September October 2017

The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 40, No. 5 26 Scholarship Recipients PLSO Announces 2017 Scholarship Recipients T he Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon is happy to award $18,000 in scholarships for the 2017–2018 academic year. All scholarships are run through the State of Oregon’s Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) and selected by a PLSO member run Scholarship Committee. Funds raised to pay for scholarships are managed through Oregon Community Foundation. The PLSO account is currently worth $237,743, with the annual dividends paying and, if voted upon by the Board of Directors, a percentage of the current Auction year’s proceeds for scholarships. Recipients are selected based upon academic merit and an intention to go into surveying, with the exception of the Pete Maring Scholarship—a scholarship set up as a member benefit for member dependents going into any profession. For more information on our scholarship program, go to http://plso.org/ scholarships. This year’s recipients include: Calvin Baker This year’s recipient of the Brian Weigart Scholarship is Calvin Baker. Baker is a recent graduate of Central High School in Independence, Ore. and will be perusing his degree at Oregon Tech this fall. “I was first introduced to surveying by my college algebra teacher Michael Jennings who was previously a surveyor. During class, he introduced us to the basics of surveying and gave us opportunity to turn angles,” Baker said. “Because he noticed my skills in trigonometry and aptitude for surveying, he recommended me for a summer internship with NorthStar Surveying. I inter- viewed for the position of Survey Tech I and was employed for the summer. I had jobs in the woods with varying levels of terrain and difficulty, and I also had opportunities to do FEMA Flood Certifications, set building corners, and set property monuments. During this experience, I had many oppor- tunities to learn the benefits of a career in surveying and discovered it is a great fit for me.” Most recently, Baker discovered his ties to surveying ran deep when he inherited his great-grandfather’s field book from sur- veying the Cascades in the 1930s. “It is inspiring to read the pages that he studied and learn some of the classical survey- ing techniques used during that time period. It provides history and insight into the foundations of the field.” Jenna Hessel As this year’s recipient of the Pete Maring Scholarship, Jenna Hessel, is the daughter of land surveyor Colter Hessel, a fre- quent volunteer selling raffle tickets to support scholarships at the Annual Conference. Jenna has dreams of entering a ca- reer of sports psychology and will be starting at University of Oregon this Fall. “Over the past three years, I have developed a strong interest in the field of sports psychology, which studies the mental capabilities of athletes in re- lation to competition, training, and even injuries. This arose from my own struggles with anxiety, and the toll it took on my ability as a volleyball and la- crosse player,” Jenna explained. “Understanding how my brain and thought processes worked helped alleviate some of the pressure I imposed upon my- self and, most importantly, it allowed me to focus on my love for sports. I hope to, in the future, aid athletes at the high school, collegiate, and even professional level to perform at their best.” Isaac Jacobsen Isaac Jacobsen, recipient of the Bill Guilles Scholarship, is cur- rently studying at Umpqua Community College with future plans to transfer for his degree in Surveying Engineering. “What lead me into surveying more than anything was the surveyor, Greg Lang, who allowed me to do a job shadow with him for a day. After attending the most recent PLSO conference in January as a student, I was more excited. The Young Surveyors network meetup was valuable and I met many older surveyors active in the field, which inspired me and will help me stay moti- vated. Much of what surveying means to me is based upon my experiences currently, and that is ever changing and I am continually growing. From the conference, I learned the importance of doing your job right and paying important to details (Dam Fiasco at Bull Flat). Surveying would appear on the surface to be cut and dry, but to me it requires lots of good sense and sound judgment since one is often acting in a quasi-judicial capacity with the acquiescence of parties concerned. Surveying to me means I can use my strengths in mathematics, critical thinking, and mediation while being able to wear both suits (it’s a professional field) and boots (but it is physical and fun) to examine the land around me, from the city to the countryside, from the highways to the forest, from the sky to the ocean.” Katherine Singleton For its first inaugural year, the Sue Newstetter Scholarship was awarded to Katherine Singleton. A graduate of Grant High School, Singleton currently has a 4.0 at Oregon Tech, where she is earning her B.S. in Surveying Engineering. Singleton was also a recipient of the PLSO Surveying Scholarship. ”When I decided two years ago to pursue surveying, I was drawn to its mix of problem solving and practical application. My desire to work outside, with my head and my hands, drives me to continue my education in order to be- come a licensed surveyor,” Singleton said. Cameron Smith A recipient of the PLSO Surveying Scholarship and current stu- dent at Oregon Tech with a 3.49 GPA, Cameron Smith began studying surveying as a second career. After being laid off, he dug deep and decided he wanted to be a surveyor. Not only is he fully dedicated to the starting in the profession, but he’s al- ready thinking of its future. ”When I’m finished with my four years of working under a professional [sur- veyor],” Smith said. “I’m going to become a professional myself. I plan on starting my own land surveying business eventually and to have a scholar- ship and internship program for first generation students. Making my parents proud is what inspires me to achieve my goals.” PLSO is proud to award these annual scholarships each year and works hard to maintain the program through the Education & Outreach Auction, held at the Annual Conference in January. If you would like to support this program by donating quality items for donation, please contact Auction Chair Gary Johnston at garyjanej@gmail.com. Be sure to save the date to attend on January 18, 2018 at the Salem Convention Center. More information on the auctionmay be found at www.plso.org/Education- &-Outreach- Auction. We are currently seeking sponsors for the 2018 event. By Aimee McAuliffe