Students also juggle work, family life

By Deanne Goodman, KTVZ.COM

OSU Cascades will give out it's 1,200th diploma Saturday afternoon. The 200 students that make up this year's graduating class are unique in many ways.

Seventy percent are female, 40 percent are over the age of 30 - and half are first-time college graduates.

Tara Sobrio fits all three of those categories. She is 35 and like her parents, she went to college but never got a degree, making her a first generation college graduate.

"It was challenging and fun," Sobrio said Friday. "It was a lot of work, but I was ready for it."

As a roadside banner featuring her photo indicates, Sobrio is full of energy. In her spare time, she restructured the Women's Center on campus, all while juggling school, work and a family life.

"I have two children, a 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, and I'm married, so I have all the family obligations," she explained. "And I work part-time as a massage therapist while I go to school, so yeah - it's a lot."

Sobrio won't be the only one whose children will be at their graduation. The Class of '08 ranges in age from 20 to 59.

"OSU-Cascades provides access to students who typically would not have been able to go to college without going farther away, and they don't have that expense," said Communications Director Christine Coffin. "We provide access for students in Central Oregon to get a four-year degree."

The public is invited to attend the school's seventh commencement ceremony at Mazama Field, Saturday at 3pm. There are bound to be smiles and tears as nearly 100 students become first-generation college graduates.