As a member of the South Korean Army, Hyung Seok Lee learned to toe the line. When commanding officers asked him questions, he snapped to attention, raised his hand, and offered an answer. He learned to listen to his superiors. So when one officer encouraged him to continue his eduction after his service was complete, he heeded that advice.Lee was encouraged by his commanding officers to continue his education after his service was complete.

“But, my high school GPA wasn’t very high,” Lee said.

Growing up in Seoul, Lee wasn’t concerned with his education. He didn’t see the necessity to complete a bachelor’s degree, and he didn’t enjoy school or learning.

“The Army changed my mind,” he said. “It had a huge impact on me.”

Lee realized that higher education could not only teach him knowledge, but could also better himself as a person and help him contribute to a global society.

Lee came to Oregon State as part of INTO OSU, a program that brings international students to Oregon States and helps them succeed. Students are given access to intensive English classes as well as advisors and mentors to help them navigate the American university system.

Lee is one of 75 INTO OSU students graduating this year in the very first class of the program, which started four years ago.

Lee decided to major in finance. He believes business skills will be useful no matter what kind of job he finds himself working in the future. His ideal position is one that utilizes his English and Korean skills in some way.

And, in his business classes, Lee was happy to raise his hand in class and ask his professors questions when he needed to.

“I learned to do that in the Army,” he said. “It’s important to ask questions and set yourself apart.”
Lindy Osborne, International Marketing and Engagement Coordinator said Lee has done that since the beginning of his time at Oregon State.

“We are so proud of him,” Osborne said. “We are sad to see him go as he’s been such a presence here at INTO OSU.”

Lee worked as a member of the front desk staff in the International Living and Learning Community building, always doing his best to help other students and improve his own English language skills.

“I tell them that once they get used to being here, there are so many good things to experience,” Lee said.
Lee served as president of the Korean Student Association his sophomore year.

In that position, Lee tapped into a network of Oregon State alumni in Seoul to fundraise for events like Korean Student Night, which he counts as one of his fondest Oregon State memories.

Lee is currently interviewing for several business positions in the United States, where he hopes to continue living and working for the next several years.

After a transformative Oregon State experience, Lee said he is ready for the next step.

“I know I can get some great experience working here in the United States,” he said. “I’m excited about the possibilities.”

Ryan Connolly spent two years helping entrepreneurs start companies and researchers commercialize their innovations. So it’s no surprise that he hasn’t waited for graduation before launching his own startup.

Together with two computer science students and another from business, Connolly is developing PlayPulse, which takes a scientific approach to video-game testing by using a comprehensive suite of biometric sensors to measure where, when and how a user is most engaged in a video game. Connolly and partners Andy Miller, Zack Anderson and Hannah Vincent won seed funding from a College of Engineering/College of Business grant and are pitching the business to potential investors. PlayPulse is also a candidate for the OSU Venture Accelerator, part of an initiative to launch companies and commercialize research innovations developed at Oregon State.

Should PlayPulse be selected, it will be familiar territory for Connolly, who earned a double degree in marketing and business administration with an entrepreneurship concentration. As an intern for the OSU Venture Accelerator program since 2011, it was his job to see if university research discoveries could be commercialized, conducting market research, identifying potential licensees and developing business plans for startup companies.

Connolly said the real-world business experience and mentoring from John Turner in the College of Business and Dan Whitaker in the Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development have helped him sharpen his research and critical thinking skills.

“The mentors are critical to improving both the business plans and your own abilities,” Connolly said. “On almost every project, there’s something you miss or something you need to look at further. They’ll help you along the way, but they also expect a lot and push you.”

Over the course of his internship, Connolly learned what questions to ask scientists, engineers, inventors and entrepreneurs, what it takes to launch a successful business and what challenges have to be overcome, especially financial ones.

“People are investing real money based on what you’re saying,” Connolly said. “You’re working with real companies who need the information and analysis you’re providing.”

Now, the real company Connolly will be working with is his own.

After a nail-biting 4-3 victory over Kansas State on Monday, Pat Casey and company have a date in baseball’s heartland, Omaha, Neb., where the Beavers will be one of eight teams left standing for college baseball’s national championship.

It will be Oregon State’s fifth total appearance in the College World Series, and first since the team won it all in 2007. The Beavers, a perennial baseball powerhouse, have been to Omaha four times in the last nine years. They won another NCAA championship in 2006, the first of a back-to-back title sequence when they became the fifth team in history to win two years in a row.

