Eighteen years ago, Gray Conway was a single mother of four relying on public assistance. She decided she needed a new career and thought that she would become a teacher, so she would have a similar schedule as her children. She wasn’t sure how to get started, so she joined the Moving On Program at Rogue Community College and never looked back.

She didn’t become a teacher as planned, but today she is the facility coordinator for the Illinois Valley Learning Center, as well as founder of the Suzannah Stuart Cubbage GED Testing Fee Scholarship. She is also a member of numerous associations and has dedicated her life to improving the lives of others.

“Education is like surfing,” she says. “You finish riding one wave and then here comes another one.”

Conway began her college career in The Moving On Program. Located on the Grants Pass Campus, the program provides knowledge and information to people with limited income and little or no knowledge of where to begin their academic careers. It also helps people with career exploration, exposing them to non-traditional occupations, filling out scholarship applications, and helping them through the first stages of their education.

After the Moving On Program, Conway started to work in student government early in her academic career and eventually was elected Commissioner of Representation. She says this gave her, “…a broad and sturdy foundation and a deep understanding of college and how it works. I learned who does what, what people needed and where they could get it.”

Eventually this led to her current position, where she has been since 2002.

Located in the town of Kerby, just outside of Cave Junction, it’s easy to drive by and not notice the RCC-Kerby Campus building.  The facility offers a direct link to the TRiO-EOC program.  It is a federally-funded program and offers help to first generation students, low- income students and disabled students.

All of the services are free and include—but are not limited to—helping with financial aid applications, locating and applying for scholarships, educational and vocational planning, and assisting with college enrollment forms. Many don’t know where to get started and this program is aimed at helping those who have little background on how college works.

“We’re stuck in our own perspectives,” Conway says. “College opens us up to the bigger perspective.”

The facility has a computer lab for students and the facility’s location in Kerby can also help locals save time and money on gas by not having to drive all the way to Grants Pass.

She says she has to work within the financial limitations of what she calls “budgetary famine” to provide the best service possible. She loves her students, saying that helping people is her “soul food” and it is a “delight” for her to make a difference in people’s lives and to get paid to do it.

After Conway’s mother died in 1999, she decided to start a scholarship in her mother’s name to help people pay for the cost of the GED testing fee. Created in 2000, the scholarship was created to honor her mother in a “lasting way.” To date, it has assisted 165 people, from all RCC campuses, in paying for the ever-rising testing fee.

Started with only $495, the scholarship now has over $9,000 and twelve scholarships were awarded during the last academic year.

Creating the scholarship has also helped Conway realize her own dream of becoming a philanthropist.

“I thought you had to be rich to be a philanthropist but I realized you don’t,” she says laughin. “You just have to organize people in the right way.”

The scholarship is replenished largely by RCC staff members who elect to donate to it through payroll deduction. In addition, some staff members make donations in lieu of birthdays or other gifts.

Currently Conway is in the process of turning the scholarship into an endowment and to award scholarships with money earned from the interest. Right now she says she’s, “…working hard and crunching numbers”  and hopes to create the endowment on September 6 of this year, her mother’s birthday.

In addition to all her other awards, Conway has also received the Associated Students of RCC Emeritus Award in 1997. She says that at that point she and former dean of students, Tenison Haley, were the only two people to have received the award.

On the plaque inscription, her name reads, Gray “Pinto Woman” Conway. She says the nickname was given to her because she used to drive a brown Pinto station wagon.

“That car saved my life,” she says. She says she was in a severe accident and the steel front-end of the Pinto saved her. “I walked away but the Pinto went to heaven.”

Conway was a woman who needed to help herself. Perhaps that is one reason she is so adept at helping others.

“Life has become less about me and more about the generations to come,” she says.

Josh Howell-Davis is a student in J225-Introduction to Journalism.

