"Students of Non-typical Age"

(Bobbi Finch working in class)

On any given day at Linn-Benton Community College you will see students of non-typical age, doing their best to make their dreams come true. Bobbi Finch is one of them. She said, one of her biggest challenges she has had in coming back to school is, not knowing where she fits in.

There are a lot of older students here at LBCC that feel like they’re not sure where they socially fit in. After all, the whole school scene is typically geared for the younger generation, not for people in their later years. Bobbi Finch, 50- years old, has had some real challenges in her returning to school, after so many years of being out of school.

Bobbi Finch has travailed all over the world, being married to a U.S. Marine Corps soldier. She and her ex-husband had 5 children. They moved a lot due to being stationed somewhere new every 23 months.

Finch has now lived in Oregon 17-years, where she has finished raising her children as a single mom. She has been trying to earn her degree since 1998. This in itself has been a challenge, due to being a sole provider for her kids. She said that she has had to interrupt her schooling many times over the years to work and take care of the needs of her children.

Now that all of her kids are adults, even her baby, Nick, who is 18-years old, she no longer feels like she has to be responsible for their needs. Finch said, “All I have to worry about is me, it’s my time to finish college and get my English degree, I want to be a travel reporter.”

Nick said, “I’m proud of her, I’m glad she still has the will to go back and finish what she started so many years ago. My mom is a strong woman.”

  She started college again, as of fall term this school year 2014-2015, after checking with LBCC, she knew she only had four classes left to take to earn her English degree. She thought this would be an EASY TRANSITION, knowing she had been here before.

Finch, has encountered some situations that weren’t very comfortable for her. Finch said, “The attitude of the younger generations is so rude. I have been told things like, if you don’t get your homework done, you’re on your own. Their attitude is, if you can’t keep up with us, then why are you here?”

“When it comes to the younger generation, there is a big world of difference between us and them, it’s a sad one, because it’s a ME, ME, ME, from them, instead of we have to help each other.” Finch said.

When talking to Vikki Maurer, a math instructor who has worked at LBCC for 21-years, about the generation problems she has seen, Maurer said, “I have seen it from both sides, the rudeness. What I see more now with all the social media with the younger people so plugged in, they tend to isolate their selves, because they connect with their phones better than anything else. Inner personal communication is hard for them, where just a few years ago it wasn't that way.”

Nick said,” I think what is going on, is that the younger generation thinks that the older generation doesn't want to have anything to do with them, because they think that they couldn't have anything in common with them. So it’s just no one talking to no one, and that’s the problem.”

“We had high school students mixing with the older students, and I never saw the kind of problems I’m seeing now, the rudeness, but from both sides. So from Bobbi’s point of view, she has had some interactions that weren't favorable, but I see it both ways. The younger generation, they just need somebody to reach out, because they are uncomfortable now making those connections in person, we can learn so much from each other.” Maurer said.

Maurer has Finch in her Math 98 class this term; she says Bobbie is a bright student, always thinking and asking questions, always working very hard. She is a very caring person.

When talking to Finch about these opinions, she said, “I really never thought about it that way, maybe that’s what is going on.”

Finch’s dream is to become a travelling reporter. She wants to travel around to places no one has written about, and use her first times eyes, see things that people never knew were there. Like some small town that no one would have ever known hosts a rodeo every year.

No matter what, she is going to make it through her last four classes and get her degree. You will see her walking down that aisle this June and receive her future.

Bobbi Finch

                                                                          (Math 98)

                                                                      At a Glance

            1.    Who: Bobbi Finch

2.    Where:Linn-Benton Community College

3.    What: Generation Gap if you need help Contact: Counseling and Advising at LBCC

4.    Why: To earn her English Major

5.    When: She will graduate June of 2015.

       

  

Carol Raymundo Profile

Carol Raymundo, the head coordinator for the Accessibility Resources, here at Linn-Benton Community College works for the good of students who need any type of assistance with their learning. She also is a wife of 21 years and a mom of two children.

"I always say, my favorite two days of the year at LBCC are,the first day of fall term, because of all the new students coming in, and graduations day. I like to see students that come here from the very beginning. They are extremely unsure of what is going to happen, but by the time they graduate they have grown so much. I'm there for the first day of fall term and the day by day until they graduate. It's pretty cool." Raymundo said with a lot of pride.

