Celebrating Speech and Debate

David Maile '10

In 2006, I traveled from my home in Honolulu, Hawaii to attend Pacific University. One of the largest attractions for me was the Pacific Speech and Debate Team. Coming into the mix as a freshman was seamless and after six years, I’m still mulling around with the team as the Assistant Director of Forensics. It is safe to say that a tradition of excellence, pride and success remains a persistent set of values that the team represents. This vignette is about the direction of the Boxer speech and debate program and the amazing individuals that drive it.

Dan Broyles, the Director of Forensics for the team, does it all in manufacturing a phenomenal trajectory for our students. A native of Illinois, Dan brought his talents to Forest Grove in 2008, after the departure of former Director Sam Mathies. An alumnus and graduate assistant coach of the renowned Illinois State University, Dan perpetuates an open door policy to students he coaches and teaches which grounds the team in a very special situation. 

After all, what isn’t special about teaching and coaching students to speak well and with confidence? Simply put, nothing. Especially when it takes them to the cities like Berlin, Budapest and Rome for competition.

That brings me to the students, those tremendous “kids,” as I affectionately call them at times. The students who compete on the speech and debate team are why Dan and I entered this field. Seeing a competitor have a moment of enlightenment, build confidence, conquer fears or overcome competitive adversity is transformative. What sets our activity a part from others is the complete immersion into a student’s life, and the close impact public speaking can foster. A special group of these students truly represent all that I praise.

It has been an honor to work with the seniors that will be graduating this academic year: Lilly Huynh, Lindsey McLaughlin, Gustavo Morales, and Ryan Terao. All of who built an undying passion for the craft of rhetoric and argumentation and will forever be remembered in the tradition they invested in this program. I want to dedicate this vignette to Dan and the students of our team. Without them, our tradition would not sustain. Without them, we would not be a close community and family. But with them, anything and everything are possible. 

Maile '10 is pictured in the above photo on the left. He continued his education at University of Portland and earned a masters in science degree in communications studies with a concentration on management communications. While attending Pacific, David was also involved with Track and Field, Student Giving Committee, Hawai'i Club and Phi Eta Sigma (Honor Society).

Building the Foundation for Boxer Football

Bryce Kerschner '14

I hail from the small town of Jordan Valley, Oregon. If you have just paused and asked yourself where you might find this quaint little town, believe me you aren’t the first. I arrived at Pacific University in June for a quick tour of the school I had already committed to sights unseen. Why would any person in their right mind choose to attend a college without setting foot on campus? The answer of course would be the offensive coordinator for Pacific’s football team, Coach Jim Craft. 

Jordan Valley is approximately nine hours away from Forest Grove and one mile from the Idaho border, which puts it roughly in the southeastern corner of Oregon. My graduating class was 13 students and the student body consisted of 30 students. Also, being a 1A school in Oregon, we played 8-man football, a completely different game than I experience now every fall Saturday in a Boxer uniform. 

My senior year, needless to say, recruiters weren’t exactly breaking down the door to get the Player of the Year for the High Desert League. Of the letters and emails I received, Pacific had a different appeal; brand new team, brand new coaches, and uncertainty about how the program will perform. I was slightly skeptical of actually being successful on such a team, but my perception greatly changed one December afternoon when coach Jim Craft arrived at Jordan Valley High School.

Winters in Jordan Valley are filled with snow, sleet, hail, and every adverse weather condition you could imagine. However, Craft managed to get himself from Portland to Jordan Valley in a two-wheel drive car. Of course, being from a small town, everyone is up to date about each other and I am fairly certain they all knew who he was once his car entered city limits. If they didn’t, they all were informed when he checked into one of our finer accommodations. After a few brief encounters with our friendly neighborhood service station staff, Craft became aware of small town life; one filled with doors without locks in our local bed and breakfast. 

After surviving what undoubtedly was one of the longer nights of his life, Craft pitched his recruiting spiel to me in our locker room during lunch. Despite the skepticism I earlier felt about the program, I can honestly say my perspective was drastically changed. If this guy was so bent on getting me to this college that he plowed a Toyota Camry through the slush, stayed in a motel room without any definite security system, and endured the locals at the Basque Inn; perhaps this was the place I needed to be.

