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.
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
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.
Jennifer Walker
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