Raymundo grew up in a little town on the Southern Oregon coast called Myrtle Point. She is an only child, raised by a single parent.She spent a lot of time with her grandma, who was a photographer that taught her all about taking pictures and how to use a darkroom. By the time she was 12 she could use everything in that darkroom and take pictures just like a professional.

 Raymundo had a hard time in school due to vision problems she was born with.She said,"I wasn't the best student in school, I had a hard time developing some of the skills because of my vision problems. My hand writing is really bad. I don't have any depth perception. Reading is hard for me."

 When she was 15-years old, still in high school, she saw an ad in the  Myrtle Point Herald, a local newspaper . They were looking to hire a sports reporter/ photographer.

 "I interviewed. They hired me, I was responsible for all the sports reporting, photos and darkroom work. I would go to school and right after that go to the newspaper office and work till 5:30 or 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, depending on if there was a game or something going on, I worked 20 to 30 hours a week." Raymundo said.

 She did that until she graduated at the age of 18-years old. By the time she left the paper she could do everything involved in running a paper.

She moved to attend LBCC.  "My first term, I didn't do well at all, I failed all of my classes, I wasn't ready for school, I needed to take a break. I really didn't know what I wanted to do when I started college." Said Raymundo.

 Raymundo didn't return to LBCC until five years later,  She had learned she was pregnant and wanted to be able to provide for her son. She took  administrative courses to get her degree, she didn't quite finish, so she end up with a one-year certificate as an Office Specialist. 

 Being the determined person she is, she looked into the online classes, after taking them,she could see they worked better for her, as she  had her young son to care for.She has received her bachelor's degree and then went on to get her master's.

Raymundo has worked at LBCC for about eight months now in her current position, but has worked in this department for eight years. Raymundo also worked  in other departments at LBCC and has spent the last 15-years in total working with students.

"What we do is work on a case by case base. If a student doesn't have documentation but can clearly identify where their learning is impacted, then we can try some accommodations."  Raymundo said. Her job is very important to them, she works with students and helps them build their accommodation plan. 

  When she first started here they had five full-time staff and approximately 20 part-time employees. Over time there has been many staff reductions in Center for Accessibility Resources. 

 Raymundo said, "I think right now we aren't currently staffed enough with the number of students  we have. I am always concerned that we are not serving students in the way we should be. I think it's fair to say, if we had more staff we would be able to serve students better than what we are currently. We try as hard as we can, but there are only so many of us."

 Julie Hessel the Program Assistant said, "Carol has a lot of experience in many different areas. I'm amazed at how understanding and personable she is. She wants students to succeed, she wants the process to work, barriers to be taken down, so students don't have to jump through to many hoops to have their accommodations."                       

 Hessel said, "I really enjoy working with her, Carol has taught me so much, she has helped me grow professionally. The one word I would use to describe her, would have to be, DRIVEN."

 Jennifer Walker works in the support lab. Walker works directly with students helping not only scheduling appointments, but many other issues that student may need help with, as well as assisting Carol and Julie. 

Walker said, "I see Carol almost every day, she is one of the best bosses I have ever had. This is the second time I have work for her, she was me boss about 12 years ago. The reason I feel that she is one of the best bosses is because our goal is to help students to succeed; with Carol's skills we are meeting those goals. She is very involved with all the students, with their classes and knowing what their needs are."

 Walker said, "On top of being a great boss, she is an AWESOME, caring, understanding, helpful, a great friend that is fun,easy going and likes to just chat."       

 Raymundo gets to relive her 10 minutes of fame every June, when someone she has helped succeed in reaching their goals, walks down that aisle and accepts their future.

 At A Glance     

 1.Carol Raymundo Head of The Accessibility resources   

 2.Raymundo knows how to provide you with accommodations to help you succeed.

 3.Here at LBCC located at Red Ceder Hall room 105 or online at LBCC

 4.Raymundo's hours are Monday- Friday 9:00AM-3:00PM

 5.Raymundo is the one to help you over the barriers. 

                                                               Julie Hessel

                                                              Jennifer Walker