role at OHS and the and the purpose of Alumni Day?
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  SPEAKER4: Yeah, absolutely, mr. Pliner.
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  So I'm Mr.
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  Ashmore, I'm one of the associate principals here, and this is actually the second year I've had a chance to do the podcast for our alumni day, which is, I
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  think, one of the best days that we have here at Oregon High School.
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  I work in the academic and career planning team, too, so part of my job, or a large part of my job, is making sure our Oregon High School students have a plan
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  when they graduate.
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  We talk a lot about the variety of our class offerings and different things clubs, activities, sports, you name it, which hopefully helped to shape the
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  things that our kids want to do in the future.
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  So this is a super exciting day for me.
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  I learned back in the day seven years ago from you kind of passing this off, and each year we've tried to make it better, and we are so fortunate that we get
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  our alumni to come back to school to give their time to share their information for our kids, to be more informed and be able to make great decisions about
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  their future.
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  SPEAKER3: So, you know, we've had this event for 9 or 10 years.
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  Why is this such an important day for our students?
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  SPEAKER4: Again, I think it's the tradition.
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  I think it's the pride.
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  Um, you know, I would--our high school, in my opinion.
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  I don't know if there's a lot of other high schools around the state of Wisconsin that do activities like this to bring their alumni back.
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  Um, you know, maybe it's a basketball tournament or-or something like that, but to come in and to share their experiences, I think makes us really unique.
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  And it just--the amount of pride that I feel about this event and just seeing kids that I've worked with the last seven years that are wanting to come back
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  and to see what they're doing, and the young adults they've turned into is really special for me.
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  SPEAKER3: And before we get to the star of this podcast, the stars, our alumni guests, how many were here today and kind of what are the roles that
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  they are?
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  What expansive experiences did they bring to bring to the panels today?
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  SPEAKER4: Yeah, so we had about 35 alumni that wanted to come back for today.
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  We reached out to quite a few.
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  Um, a lot of kids-alumni couldn't come because of work or other obligations.
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  Or maybe they headed back to school.
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  Um, but we've got military that have come in, which I think is a super important aspect.
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  We've got students that have taken gap years.
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  We have alumni that graduated last year all the way to alumni that graduated-- Deandre, when did you graduate?
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  2018. 2018, you know like so.
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  And we've had we have a person uh, you know that has graduated and then changed their, you know, major completely and is now doing realty instead
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  of what their path--So it's just a lot of really unique stories.
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  Um, four year schools is usually the ones that we're able to get back the most because of the holiday break, which is wonderful.
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  Um, and then our tech schools, like, I think a great financial decision for families right now is looking at a two year school for a transfer program,
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  especially if you're not exactly sure what you want to do.
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  So we try to represent it all.
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  We do the best we can, but just getting 35, 40 kids to come in each year is-is amazing for our students.
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  SPEAKER3: Well, let's hear a few of those stories right now.
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  And I'm going to ask our alums to start by introducing themselves, telling us a little bit about when you graduated and what are you doing now?
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  SPEAKER5: Yeah, of course, I'm Chloe Jacobson, I graduated in 2021 and now I'm a senior at UW Madison, and I'm studying biomedical engineering.
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  SPEAKER6: Okay. Um, I'm DeAndre Burrell, I graduated in 2018 and I'm currently studying nursing in San Diego.
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  SPEAKER7: My name is Paul Johnston. I graduated in 2022.
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  I'm currently at UW Whitewater studying physical education with a minor in military science and leadership.
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  SPEAKER8: I'm Emma Pederson. I graduated in 2023.
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  I go to UW Milwaukee and I'm double majoring in studio arts and art history.
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  SPEAKER3: Okay, fantastic.
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  What was the most valuable thing that you learned in the Oregon School District that helped prepare you for the path that you're on now?
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  SPEAKER5: I would say juggling responsibilities, um, obviously on a smaller scale in high school, but I was in sports, I was in other extracurriculars, clubs, and then
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  I also worked a part time job while I was in high school.
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  So I think juggling those three things really helped prepare me for when I got to college.