Pretzel Maker has recently opened up on Central Ave next to RCC. They have a wide variety of pretzels including plain, salted, garlic, cinnamon and pretzels dogs along with wide range of extras and drinks. Prices are a little steep but all RCC students receive a buy one get one free deal on Tuesdays or ten % off every day, with a their student ID. The establishment is very clean and workers use gloves. Floors are constantly swept and mopped, the counters showed no hint of dust and even the “hot plates” were devoid of any remnants of past food. The atmosphere is great; it’s warm and cozy, or nice and cool on the rare hot days. Unlike many other small restaurants in the valley, the lobby is comfortable and not too crowded.

I really enjoyed the pretzel dog and cinnamon pretzel bites; they were cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of flavoring. The employees were very nice, helpful and gave me their opinions on what I should try because I had no idea what to choose.

Jeffrey Bales, who is studying emergency medical technology, eats there every Tuesday and Thursday and enjoys it very much. Bales said he feels like the amount of food you get with the price you pay is better than all the other restaurants and eateries within walking distance of RCC. He also loves the atmosphere and the employees.

Alayna Moore didn’t have such a good experience. She said her pretzel was hard and way too salty and her soda tasted watered down. She also thought the quality and quantity of the food was not worth the prices at all. However, she did like the atmosphere and employees; she said it would be a great place to study.

Former RCC student, Torin Moore, has had his tattoos affect his financial well-being. He has had over three jobs denied him because of his tattoos on his arms, legs and neck.

“I have 15 years of experience in Foresting and I still won’t be hired just because of my tattoos,” Torin Moore said,“I can’t even live in my own home because I can’t get a job over something so mundane.”

Cindy Parrish, currently enrolled at RCC for a business degree, has been fired because of her most recent tattoo. She went to work one day and was fired on the spot because of her tattoo.

“I just got a beautiful tattoo on my forearm, when I showed up to work they fired me,” said Parrish. “I almost lost my apartment because of this, luckily I was able to find another job that only cared about my ability to perform the job, not my appearance.”

Tattoos don’t always affect one’s ability to get or keep a job. But it can be emotionally damaging to deal with the bias. Brett Moore has dealt with a lot of cruelty because of his tattoo. He has actually been called a Satanist because of his ankle tattoo of a pentagram. The rudeness towards him has been extremely blunt, not just a dirty look or an act of distrust but remarks to his face.

“At work one day, a little boy was talking to me about the toys and his mom grabbed him forcefully and told him ‘we don’t talk to filth’,” Brett Moore said. He usually just brushes it off but sometimes it can be really hurtful.

Psychology Instructor at RCC, Manny Pacheco did his very first tattoo at the age of 13. He has dealt with stereotypes much of his life. He has been looked at with distaste and distrust; he has even had mothers act protective of their children when he comes near.

“I’ve had people come up to me and ask me for drugs,” Pacheco said.

In line one day at a store a woman in front of him and the cashier were talking about how it was National Teachers Day. Jumping in he told them he was a teacher. One of the women stated disbelief while the other told him he did not look like a teacher.  Then Pacheco proceeded to ask them what a teacher looked like.

“I remind myself that I’m a good person,” said Pacheco about dealing with discrimination, “and if people don’t want to take the time to know me, than it’s their loss.”

David tells the story of an eleven-year-old Arab boy named Daud, who lives in a Muslim community in Brooklyn with his family—and where his father is the Imam at the local mosque. One day, Daud is spending time in a park when he realizes a group of boys leave a book behind on a bench. In trying to return the book, Daud is mistaken as a Jewish student in an Orthodox school. This leads him to take on the fake identity of David. As David, Daud comes to learn new things from the school and becomes close to a group of students. Among the students is a boy named Yoav, who Daud builds a strong friendship with while exploring some new aspects of his youth.

David builds on the familiar “youth story” territory found in many American films by exploring aspects of the Jewish and Muslim communities (I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen many films that study the youth in both of these types of communities in America). Interweaving the varied community ideas helps to give depth to the inner-conflict of Daud, as the character himself does not speak his mind very often. Instead, the viewer often sees Daud calmly maintaining his relationships with members of each community, and sometimes dealing with struggles brought on by teenagers of other cultural backgrounds as well. Such mixings of cultural thoughts and the reactions by the youth involved really enrich David as a whole.

