Success Stories
Jeremy Riel finds his political start at Lane
Story by Gloria Biersdorff
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Jeremy Riel |
"I particularly enjoy the fact that I am able to pay for an education, and still attend one of the best institutions on this side of the U.S." |
"Lane's impact on my life has been incredible," says 2005/06 Lane Community College Student Body President Jeremy Riel. "I feel that I genuinely learned many things; most importantly, a sense of community, a motivation to learn and achieve, and the knowledge that you can complete something if you apply yourself."
A political science major, 20-year-old Riel has served on Lane's student government from his first term of enrollment in fall 2003; first as senator, then as director of state affairs. He represented Lane at the United States Student Association's legislative conference in Washington D.C. spring break 2005, where he met with congressmen and senators to address the issues of decreased funding to higher education, federal financial aid, and other student issues.
Riel, a native of Springfield , attended a small, private high school there called Logos Academy . Because the school was not accredited, Riel did not obtain a diploma. He entered Lane because the college promised to be a strong academic building block, and could provide him with a tangible degree in two years. Cost was also a great deciding factor, he says. "I particularly enjoy the fact that I am able to pay for an education, and still attend one of the best institutions on this side of the U.S. "
Riel will earn his Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree spring term 2005, and attend both Lane and the University of Oregon in the dual-enrollment program next fall. He was a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society nominee for the All-American Scholarship, is a Ford Scholarship nominee, and was on the President's List Honor Roll fall term 2004 and winter term 2005.
After graduating from UO, Riel hopes to earn a Juris Doctor degree from an Ivy League law school, then practice as an attorney serving low-income populations. "Politics has always fascinated me as well," he says, "so there is a good chance that I will get involved in some level along the road."
Riel's former political science instructor Steve Candee, who secured Riel's current Federal Work-Study position with Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson in fall 2004, says, "Jeremy is highly responsible, committed, sensitive to the needs of others, mature, balanced, and frankly, someone that I expect great things from in the future."
May 2005