The Beavers (50-11 overall) will open the CWS against Mississippi State at 12 p.m. PT Saturday.

Per OSU Athletics, “Saturday’s College World Series opener is slated to air live on ESPN2. The game can also be found online on ESPN3.com. The Beaver Sports Radio Network will also carry the game with the following stations airing it: KEJO 1240-AM in Corvallis/Albany, FOX Sports Radio Portland (620-AM), KICE 940-AM (Bend), KSKR 1490-AM in Roseburg, KAKT 104.7-FM (Grants Pass, Medford), KLAD 960-AM (Klamath Falls), KBZY 1490-AM (Salem) and KKNX 840-AM (Eugene).”

For more information about tickets and scheduling, visit www.osubeavers.com

Alexa Ortiz is a third generation Beaver who never thought she would compete in collegiate athletics.

She arrived at Oregon State hoping to get involved in campus life, but without a firm idea how. She played sports like softball and basketball in high school, but was never overly competitive.

During Connect Week, Ortiz attended an activities fair where a member of the rowing team encouraged her to try.

“I don’t know,” she told her. “It seems like rowers get up really early, and it sounds kind of hard.”

But PE credit for the three-week-long tryouts was enough to convince Ortiz to give it a shot. After that, she never looked back.

“I toughed through my novice year and had some really fun experiences racing and competing,” she said. “Ever since then, I’ve really loved rowing. I’ve really enjoyed all four years I had on that team.”

Ortiz also ventured to try out new areas in the classroom. A zoology major, her curiosity lead her to attain three minors: chemistry, fish and wildlife and entomology.

“I would encourage incoming and current students to try new things,” Ortiz said. “Try a new sport; join a few clubs you think you would never be a part of; take some classes you don’t know if you’ll enjoy. College is all about experimenting and figuring out new interests and things you want to do.”

Dr. Douglas Warrick, Ortiz’s Zoology professor, is impressed by her energy, as well as accomplishments that include a 3.91 GPA.

“Taking the first exam in my physiology class, she sat fairly bubbling over with enthusiasm for the opportunity to recall and deduce and provide answers,” Warrick said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more animated response (well, positive response) to one of my exams.”

During her time at Oregon State, Ortiz further discovered her passion for animals. This August, she will start school at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University outside Boston. Her long-term goal is to become a wildlife veterinarian.

“I feel prepared,” Ortiz said of her upcoming cross-country move. “I think I’ve been able to build strong character and personality here at Oregon State, so I think I’ll be able to connect and communicate a lot better on the East coast.”

Ortiz said she will miss her rowing teammates most after college. Though unexpected, the experience of rowing and being a collegiate athlete was an invaluable experience for Ortiz.

“It was a huge amount of my time here,” she said. “Every year. Every day. I’m going to miss that.”

Warrick said OSU will miss her as well.

“To see someone willing to invest that much of herself in such a place – one that, for her, is temporary – bodes well for OSU, and for the larger world.”

Alfonc Rakaj is the first person in his family to graduate University. In search of the best possible education, he left his home in Albania as a teenager to finish his high school education in Oregon at Santiam Christian.

To his surprise, he was able to graduate early and apply to Oregon State.

“I was familiar with the school, and I’m very happy with my decision to go to school here,” he said.

Albania’s education system is more formal. Rakaj said students are provided next to no interaction with their professors, something he enjoyed daily while studying at Oregon State.

Rakaj will graduate with degrees in Political science and international studies. He was originally interested in history and geography, though unsure of where that course of study might lead him.

“Studying history is like having the recipe for my favorite dish, but not the ingredients to actually make it.”
Rakaj’s goal is to return to Albania and be part of the government there.

“There’s a lot I have learned here that I will take with me,” he explained.

Rakaj is proud of his heritage, and participated in the European Student Association on campus, where members often joke about how much they learn about their home continent of Europe at Oregon State University.

During his time studying in Oregon, Rakaj found himself back in Europe for an internship with the Scottish Parliament. He was selected through a competitive process. The internship is open to students at 17 Universities in the Pacific Northwest.

“Only two per year are accepted,” said Dawn Moyer, Education Abroad Advisor. “Alfonc was so deserving. He is an inspiration to others.”