I chose to attend Pacific University only two weeks after I had met with Craft and could not wait to start the next chapter of Boxer football. Despite being already committed, I felt the need to visit the campus. Fast forward to June after my senior year; I stood in the locker room devoid of the lockers in which I now use frequently. Before, I visited a field lacking any football markings or field goal posts next to the field house which is now covered with field turf. 

It’s amazing what I would have missed if I judged Pacific by its cover. I hope to look back after I hang up the cleats for good and reflect on what my fellow teammates and I built with a sense of fulfillment and pride. So far as a team we have taken enormous steps forward but the journey is still far from over. 

Kershner '14 is the Communications Assistant for the Office of Alumni Relations and is seeking a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing and is a fullback for the varsity football team. More information about Boxer Athletics can be viewed at goboxers.com.

Giving Baby Weight the Boot

Jenni Luckett

I’m sore.

It’s kind of sad, really. I didn’t actually exercise on Friday. I just completed a baseline fitness test that involved repeatedly stepping up and down on a stool about the height of my knees for five minutes.That act alone, however, led to a weekend of achy…um…let’s say gluts and hamstrings.

I guess that’s just more evidence for why I need to do a better job of consistently getting exercise.

Luckily, Pacific offers a pretty cool perk each spring for its employees, in the form of a learning experience for students majoring in exercise science. As part of their course work, exercise science students sign on to act as “personal trainers” to employees in an annual event called Boxer Boot Camp. The students get the real-life learning experience of meeting one-on-one with clients, conducting fitness tests and monitoring progress, and designing personalized workouts. Employees like me get 10 weeks of personal coaching to help establish better exercise habits. Win-win!

My trainer is Trevor Schongalla, a senior hoping to start working toward a doctorate in physical therapy next fall. He’s pro-water consumption, anti-fad diet and much nicer than the scary boot camp, yell-in-your-face trainers you might see in some movies. (At least, I think so…our first full session is this afternoon.)

On Friday, Trevor spent about an hour talking about my goals and health—I think my son’s second birthday in November probably was the limit for blaming my extra pounds on “baby weight”—then putting me through a few baseline fitness tests, like the 5-minute stair steps, which, to be fair, didn’t seem that hard at the time.

I don’t really know how I did. Between the body measurements in centimeters and the strength tests in newtons, I mostly learned that exercise science isn’t about hanging out in the gym; it’s a scientific field that requires a deep understanding of biology, the human body, and even math. Trevor also assures me that exercise science students are skilled in Microsoft Excel, and he’ll be charting my progress for me.

Jenni Luckett, Senior Writer

In turn, I’ll be sharing my progress with you. Maybe not all the charts and measurements, as a girl needs a little privacy, but definitely my experiences with one of the most popular undergraduate degree programs here at Pacific.

Luckett is the editor of the PACIFIC Magazine. Follow her editor's blog at  http://www.pacificu.edu/magazine/category/section/editors-blog

Alumna Returns to Serve Alma Mater

Rachael Burbank '09

If you had asked me or anyone who knew me freshman year if I would still be at Pacific University now six years later, you’d hear an eruption of snickers and laughter.

Without even visiting campus, and only spending a long weekend in the state of Oregon a few years prior, I took a gamble.

I grew up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and to defy my parents’ push to attend a university, Pacific was the furthest and only school accepting of me. I had East Coast written all over me: white polo shirt, popped collar, tucked into my cuffed jeans with a pink and chartreuse printed flip-flop patterned belt. I looked like a tourist.

Three years later, and a lot of shredded up transfer paperwork, homesickness, and lasting friendships, I brought my senior year schedule to the registrar office. I kept telling myself, “well, you got through one semester and it wasn’t so bad, just do one more.” Submitting that senior schedule was me finally admitting, “I am a Boxer.”

Something that made me feel like I had a purpose, other than getting an education, was having a job on campus. I was a student worker in the Office of Alumni Relations every year and gradually increased my responsibility into something resume worthy. Some degrees don’t have specific future careers out there to pick from and for a Creative Writing major, I had to be even more creative.

Becoming the Communications Assistant for Alumni Relations, along with interning at university events such as Homecoming and the Masters in Fine Arts of Writing residency, gave more meaning to my degree’s stereotype of adjectives and sonnets. But, and that’s a big but, I wish I did more networking.

