I interviewed and wrote profiles of students for The Campaign for PSU, a $300 million fundraising campaign.

Diana Demchenko: “Going Viral”

The daughter of a clinical nurse, Diana Demchenko used to think that the only way to work in science was through medicine. That was before she met Ken Stedman, a PSU biology professor and renowned virus hunter.

Stedman’s guidance, plus key financial support from PSU, launched Demchenko on a different path. Now her journey is taking her through boiling hot springs and outer space toward a career that combines teaching with pathbreaking scientific research — just like her mentor’s.

Trine Quady: “Laser Focus”

Trine Quady examines layers of objects that are invisible to most of us. By determining what centuries-old paintings, sculptures and cultural artifacts are made of, she is learning how to preserve them for future generations. 

Unlike her research focus, there’s nothing hidden about the energy that Quady, a double major in chemistry and math, brings to her studies. At age 19, this University Honors student is laser-focused on taking advantage of every opportunity to build a career at the intersection of science and mathematics.

Citlaly Arroyo-Juarez: “Home is where you belong”

When she visited PSU, a 30-minute drive from where she grew up, Citlaly Arroyo-Juarez felt like she was entering another world. The student ambassador who led her campus tour was a young woman with Mexican-born parents, like Arroyo-Juarez. The other students she met came from all different racial and ethnic backgrounds, instead of mostly white, and seemed to celebrate their diversity.

Although Arroyo-Juarez had won a scholarship she could have used at any Oregon University, her college search ended that day in the Park Blocks. She’s now a PSU sophomore majoring in criminology and criminal justice, with a Chicano/Latino studies minor and a 4.0 GPA.