By Joan Aschim

Kevin Loder was ahead of the curve as a high school student so he graduated early—but that left him alone in a wilderness of possibilities with no guidance or support. For a time he drifted, working in seasonal retail jobs. Then he tried college—three of them—before he found what he was looking for at Lane Community College.

"Lane offered community and support," says Kevin.

He started by enrolling in a First Year Learning Community: College Success linked with a Career and Life Planning class with the same students. It was a rich experience and one that he would repeat later as a peer mentor in his second of three internships.

His first internship was to conduct research and offer a student perspective at planning meetings for Titan Court, Lane's first student housing project. After the building opened, Kevin was hired as a Community Assistant, getting a great job as well as a great place to live.

During that time Kevin joined Lane's Honors Program and landed his third internship as a social media strategist with the college's advertising and public relations firm, Funk/Levis and Associates. While there he helped the college develop its social media sites and found that he had a talent for communications.

"When I came to Lane I had the retail management degree in mind. My first co-op got me interested in higher education. In my second co-op I discovered how much I enjoyed working with people, and considered a degree in psychology. My final co-op opened my eyes to a career in communications," Kevin says.

Kevin graduated in December 2013 and was accepted into the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.

"Each opportunity opened the door to the next," said Kevin. "I'm proud of who I've become and where I'm headed, thanks to everyone I met at Lane."

He's ahead of the curve again, and this time he has a plan. He has applied to be an official volunteer at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kevin also plans to complete an internship at Rio Encantos, a cultural tourism agency operated by a UO alumna, before he graduates.

"I don't have a tattoo yet, but this might be the first," he says of the official 2016 Rio Olympic logo which includes Lane blue and gold and UO green and yellow.

He's scouting out career possibilities that will mirror the transformative experience of education, possibly helping an organization in transition find its way forward.

Kevin strongly recommends Lane as the place to chart a successful course. You are accepted, trusted and challenged, all elements that open the floodgates of potential, he says.

For more information—
*  Learning Communities
*  Honors Program

Published by Lane Community College Marketing and Public Relations, February 2015.