Writer-producer-director Joel Fendelman (who I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing) does a fine job of balancing such themes of culture and youthful outreach, while simultaneously exploring friendship and family matters that mix into the two. Though many of his characters don’t have a long enough time to fully shine (the film only runs about 80 minutes), most of them are believable and engaging (this is especially true of Daud and his father).

Also, Fendelman’s dialogue never feels fake or “Hollywood-ish,” giving more authenticity to the relationships he explores. The music (with beautiful mixtures of piano and string instruments) and cinematography are also effective in aiding in the display of Fendelman’s story, but never once overpower it – allowing the film to really feel human throughout.

Though Fendelman’s crafting is sure-handed and impressive, David really belongs to newcomer Muatasem Mishal, who plays the title character. Mishal gives a quietly powerful, nuanced performance that rings true every step of the way. His adolescent aspects in his character (reserved and subtle) are perfectly paired alongside that of Yoav’s, with Yoav being the type of pre-teen that runs on adventure and energy. Binyomin Shtaynberger, as Yoav, also gives a convincing performance, as he goes beyond the character’s obnoxious surface and really lets one see into him by the end of the film. Each character is given weight by the presence of the other, with Mishal and Shtaynberger sharing perfect chemistry whenever on the screen together. The rest of the supporting cast is suitable as well, with an especially appealing Maz Jobrani as Daud’s resolute father.

David does have some questionable moments here and there (such as how the school never realizes Daud isn’t actually a student on the roster), and it could have gone on a little longer in order to let some of its supporting characters deliver a bit more. That said, the film is still genuine and entertaining as a whole. Mr. Fendelman looks to be a promising filmmaker, as David sets him off on a great start.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars.

*More articles by Daniel Rester are available for reading on Welivefilm.com.

The event provided many different types of visual entertainments, from documentaries to narrative features to shorts – drawing in a variety of film fans.

The AIFF is important for tourism and business draws for the region. “It brings over 7,000 people to Ashland each April,” says Anne Pierotti, executive director of the festival. “The AIFF is a regional festival, serving the needs of our community. Our programming is diverse, and our goal is to bring the best films on the independent circuit to Ashland and to celebrate them through intimate screenings.”

Aside from providing a mix of independent films, Pierotti explained that the festival also offers “Locals Only” screenings, student filmmaker competitions, and TALKbacks.

The TALKbacks are free panels in which filmmakers talk about their craft. This year provided three of them, due to the aid from the National Endowment of the Arts.

According to Pierotti, there was a narrative filmmaker panel that discussed the process of translating personal stories to film, a documentary panel that looked at the latest techniques in that genre, and a second documentary panel that examined activism and how filmmakers are continuing their work ‘after the credits roll.’

This year also provided a few programs that previous years did not offer. One was called GiveFILM, which partnered with local agencies like ACCESS and Kids Unlimited in order to get tickets into the hands of some Rogue Valley residents–that otherwise would not have been able to attend the festival.

Among the new sessions was “The Science of Animation,” which explored the world of animation in film. It was partnered through the Science Works Hands-On Museum and presented by LAIKA, the Portland-based animation studio behind the film Coraline.

According to Pierotti, the festival and all of its varied activities would not be possible without the help of volunteers, as they are the “heartbeat of the festival.” About 350 people volunteer each year. One of the 350 this year was Carolyn Moeglein, who started in February. Moeglein says that preparing for the festival was “organized and focused, but came with a lot of energy.” She was happy to be a part of such a friendly and supportive group, and finds the festival to be important because it “shows people films they may not have been able to see” and sees that “different films bring out diverse groups of people.”

Among the films on the festival circuit is David, which was written and directed by Joel Fendelman and follows the story of an Arab boy in New York City. Fendelman has taken David to many film festivals in cities throughout the world–including Montreal, Rome, London, and Warsaw. As for the AIFF in particular, Fendelman says, “the audiences are very engaging” and that the festival gives off a “friendly energy.” The director also shows interest in returning to the AIFF one day with another film, as he says the festival is (in a one-word summary) “home.”

