Now an award-winning assistant professor in the School of Writing, Literature and Film at Oregon State University, Elena Passarello credits her interest in her craft to the influence of her mother, an eighth-grade English teacher and the matriarch of a family she describes as “bookish, library people.” Literature was woven into casual gatherings and conversations at the dinner table.
Ordinary Beginnings, Extraordinary Outcomes provides comprehensive stories of courageous men and women who have defied expectations, overcome adversity, set precedents, and dedicated significant time and energy to helping others achieve their goals.
Words and language have always fascinated Michael Goodman. Growing up in Florence, Oregon, he liked tracing the roots of words that most of us take for granted, and at Oregon State University, he has minored in Japanese. But it is his affinity for computers that is propelling the senior in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Combining his interests, he has created software that overcomes a barrier in translation.