I wouldn’t describe myself as shy, but I was intimidated by people who have a stable career. I mean, who was I? Some transplant from the East Coast with no set career path just a thesis filled with essays that had a lot of typos. I was one of many college graduates without a clue.

Most people doubt their career path. Some transfer to new careers, just like majors, because it doesn’t jive with them anymore. That’s normal; there are valuable skills you can learn by taking a gamble. A degree is a specialty, but it’s not everything. Sometimes I forgot that I earned a liberal arts education, not just a Creative Writing degree.

So after bartendering for six years, volunteering at masquerade balls and charity road races, and selling a lot of wedding gowns and tiaras, I have returned back to Forest Grove still with a collared shirt, but it’s black with a red emblem. It’s been fun finding my strengths and weaknesses at dead end jobs, but I’m ready to start my career with non-profit public relations back at Pacific University.

Burbank '09 wrote this as a guest piece of the Pacific Index issue on Feb. 16, 2012. She is the Alumni Relations Coordinator for the Office of Alumni Relations. You can contact her at rburbank@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2969. She also volunteers with a melanoma awareness nonprofit, The Glenna Kohl Fund for Hope: www.glennasfund.org

Preventing Childhood Obesity

Jenna Boundy, PT '12

I had the wonderful opportunity to complete a clinical internship at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. The facility provided a healthy lifestyles clinic where a physical therapist, physician, psychologist and dietician collaborate to provide care for children who are overweight and/or obese. Two of our patients were 10 and 11 year-old sisters. Each weighed around 170 pounds and showed early signs of Type II diabetes.

After my visit with these young girls, I wondered about the future health struggles they will endure over their lifetimes if they do not make changes early. Not yet teenagers, they may have to worry about multiple daily insulin shots. By age 40, they may face peripheral neuropathy, blindness or amputation.

I give a lot of credit to the healthy lifestyles clinic to help overweight/obese children and their families adopt  healthy behaviors. Unfortunately, we are not promoting prevention of childhood obesity at early ages. Obesity at any age can cause cardiovascular disease, many forms of cancer, Type II diabetes and hypertension, all of which will greatly increase medical costs. Being an advocate and a positive role model for your own children and the children in our community is essential. It is the only way we will create change and reduce the obesity epidemic.

Since, 1980 childhood obesity rates have tripled. Currently, 17 percent of children ages 2-19 are obese nationwide (www.cdc.gov). Many overweight children often are not given the opportunity to develop a lifestyle of balanced, healthy meals and physical activity that they enjoy. There are many reasons and barriers why obesity levels have risen over the past 30 years. We can blame it on an abundance of processed foods, a decrease in the physical activity provided in our schools, the increase in screen time and prevalence of sedentary jobs, increase in the cost of food, the decreased time we have to be active and cook healthy meals. The list goes on. The great thing is we have control to solve some of the issues which have led to the high obesity rates, while others provide opportunity for adaption.

Here are some tips to help build a well-rounded healthy lifestyle for you and your family.

• Instead of watching TV every night, go for a family walk. You can always record or watch your show online later. If you live in a neighborhood that is not conducive for family walks, ride your bikes or drive to a school track for some quality exercise time.

• Take the time to cook a nutritious meal. Many websites offer healthy, low-cost recipes that are easy to fix. If you don’t have access to a computer, use the local public library’s computers or check out a cookbook.

• Sit down as a family for dinner time. Multiple studies have shown that eating together as a family not only decreases obesity rates, but can also build a positive support system.

• Limit screen time (TV and computers) to less than 1 hour per day. Evidence shows that increased screen time increases the risk of obesity.

• Decrease the amount of time you sit at work. Stand up to do some of your work and walk during your breaks and lunch.

• Make a contract. Contracts make us accountable for our actions. As a family, sign contracts stating all the realistic changes you want to make in your life.

• Create a reward system. A great family motivator may be a visit to a water park, a family hike or a day trip at the beach. All of these activities are fun and promote a continuation of physical activity.

With the new school year starting, I challenge you to make healthy changes in your life. Not only will you be happier with yourself, you’ll be a great role model for your family and our community. Become a catalyst that will empower others to make changes and decrease the risk of obesity. Just remember to make little changes every day, create realistic goals and be accountable for your actions. Be the change!


Boundy, PT '12 graduated with a doctorate in the physical therapy. After graduation, she plans to work in the realm of orthopaedics and hopes one day to provide low-cost preventive services that will reduce the risk of childhood and adult obesity.