Another director that attended the AIFF was Julie Taymor, who was honored with the festival’s Artistic Achievement Award (one of the major honors at the festival). Taymor is known for films such as Titus, Across the Universe, and The Tempest. One of the events at the festival had Taymor do an on-stage discussion with Bill Rauch, the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Rauch praised Taymor for her “vivid artfulness” and for being an inspiration to people like himself for years. Taymor herself was proud to be at the AIFF in order to share her experiences as an imaginative and acclaimed director. Applauds from the audience rang out when she stated that it is important for artists to stay close to their work, and that they “have to love their art and stay true to it.”

Taymor’s words seemed to echo in every aspect of the festival, as viewers and filmmakers came together and watched and talked about films for five days. The AIFF is a place for common viewers, volunteers like Moeglein, independent film directors like Fendelman, and major film directors like Taymor; it’s a place for anyone who loves film. Pierotti described the festival with one word: inspirational.

“I will not let anybodytake rights from anyone inthis room,” said Lopez to theapproximately 60 attendees.Lopez is the ExecutiveDirector of CAUSA Oregon,the largest Latino human rights organization in the Northwest. The organization has been involved at the state level by fighting against anti-immigrant bills and in reaction has introduced pro-immigrant bills, aiming to make it easier for future Latino immigrants and their families.Belonging to a family that originally emigrated from El Salvador, Lopez revealed that as Latino immigrants, “We are binational, we have one foot here and one foot there.”

As a community organizer with 33 years experience inthe U.S. and Latin America, he said that really the essence of being a community organizer is being a relationship builder.Lopez believes that “it needs to come from the people, it needs to be their story.” Although he believes that everyone should have the same rights, he told the people it is their responsibility to make sure they have those rights.

Along side educating the attendants on CAUSA Oregonand Latino immigrants’ rights,the forum also touched on voter education, volunteerism, community engagement, civic action and more. Individuals from Kids Unlimited, Occupy Medford, OSA, Revista Caminos, Maslow Project,Lotus Rising Project and RCC and SOU Student Clubs spoke on behalf of their organizations educating on what their missions are and also persuading the public to get involved in the community.

The mission is that,“CAUSA works to defend and advance immigrant rights by coordinating with local, state, and national coalitions and allies.”The organization, based inSalem, also works to train 200-300 leaders per year to be involved in their communities and to motivate and educate individuals on civic engagement, specifically in the area Latino immigrant rights. Much like at this specific forum the organization attempts to reach communities of color, low-income residents and LGBTQ and their allies.

Polly Greist, a short animated woman with brown hair showing signs of greying, stands in the front of the class behind a table. She sports a purple shirt under a frazzled grey jacket. The table in front of her is strewn with stacks of multicolored folders, papers, an overstuffed red bag and a bottle of water.  Peering through purple-rimmed glasses, she scans her audience and walks to the computer.

Barely visible from behind the computer she uploads a video from You Tube. The room echoes with cackles as the man on the screen seemingly tries to argue with a stubborn goat that has too much to say. Her point becomes clear as the conversation becomes a garbled mess of snorts and spitting mixed with Spanish. First day classroom tensions melt as the video ends.

“What does this video show us?” she asks.

A few awkward moments pass before a dark haired young woman in the front row answers-communication.

“Exactly, this is a metaphor for communication,” Greist replies. “I start my classes different every term and never know how I will start until the last minute. As a teacher I only have seconds to catch my audience’s attention.”

Passing out unsharpened yellow number two pencils with pink erasers on the ends, Greist shares a story about guest speaking and passing out pencils at her sons’ third grade class years earlier. She explained that it was during the peak of the Harry Potter craze.

“I told them Harry Potter has a wand and this is your wand,” she said, “I gave you an unsharpened one so that you will have to sharpen it.”

