Meet The PSU Future Connect Team

My name is Marina Barcelo and I’ve worked at PSU since the fall of 2015, where I served as the School of Social Work’s Student Inclusion Coordinator and a member of the Practicum Education Team. In these roles, I primarily supported first-generation and BIPOC students on their journeys at PSU. I love working with students, and am excited to connect with Future Connect Scholars at PSU!

A little bit about me: I hold a MSW and MA in Women’s & Gender Studies from Loyola University Chicago. I am a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and a Certified Childbirth Educator. I love kombucha, reality t.v., weightlifting, and The Lord of the Rings. 

My name is Laurie (She/Her). I was a Future Connect student at Portland Community College (PCC) Southeast with coach Flamur Vehapi. I started my college journey in 2021 when the campuses were still shut down.  Figuring out what I wanted to study was tough, so I took lots of exploratory classes at PCC. After a few creative business classes, I fell in love with studying marketing. I took an extra year at Mount Hood Community College (MHCC) to get my prerequisites completed, and now I am here at PSU finishing up my junior year!

The Future Connect program at PSU was incredibly beneficial for me as a student. It allowed for a smooth transition, introduced me to important campus resources, and even helped me find friends to attend campus events with. Now, I'm eager to become a peer mentor myself and am looking forward to meeting you and hearing your story!

A little bit about me: I love horses, and I am an equestrian. I have a certificate in accounting. When I am not studying, I like to go thrift shopping and complete puzzles with my mom. I have a Siamese cat named Mishka (Little Cub in Russian). When I graduate with my marketing degree, I want to start my own marketing company that empowers the small businesses around Portland!

My name is Alice Yvonne Evans (she/they), and I was a Future Connect student at PCC Sylvania with coaches Annette d’Autemont and Lisa Lam! I started my college journey in 2019, however when the lockdown happened, I moved away from home, did some self exploration and took a gap year from school. I found a love for nature during this time, which kick started my journey back into college through an opportunity to study abroad in a scholarship and mentorship program called Carpe Mundi. I traveled all around Ecuador for two months, which solidified my love for nature and has inspired me to study Environmental Studies at PSU and ITECK (Indigenous Traditional Ecological Cultural Knowledge). My love for travel has continued to grow, and I have also traveled to Japan to study Community and Public Health. I hope to move abroad or out of state once I am done with my studies! 

A little bit about me: I will have earned my Associate of Science degree by this summer. You can find me dancing and singing at shows in the Portland area almost every month! I grew up on the Oregon Coast, so during my free time, I’ll be by the sea picking up pretty agates and shells  (along with some trash). I am passionate about restoration, revitalization and all things sustainability! I am looking forward to meeting Future Connect students and working together soon!