He said his experience in Scotland not only complemented his academic studies, but also taught him about himself.

“Through that experience, I learned I definitely want to go back to Europe,” he said. Rakaj was a member of student government at Oregon State and participated in a host of other opportunities.

“I have not simply gone to school here,” he said.

Oregon State isn’t just a college campus to him. During the five years Rakaj spent at Oregon State, campus became his home. He knows many of the nooks and crannies of the Memorial Union like the back of his hand.

His advice to other students?

“Challenge yourself,” he said. “The benefits of doing that are just invaluable.”

Stephanie McGregor works on a routine during gymnastics practice

When the lights turn on inside Gill Arena, Stephanie McGregor is ready to go. The 5-foot-1-inch gymnast is a ball of energy on the bars and explosive on the vault.

Her incredible effort shines through in the classroom as well.

The graduating senior earned a degree in bioengineering while participating in the Honors College, and finished her academic career at Oregon State with a 3.97 GPA, earning her the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year award.

Her professor and mentor Skip Rochefort emphasized what an incredible accomplishment McGregor has achieved.

“We don’t get very many athletes in our CBEE program,” he said. “To be the top student in one of the most challenging undergraduate majors and be a major contributor to a national class gymnastics team at OSU is truly an amazing accomplishment.”

McGregor also ended her gymnastics career winning the Pac-12 gymnastics championship, which she counts as one her favorite college memories.

“To be able to do that in Gill in front of our home crowd with friends and family in the stands,” she said, “it just doesn’t get better than that.”

McGregor said she’s learned that friends and family are what matter most.

“If I’m looking back on my experience, I think what I will remember most is the relationships,” she said. “My coaches, my teammates, my friends, and knowing that in the future I could call up any of those people if I needed help or just wanted to talk–I think that’s what I’m going to carry with me the most.”

McGregor is currently on the job hunt. As a native of Calgary, Alberta, she could work in Canada, but she’s also considering the Portland area.

“I really like it here in Oregon,” she said.

McGregor has also considered medical school in the past. She said applying is a big “if.” Should she choose to apply, her chances are good. About 75-80 percent of Oregon State students who apply to medical schools around the country are admitted.

No matter where she ends up, McGregor said she feels ready to face real-world challenges thanks to her success at Oregon State.

“Time management has always been key,” she said. “It also helps that I’m passionate about what I do. I love the sport of gymnastics, and I love my engineering classes.”

McGregor also said she attributes much of her success to the campus community.

“It’s not just me. There’s a huge network throughout campus both on the academic side and the athletic side.” She said. “I’m able to be successful because of all the people behind me.”

Eder Mondragón Quiroz (Photos by Jeff Basinger)

A shy freshman, Eder Mondragón Quiroz came to Oregon State a week early his freshman year to participate in the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP).

Little did he know at the time, that week would impact almost every move he made during his college career.
He opened up, made life-long friends and got involved.

“You get to hang out together before you ever start college, and develop a close-knit family away from home,” Mondragón Quiroz said of his cohorts in the program.

Mondragón Quiroz was also thrilled to be able to meet professors during that week he said he wouldn’t have met otherwise.

One professor and mentor, Susana Rivera-Mills, associate dean for the College of Liberal Arts, said Mondragón Quiroz was reluctant to participate in her classes at first.

“However, I could tell the first few times he spoke up in class that he had an amazing insight into the issues we were discussing,” Rivera-Mills said. “This was verified in his writing assignments, where he shared more about his personal experiences, culture, history and background.”

After finishing his bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Psychology two years ago, Mondragón Quiroz decided to stay at Oregon State to earn a masters degree in contemporary Latino/Latina studies. His relationships with his professors as well as other students, he said, made that decision an easy one.

As a graduate teaching assistant, Mondragón Quiroz said he has come to respect his professors in a whole new way.

“Being a very introverted and shy person, it was interesting to get thrown into the classroom and expected to teach a first-year Spanish course,” Mondragón Quiroz said. “ Teaching has given me insight into everything professors do to help their students succeed. It makes me thankful for everything they did for me.”

That thankfulness inspired Mondragón Quiroz to begin giving back to the Oregon State community through the CAMP program, where he mentored incoming students.

“I was involved with helping them navigate the University system, showing them where resources were so they could find their way,” Mondragón Quiroz said.