Greist is a writing instructor who has taught at Rogue Community College for six years. Teaching writing 121 and 122, she describes her job as teaching students to think.  She says she is hardwired for language and chooses to follow what comes easy. But Greist wasn’t originally driven toward teaching.

“I was pretty sure I didn’t want to teach,” said Greist, whose studies concentrated on comparative literature, Latin, Greek and German. “Graduate school was my first experience in teaching.  It was an exciting time and I found I loved it. I still remember the names of every student in my first class. I am as excited today as I was the first day.”

The making of inspiration

Greist explains her passion started with “to die for” writing teachers in high school. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and later attended University of California-Berkeley during the late 1960s and early 1970s. She describes this era of our nation’s history as pivotal, with the escalation of the Vietnam War and American distaste for the war Berkeley was an epicenter for protest that often ended in violence.

At this time, life of a student at U.C.-Berkeley was much different than can be imagined nowadays. Many dealt with friends and family members being drafted, never to return, or returned scarred and forever changed.

At one point as a graduate student teaching assistant and riots in full erupting outside, Greist explains it became impossible  to teach when a tear gas canister came crashing through the window. She grabbed her students and led them to the basement level as the canister spewed its noxious content throughout the room. Her students terrified and complaining about their stomachs and eyes, Greist tried to ease their pains in a bathroom then led them to safety out a rear exit.

On another occasion, when American disgust for the war resounded throughout the nation, the faculty senate at Berkeley decided to turn the university into an anti-war machine. One of her professors gave an inspiring speech about how it was their moral obligation to try to put an end to the war. A man known for being shy, kind, and handicapped by a stutter stood in front of the class and spoke boldly and without a stuttering. Then he proceeded to take his class to the streets of Oakland and educate the public armed only with their wits and passion. The impression of that mentor and role model resonates in the everyday actions of Greist.

Road Trip

On a remote highway near Rachel,

Nevada, population 15, a short little green alien stood under a sign reading Extraterrestrial Highway. For decades, rumors of aliens and secret government projects have been whispered throughout the area surrounding Area 51 but this day is different. The creature makes its way to a lonely roadside bar with a sign reading “All creatures welcome, even human…”.Slowly pushing the door open a clatter of applause filled the room and as patrons asked for pictures.

Greist describes this moment as a true highlight of her life. She had packed an old Halloween costume on a trip with her family to white water raft down the Grand Canyon. As they made their way through Nevada near Area 51- embarrassing her kids a bonus – she slipped into the costume, pretended to hitchhike, and stopped by that bar.

Greist explains that she may have become an astronomer or cosmologist if her brain was geared more toward for science. She has spent many hours reading books by Sagan, Hawking, and Dawkins, which has helped inspire her beliefs in intelligent life in our universe.

“When I was a little girl, my father used to sit outside in the summer with me on a starry, starry nights talking about the universe,” said Greist, “the wonder of it, the mystery of it and how there are so many wonderful things yet to be discovered about the cosmos.”

Touching lives

Verne Underwood, humanities department chair, describes Polly as collegial, friendly, and informed. He boasted how she seamlessly stepped in mid-term, took over a writing 121 class, and heard nothing but praise from students on her ability to teach.

“She has more common sense as a teacher and understanding student’s sense of responsibility,” said Underwood. “Polly is gem.”

Jennie Englund, a writing instructor at RCC, praises Polly’s selflessness by talking about how she will give her treats or (a teachers dream) a working dry erase marker.

“The writing program at RCC is exceptional and Polly is essential,” said Englund. “I admire how she connects and taps into student’s personal experience. She is a true Jedi master and makes you want to be a better person.”

Her biggest impacts are seen in students she has awaken with her brilliance and compassion. Jeff Hagerty is one of those students.  At the age of 51 he met Polly in her scholarship writing class and has since taken her for WR-121 and WR-122.

“Polly was the first teacher who ever believed in me,” said Hagerty.  “Her teaching style connected with me in a way that other writing instructors have not. She is not interested in her own accomplishments and does not tell you how to write. With Polly, the importance is always finding your voice.”