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  And I was doing the same thing, but with even more workload.
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  Okay.
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  SPEAKER6: Um, I feel like stepping out of my comfort zone with sports.
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  That really helped me.
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  Um.
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  SPEAKER4: Okay.
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  SPEAKER7: Other perspectives.
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  Going to staff, especially with such diverse backgrounds.
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  Um, I was still a junior when I enlisted, so I was still around all the educators that are here, and one of the educators that helped me through the
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  process and helped me with the decision was Mr.
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  Wilson, who was an Army veteran himself.
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  So he kind of gave some some insight that I didn't get and was able to help me with that decision.
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  SPEAKER8: I would say making leadership skills.
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  Being an FFA officer for two years and working and being a full time student, being able to put myself in leadership roles and making a decision without
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  second guessing is super important even now in college.
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  Um.
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  SPEAKER3: Yeah. It was fascinating today, listening to the variety of experiences and where your travels have taken you.
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  What are some of the most interesting, surprising, or exciting things that you've experienced or learned since leaving Oregon High School, you know, on
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  your graduation day?
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  SPEAKER5: Yeah, I can start. So in college I got the opportunity to study abroad.
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  So I lived in Ireland for five months and was really only a part time student there.
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  Um, thankfully with my credits, I only took a couple while I was in Ireland, so I got a lot of time to travel and managed to see a lot of Europe.
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  Got to travel to about 8 or 9 countries.
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  So, um, having that opportunity to travel, I was really grateful for.
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  SPEAKER6: Um, Mhm.
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  Um, I took a break, so I didn't go straight into school, but I moved all the way out to California and that was just completely new on its own.
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  And it was nice weather all the time.
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  And yeah, just meeting new people was different.
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  SPEAKER7: So when.
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  SPEAKER3: When you know, when you--Oregon so many of us, this is--this is home.
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  This is our universe for, you know, four years and more, some of us for our entire life.
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  Uh, did you have connections in California, or did you pretty much make a bold move out there to start something fresh?
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  SPEAKER6: I just kind of jumped in the deep end.
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  I didn't know anybody.
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  And I met a bunch of awesome people, and.
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  Yeah, I just jumped out there.
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  I didn't know anybody out there.
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  SPEAKER3: And you mentioned that you had taken a bit of a gap.
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  So how many years did that was were you gapped before you went back to school for nursing?
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  And, um, what made what influenced your decision to get to get back into it?
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  SPEAKER6: I think it was like two years, a two year gap.
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  And then, um, at first I tried to go to MACT and the big shock was, I didn't know that you weren't going to get your hand held through your
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  classes. And I started slacking off and it started snowballing.
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  And I was like, "you know what? School is not for me." And later on, I'm like, "okay, I can give it another try." And now that I'm more mature and know what
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  I'm going into.
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  Um, it was much easier after that.
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  SPEAKER7: Okay.
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  SPEAKER3: Others. What--What have you found interesting, surprising or exciting since high school?
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  SPEAKER7: Uh, definitely, with the military, kind of--Kind of being a culture shock.
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  A different way of life.
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  Uh, especially in basic training.
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  Right off the bat, you're with 150 people that you don't know.
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  They don't know you.
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  Different backgrounds from different parts of the United States.
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  Um, yeah.
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  Kind of just realizing that Oregon is a little bit more of a secluded town.
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  Like, we're kind of in our own little bubble, but getting outside experiences and other people's stories and kind of getting to know them on a different
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  level. Um, it was--it was a great life experience to-to see and see kind of the adversity that you have to face and then having
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  empathy for others that their adversity that they have to face.
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  It's kind of--it was kind of a big, big eye opening, um, culture shock.
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  SPEAKER3: Our podcast listeners will not be able to see how handsome you look in your uniform today.
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  Um, and, and you're--so you are currently in ROTC, correct?
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  Yes. Yes. And what are you--what are you studying towards?
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  SPEAKER7: Uh, so right now my major is in physical education.
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  So, um, hopefully coming back and being an educator.
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  Uh, but I also want to go the aviation route for the Army.