He said he believes his bicultural understanding will help him better serve the whole community. He hopes to earn a PhD in the future.

His ambition has inspired his community, and even his family members. Several cousins have followed Mondragon Quiroz to Oregon State. He hopes that with support form programs like CAMP, more will follow.

“I think there’s a big need for people that come from my background,” Mondragón Quiroz said.
His mentors agree.

“I’m so proud of the person Eder has become,” Rivera-Mills said. “I hope he will continue his education into a doctorate program and become a community leader that advances important conversations and contributes as an engaged citizen to the communities he will serve.”

Gulick looks through a telescope at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport

Alexandra Gulick is from Halfway, Oregon, but during her time at Oregon State, she ended up halfway around the world in the Dutch Caribbean studying coral reef ecology and seabirds.

“That was a huge step for me,” Gulick, a biology major, said. “I had always dreamed about studying abroad, and it was a great experience.”

Gulick has wanted to be a marine biologist since the sixth grade.

“I went to a summer camp, and I knew I wanted to be a marine biologist when I took my little summer camp project a bit too seriously,” she remembered. “I did this full-blown research project on starfish, and I kind of knew then that’s what I was supposed to do.”

She said studying at Oregon State has helped her focus her career goals even more. She hopes to become a research marine biologist. That means she could end up back in an academic setting or working for a government agency.

“Ultimately, I want to be an advocate for ocean conservation through my research,” Gulick said.

She served as an officer for the Life Sciences Club and, after returning from Bonaire, worked as an international ambassador for the International Degree and Education Abroad office. In that role, she held meetings with students and visited classes to talk about what it’s like to study abroad.

Gulick credits her study abroad advisors for helping make her dreams of studying and working abroad a reality.

Leann Adams, an IDEA advisor said she, in turn, is thankful for Gulick’s dedication to her office.

“She has contributed to our mission consistently over the last two years by sharing her experience abroad with others and encouraging them to pursue a similar path.”
Gulick will leave the country again in June. This time, she’s headed for St. Croix where she will work as a research assistant for the National Parks service studying sea turtles.

“We are sorry to see her go now that she’s graduating.” Adams said, “But we are delighted that she will head abroad again.”

Gulick will take what she’s learned at Oregon State with her, and may even return for graduate school in the future.

“My experiences at Oregon State made me into the person I am,” she said.

When the Pac-10 turned into the Pac-12, conference championships became harder to come by.

That didn’t stop Beaver baseball, which captured its first Pac-12 title since 2006. Dating back to 1908, this is Oregon State’s 22^nd championship.

The top-5 nationally-ranked Beavers clinched sole possession of 1^st place, as well as a (likely) national seed, which they’ll carry throughout the postseason. If they continue to win, they’ll host a Super Regional series. Teams joining Oregon State in the Corvallis regional will be announced Sunday evening.

That said, from the university and the stretch of Beaver Nation around the world: Congratulations Beaver baseball, Pac-12 Champions.

Bring on the postseason.

For more, as well as a complete schedule and information, visit www.osubeavers.com

Photo courtesy of OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center

The history is fuzzy (pun intended) surrounding when the beaver became known as “Benny,” but Austin has his own theory.

“In high school, I was Kenny Austin, and I think maybe after a few beers with Bill (Sundstrom), I might have said, ‘You know, why don’t we call him Benny because I was called Kenny?’’’ Austin said, laughing. “But, who knows.”

Students dressed up as a beaver before Austin, but were never sanctioned by the school, nor did they entertain during football games. That honor went to Kenny — or, Benny.

On the 50-yard-line of Reser Stadium, Ken Austin and Benny Beaver greet with a handshake. Naturally, the mascot pulls Austin in for the real thing: a hug.

Like any good mascot, Benny Beaver doesn’t speak. He uses hand gestures, leg kicks and random poses to communicate, but Benny and Austin appear to be best buddies. The two are meeting for a photo shoot. They stand arm in arm. Austin talks, Benny nods, wiggles and shakes.

“Thank you for being here, Benny,” Austin says. “Thanks a million.”

Austin interacts with Benny like most everyone does. He talks to the brown plushy as if he were real.

But Benny is real to Austin because Austin was Benny Beaver. The first Benny Beaver.