Pharmacy Graduate Uses His Skills to Give Back

Payam Ghorbani, Pharm.D. '11

                                                       The mission of the Tati Tati Foundation is to provide food, educational material, and support to those in need of these services, as well as information regarding graduate programs, career choices, and many other educational disciplines.

Tati Tati fosters learning and academic excellence by working with a variety of individuals. Each of these individuals come from a different cultural and career background, which makes our members so valuable. Our sole purpose is to create a safe, fulfilling, and academically enriching environment for students.

Similar to many others in my profession, I have always wanted to do what I could to help people. I considered every career choice possible that I felt would be rewarding to me, but due to an unfortunate illness that occurred in my family, I was drawn towards the healthcare profession.  Suddenly, my goals were clear to me, and I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish.



Not long ago, a great opportunity was presented to me. My elder sister, who was at the time completing her rotations in Domincan Republic suggested a community service project for us to participate in. The project involved providing patient assistance and helping out in her hospital in Dominican Republic. Due to the poverty level in the city she was in, an extra set of hands within the hospital could be quite helpful. The experience was rich and rewarding, and only motivated me even more.

In 2009, my siblings and I, along with our dedicated friends founded Tati Tati Foundation meaning step by step. We had a vision of what we wanted this organization to represent. It was to provide healthcare and educational assistance to patients and also continue to educate the next generation of healthcare providers as they are our future. Every step we take makes a difference, even if it’s just one. Step by step, and hand in hand, we have continued with this journey and I am honored to have worked with such great individuals.

I’d like to take the rest of this blog post, to thank the people that made this dream come true--Aram Ghorbani, Pharm.D. Candidate; Elham Ghorbani, M.D.; Raman Dadayan, Pharm.D.; Pejman Mesdaghi, Pharm.D.; Tu Nguyen, Pharm.D.; Raphael Resto Vazquez, M.D.; Samuel martinez Jimenez, M.D.; Ebuwa Joy Obaski, M.D. Candidate.
 www.tatitati.org

University Fundraiser Encourages Pacific Students Involvement

Denise Banh

If you had asked me when I first started college what I wanted to do with my life, I had two answers: a CEO for a high powered company or a housewife. Yes, yes, I know those things are not even remotely related, but I guess when you first start out you really have no idea what you actually want to do. Now, it’s more than four years later and I find myself as the Annual Giving & Alumni Relations Coordinator at this fine institution. Am I disappointed I’m not headed in the direction of either of my original choices? Not even a little bit.

In my freshman year of college I applied to work at the Phonathon at my now alma mater. Sexy headsets, tons of snacks, and the highest paying job on campus? I was down. But, sometime in the following four years, something happened. Working for the Phonathon wasn’t about my hourly wage and on-job perks anymore. I was doing something greater than myself. I was making a difference. Now, I know that sounds exceptionally cheesy but it’s true. I fell in love with philanthropy.

What is philanthropy? Ask me that four years ago and I could have presented you some vague definition probably not worthy of print. That’s something I’ve slowly learned through the years. Philanthropy comes in many forms and manifests differently for each person. Etymologically it means the love of humanity. But, let me tell you what it means to me. Philanthropy is the desire to better mankind, to better the life of at least one person. And I’m not talking about world changing, barrier crushing, world peace kind of betterment but the philanthropy that reaches people on an everyday level. Although, if you could find a way to bring world peace to fruition, that would be great too. It can be a monetary contribution to a cause you believe in, time spent supporting the causes close to your heart, donations of supplies and equipment for those who are without. The possibilities are endless. You just have to find the right fit.

Now, I’m not saying that being a CEO or a housewife would not allow me to lead a philanthropic life, but I realized that my passions are now elsewhere. At Pacific, 93 percent of students receive financial aid. A part of those funds come from generous gifts from alumni, parents and friends of this University. I love that I can say that my job (along with my amazing team) is to work every day to make that happen. Education is the cause closest to my heart and that is where I found my fit.