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  So go fly Blackhawks and and go do all that kind of cool stuff.
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  Um, I was lucky enough to be at an aviation battalion for my three years of my enlisted career.
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  Um, before I went to to school and to ROTC.
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  So definitely networking and kind of getting the upper edge on my peers, um, has been a great, great help to me.
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  Sure.
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  SPEAKER3: Sure.
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  SPEAKER8: Being the youngest out of this group, I think I definitely have a little bit different perspective.
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  I grew up in a military family, so we moved a lot, so it's a little bit more prepared when moving away from home and moving to Milwaukee.
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  But within the last year, I have an apartment by myself, and that's definitely been a whole adventure within itself, just trying to manage everything.
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  A job full time, 17 credit student, double majoring.
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  That's definitely been the biggest struggle, but also like in its own adventure within itself.
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  SPEAKER3: Yeah, and I remember you telling a bit of your story when you were one of our graduation speakers with your graduating class.
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  And Chloe, you were a graduation speaker here as well.
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  What would you say to our students who are going to be starting high school?
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  So you think about kids, you--you have completed your K-12 journey, and you've all branched off into different pathways
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  and some really exciting and interesting things that are part of your present as well as your future.
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  But what would you say to students that are starting high school's freshman next year?
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  SPEAKER5: I would say to lean on those support systems.
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  I think Oregon is so special to have educators who really care.
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  I mean, even coming back here to OHS four years later and, you know, I'm seeing teachers that I haven't seen for years and just connecting with them and
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  remembering, you know, how big of an impact they made on me, um, when I was here at OHS.
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  So I'd say to an incoming freshman, the eighth graders currently, um, don't be afraid to, you know, talk to your teachers, the counselors, because they are so
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  helpful. They want to support you.
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  And I think Oregon is such a special school district that we have so many people who really care.
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  SPEAKER7: Yeah, kind of jumping off that, um, working in recruiting, going, going to different high schools and schools around Wisconsin.
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  And, um, it was kind of one of those moments where it was like, you don't know how good you have it until you don't have it.
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  Um, especially seeing that with other schools, uh, the educators here are amazing.
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  Like, they're all--always all in for you and your success and whatever you want to do.
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  And it's okay if you don't know what you want to do, and they'll support you regardless.
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  They're trying to get you to that next step of being being an adult at this point.
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  Um, so kind of having that that support system leaning on that support system, um, exploration Oregon is one of those schools where you
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  can explore pretty much any career field you want while you're in high school, so definitely take advantage of that.
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  SPEAKER8: Yeah, piggyback off of that.
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  I went to go see my art teachers, and it was so fulfilling that they were talking about the achievements that I have made being gone for two years
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  and just knowing that they've been supporting me without me actually being here really means a lot.
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  Because as an artist, it's hard to get your your foot in the door and really make yourself known.
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  So the fact that all the way in Milwaukee, I have this little support and also just the experience that we have here, like you're able to do ROTC while being
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  in Oregon. Our woodworking program, our mechanics, those are things that I just thought were the norm.
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  So when in college, people are like, "we never did that." That was huge for me and just really taking advantage of those things.
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  And I think one other thing is not letting high school define you.
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  Who you are in high school is not even just being two years out is not who you are in college.
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  SPEAKER7: Absolutely.
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  SPEAKER6: Yeah, that's a good one.
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  SPEAKER3: Deandre, what would you say to any any incoming freshman?
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  SPEAKER6: It's been a while since I've been a freshman.
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  But, um, make new friends and know that, you know, the upperclassmen aren't scary.
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  You know, they want to meet you just as much as you want to meet them.
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  SPEAKER3: Yeah, absolutely.
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  Well, you all most of you were up in front of seniors today.
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  As not not all of you, I think.
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  But--but certainly you two spoke to seniors and we had juniors in your panels as well.
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  As our seniors are entering their last semester getting ready for life after OHS, how would you encourage them?
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  Reassure them about what's waiting in the future?
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  Or maybe just a brief bit of advice for the seniors as they move on?