Heather Olchawa, a single parent working full-time started taking classes at RCC as a nervous student in the winter term of 2011.

”I was instantly in awe of how this little humorous lady was packed with such amazing amounts of positive energy,” said Olchawa. “I followed her into as many classes as I could, to learn from her. I have witnessed her go above and beyond to really understand the students and help them find their own creative voice.

Greist says the pinnacle of her career is here and now. She has taught at many colleges and universities in California and here and hands down RCC is the place where she feels most at home, where she truly hit her stride.

“I have found my audience, so to speak,” said Greist. “There is just something about the student body mix that truly speaks to me. Everyone has an interesting understory; I am impressed with how engaged and dedicated to their goals RCC students are. Smart, sassy, fun and funny all of them. I feel I have never had so much fun teaching and so thoroughly rewarded as right here, right now.”

This is the type of problem that the Rainbow Club is here to help with. According to club president, Trudy Nordheim, a similar scenario happened recently between two members of the club and another student.

The goal is to find a place where you are accepted for whom or what you are. The Rainbow Club is here to support and help the lives of lesbian, gay,bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allies (LGBTQ&A).

“It’s to give people a place to feel they have support and to help others to understand who and what we are and that we are just like everyone else,” said Nordheim.

According to Nordheim, Rogue Community College had a rainbow club approximately 4 years ago and it lasted until the founding members graduated from RCC. During her first term, Nordheim decided she wanted to restart a club focused on acceptance and it has now grown to approximately 30members.

James McSorley said the club attracted him because he believes everyone should be treated as equal.

The club’s mission statement states that ,”The Rainbow Club-RCC, Riverside, seeks to foster a campus free of prejudice, bigotry, harassment,and violence by providing a space for all members of RCC communities to exploreand increase their understanding of aspects related to sexual orientation,gender identity and expression in an open and nonjudgmental environment.”

The club meets on the first and third Friday of every monthin HEC-119 at 2:30pm. If you are interested in the club you can attend a meeting or contact Nordheim via email or phone at firefightertrudy@gmail.com or 541.787.169.

All skill levels are welcome to join Ballroom Dance Club. The club meets every Tuesday from 7-9pm in C101 and is open to anyone who is interested. You can come alone or bring a friend. According to several members it is a great place to meet new people. There is no fee.

The evening starts with an hour lesson and is followed by an hour of open dance.

“I’m pleasantly surprised and I’m really starting to like it,” said ballroom student and club member, Jacob Jones.

Lessons are taught by Derrik Coghill and his dancing partner, Maria Tyurina. Both Coghill and Tyurina having been dancing for several years and will be teaching multiple styles of dance.

“I want to get people that want to dance, to dance,” said Coghill.

Katie Jones, president, started dancing last term, in Graeme Clark’s Ballroom Dancing.

“I fell in love with dancing in Graeme’s class and it was my way of wanting to learn new things and dance more than the two times a week we do in class,” Jones said.

According to Clark Rogue Community College is considering adding other dance classes based on student interest.

Teresa McCarty and Blayne Milburn will receive a scholarship worth $1,000 to use at any Oregon public university. Also, along with other chosen members from around the state, they will attend a reception in Salem with Governor John Kitzhaber, and Peter Angstadt.

McCarty worked as director of health, wellness, and diversity for RCC’s associated student government at Redwood Campus, while still maintaining a 3.7 GPA.

“I selected RCC because everyone I talked with said RCC is fantastic and has great teachers,” McCarty said in the release. “I feel like all my teachers here at RCC really care. They listen to what you need and are willing to work with you. I love being around these instructors.”

Milburn according to the release is a business management major and vice president of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society Somehow he still finds time to be a disabilities volunteer with Three Rivers School District and keep a 3.6 GPA.

“The smaller class sizes at Rogue are awesome,” said Milburn in the release. “RCC is one of the best community colleges in Oregon.”