Sponge and shag carpet

It was the spring of 1952 when Ken Austin created the beaver mascot. Back then, Oregon State University was still Oregon State College (OSC), and cheerleaders were part of what was called a “rally squad”. When the athletic department held a tryout for Yell King — the leader of the rally squad — Austin’s fraternity brother, Bill Sundstrom, won.

“He said, ‘Do you know why I won?’” Austin remembers. “‘I proposed that we have a student mascot, and I’d like for you to be it.’”

Austin had no idea what a mascot was, let alone one operated by an actual human. At the time, California had Oski the Bear, and Stanford had a Native American mascot. That was all Austin knew.

With the OK from OSC, Austin made his Beaver costume from scratch. He bought the head of a costume at a costume shop and decorated it with shag rug. He made a tail out of a big piece of sponge rubber, slipped on football pants and a jersey.

Oregon State had its mascot.

Game time

The following football season, it was time to bring the mascot to life in front of thousands.

“I think I was scared to death,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Decked in his homemade suit, carrying a shiny 38-revolver — yes, a revolver  (shooting blanks, thankfully) — Austin brought the show to Beaver Nation.

“The ref threw down his hanky and I crawled out on the field like I was sneaking up on a skunk or something, and shot the hanky about three times,” Austin said of a game in Portland at Multnomah Stadium. “And the referee was laughing because he picked it up and it still had powder burns in it.”

The whole crowd was laughing along with the referee. Smoke bellowed from the penalty flag and the revolver.

When the Beavers played Stanford, Austin muscled his way up the goal post and took a seat on the crossbar during the game.

“Get off the goal post, you turkey!” the Stanford rooters screamed.

“I became known as a turkey when I came back to Oregon State that week,” Austin said.

By the end of the season, Austin was known for being funny, brave and outrageous. He was an entertainer, the spirit of Oregon State.

“You just kind of roll with the crowd,” he said. “I’m kind of a spontaneous guy.”

He got his wild ideas from the St. Paul Rodeo, close to where he grew up in Newberg, Ore.

“I went to every rodeo show and watched the clown and I did things like the clowns did, and one of those things was the clown carried a pistol,” he said.

So that’s where the revolver thing came from. But those were different times. The school had OK’d it and nobody was in danger. “It was all fun and games,” Austin said.

At the end of the football season, The Daily Barometer, the student newspaper, published an article that asked, “Who is this student dressed like a beaver that acts like a jackass?”

Well, that was Austin.

Giving back

Last fall, Benny Beaver, who has become a staple in the university’s identity, was recognized on his 60^th birthday. A season ticket holder, Austin was there. He remembers the feeling.

“I had no idea any of this would ever come to something like it has,” he said. “I had no idea anybody would even pay attention to it.”

Austin, along with his wife, Joan D., founded and owns Austin Dental Equipment Company (A-dec), a booming business. They are one of the university’s biggest donors, and most recently gave $10 million to help erect a brand new business building, Austin Hall, which will be completed in fall 2014.

Austin’s passion for making Oregon State better may very well have originated with his first creation: Benny.

“I have no idea what my life would be like if I hadn’t been Benny Beaver,” an emotional Austin said. “I didn’t do it for the recognition, nobody knew who I was. It gave me self-confidence. It’s through all of these experiences that I had that has made it possible for Joan and I to give to Oregon State. The school has done wonderful things for me.”

Kenny and Benny

The photo shoot is nearly over. Austin and Benny are posing like superstars. They have held “Go Beavs” signs, reenacted an old photo and performed multiple fist pumps together.

Austin steps aside briefly to talk about life and what it’s like to be the man who created Benny Beaver. He says most fans ask him what it was like being the first Benny Beaver.

“It has become something very special to me because I’m proud of creating the first Benny, and I’m also proud of Benny’s reputation all these years,” Austin says. “It’s so wonderful and so touching when I see Benny down on his haunches or knees, talking to a child, and how much the children love Benny and how much Benny loves the children,”

Austin says he feels a great deal of pride any time he visits Oregon State’s campus or talks about his alma mater.

“I’m awfully proud of my school and I’m proud to have been part of the traditions,” he says.

As if on cue, Benny joins the group of people. His arms are open — one more hug for Austin.

As the two embrace, Austin mutters into the side of the plushy soft head, no longer the shag carpet that started everything.

“I love you, Benny.”