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  SPEAKER5: Yeah, kind of going off what Emma had just said, um, you know, this is an opportunity for you to really, um, change.
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  And I think it's important to not be afraid of change, you know, whether you're going into the workforce right away or going to college or the military, um,
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  you're going to find new friends, new hobbies.
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  And don't be afraid of that.
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  This is a great opportunity for you to kind of find yourself, um, because, you know, you really aren't the person that you are in high school, for the most
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  part. You're going to grow and embrace that change and don't be scared of it because, um, that's when the exciting things start to happen.
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  SPEAKER6: Um, um, I would say it's a lot like being a freshman in high school.
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  You know, the only big difference is now you're being a freshman, becoming an adult.
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  And when you make this step, like she said, don't be afraid.
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  Just be ready and be prepared with all the advice you've gotten from the panels today.
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  SPEAKER8: I think knowing senior students who attend Oregon now, my brother included, I think so many people turn 18 their senior year and think that means they need to
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  have everything planned out right now.
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  Five year plan. Ten year plan.
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  You really don't. You really do not need to figure out--focus within the year, maybe two years if you really want to plan it out.
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  But that is the most you need to think about and not the whole ten year plan, because you're going to stress yourself out and you're going to end up down,
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  falling your own self because you're putting too much on your plate.
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  SPEAKER7: Yeah, especially when I had juniors today and talking to them.
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  Um, one of my biggest things and pieces of advice was, was do your due diligence research in whatever you want to go into.
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  If you don't want or if you don't know what you want to go to go into, that's okay too.
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  Um, right. You don't have to have everything figured out.
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  There's still 17, 18 years old.
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  They got a lot of a lot of time to figure that out and a lot of more life lessons to learn.
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  Um, and like Chloe and Emma said, redefining yourself.
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  I mean, after high school, it's pretty much a fresh start of who you want to be.
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  Like, you can you can change that.
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  You can stay. Stay the same.
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  Um, but yeah, you have the opportunity to be a new person.
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  SPEAKER8: Yeah. Something I did mention to my group of students was just exploring.
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  For those who want to go to a four year school or even just two years, just exploring different opportunities.
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  And it's okay not to know what you want your major to be.
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  I took a bunch of different little classes that did end up helping with my my general education classes just so that it wasn't a complete loss, but it helped
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  me really explore what I wanted to do.
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  So I wasn't taking all these classes for one major and then deciding a deciding a semester in that it wasn't for me.
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  SPEAKER3: Mr. Ashmore, we often say that our highest priority is preparing students for a life beyond graduation.
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  Um, how are you feeling?
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  What kind of pride do you feel hearing these stories of students who left Oregon High School, carried that diploma out into the real world, and took those
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  next steps and came back and talked about it?
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  SPEAKER4: Oh, that's super inspiring.
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  You know, like just getting kids to come back.
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  I feel a lot of personal pride.
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  I feel great about the fact that students want to come back and they feel so connected with us.
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  And we have a saying here at Oregon High School, once a panther, always a panther.
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  And we truly believe that.
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  And I think we try to do our best to help, help all of our alumni with whatever they need as they move forward.
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  But every year I do this, it makes me smile.
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  I'm kind of sitting back here and you can't see me either with the podcast, but just a huge smile on my face to see the development of each one of you and I.
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  Deandre, you're the only one I really didn't have while I was here.
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  Um, Here, but just seeing what, you know, things you're doing, it makes me feel really good about the work we do here.
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  I'm proud of it.
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  SPEAKER3: Well, thank you all so much for taking your time coming to contribute to the next generation of Panther graduates.
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  We we can't thank you enough.
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  So we appreciate you and we love you and we wish you the best moving forward.
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  SPEAKER9: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
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  SPEAKER1: Remember that you can find links to all episodes of Inside the OSD and submit topic ideas on our website at
• 18:48
  OregonSD.org/Podcast. You can find this podcast anywhere you can find podcasts.
• 18:56
  Make sure to subscribe if you're listening on one of these apps to get notifications on the most recent episodes.
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  We'll see you next time on Inside the OSD, where it's all about the kids.