An element of philanthropy I would like to highlight is the importance of being involved. My family is Chinese but both my parents were born in Vietnam. During the war, they left Vietnam and became citizens of the United States. More than 20 years later, my dad recently decided to move back to Vietnam and I couldn’t really understand why. He said, “It’s lonely in the US. People drive in their own cars, to their own offices, and return to their own homes. It’s lonely.” A couple years ago I had the amazing opportunity to study for a semester in Vietnam and I understood what he meant. Apart from the fact that the density of people in Vietnam far outnumbers that of Portland, there was a greater sense of involvement among the people. You knew everything about your neighbors, you leant a hand when they were in need, you almost did not have the choice to be lonely. There was a greater sense of community among the people and I found that to be an amazing thing.

What I love about Pacific is that there is already a great sense of community among the students, faculty, staff, and other community members. But, we can always be more involved. Looking back, I definitely wish I was more involved at my college. Talking with other students in my graduating class, I realized I missed out on so many opportunities to not only make a difference at the school though governance but I also missed the opportunity to get to know the other people in the community. 

The world is filled with almost 7 billion people. It would be impossible to know everyone, but there’s absolutely no harm in trying. I am a fairly well traveled individual and the number of amazing people I’ve met around the world surprises me every time I think about it. The number of breathtaking experiences those people have brought me means the world to me. Sometimes I forget that there are just as many amazing people in my immediate community and those people also have amazing experiences to offer.

So, take it from me. Be more involved on campus, join a club, meet new people, gain new experiences, take everything this world has to offer but never forget to give back.

Banh is the Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Coordinator at Pacific University. She oversees the Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow student group and Phonathon. She can be contacted at denish.banh@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2969.

Alumnus Gives Back as Student Psychologist

Jeff Guardalabene, MS '99, Psy.D. '01

These days, I spend my time as a staff psychologist in Pacific's Student Counseling Center. I love my job. I love working with students, love my co-workers, love being on campus. I graduated with my doctorate in clinical psychology in 2001, and I've considered myself part of the Pacific family ever since I enrolled in 1996. My time here, however, no matter how cherished it has been, has really been the result of random chance and the most careless career planning in the history of employment. When I sit down with a student who is agonizing over a class-scheduling choice, or wondering whether to switch majors, I can't help but think back to how I got here. I think about The Phone Call That Changed Everything.

In 1986 the Mets were being amazin' again, the Reagan Era was sputtering to a finish, and I was working in a small public TV station in Medford and wondering what the heck I was going to do with my life. I'd tried college on and off for the last decade. I'd held jobs of all kinds, from managing a fast-food place to working in a lumber mill and everything in between. And I mean everything. At one point I made my daily bread by keeping an eye on (read: sleeping in my car) a stack of wooden pallets during a summer arson spree. I worked at a car wash. I hit the "pause" button on a rich guy's VCR during the Winter Olympics one year. Everything.

One day at work, the phone rang just as I was getting off shift at the TV station. I hesitated to answer it, not being the hardest-working guy in show business at that time. But, on a whim, I picked it up. It was a guy looking for someone "who knew how to use a camera," as he was shooting a low-budget movie. I volunteered. We made the movie. That summer, I went to LA to get paid for making the movie, unleashing the chain of events that led me where I am today, typing up this post.

In rapid (and not-so-rapid) succession, the following things resulted from that phone call. I met up with a friend in LA. After one particularly long evening of celebrating our aimlessness we agreed to sell everything we owned and move to Portland, where my sister lived and ostensibly waited for us to come mooch off of her. I had forgotten all about our plans by the next morning. He hadn't. I got a call from him a week later, letting me know that he had sold everything he owned and was on his way up I-5. I responded to my panic by selling everything I owned and quitting my job. We moved to Portland, slept on a few couches, got a place, found jobs. I worked in TV for the next decade, growing tired of it, and decided to finish my bachelor's degree. That wasn't enough. I applied to grad school. If I'd have known how remote my chances were, I'd have never applied. But I was blissfully ignorant, and was accepted to Pacific's School of Professional Psychology.

Five years later, I graduated. Seven years after that, I heard of an opening in the Counseling Center by complete chance. There were just a few days left in the job posting. I applied. Had I known how many applicants there were for the job, I may have never even tried. I got the job.

Some days, when I'm sitting with a student and they're writhing with stress, trying to figure out a big decision, I tell them that sometimes the biggest decisions are the ones we never give much thought. You know, like whether or not to pick up the phone.

Guardalabene is a staff psychologist in the Pacific Counseling Center. He is also a regular blogger. Check out his blog at drjeffblog.blogspot.com.