Chemeketa: In Their Own Words

Robert A. Long

It's a long way from the stutter-start of a childhood in Oakland, CA through homelessness in Alaska to educational fulfillment at Chemeketa, but Bob Long's journey also has been his chief reward.

Bob, now 44, had been "chipping away" at his Associate of Applied Science degree at Chemeketa's Salem Campus for a number of years, but will graduate with honors with a degree in Industrial Technology and Apprenticeship this June.

Bob's life started out hard, he admitted. He dropped out of high school in the 11th grade, worked in a sporting goods store for a year or so, then made a decision to go into the U.S. Coast Guard.

Unfortunately, the beautiful theory that was his plan ran into an ugly little fact: he needed a high school diploma. So he got his General Educational Development certification, joined the Coast Guard and spend four-and-one-half years "in a service that helps," as a shipboard/commercial electrician and an accomplished rescue swimmer.

After mustering out of the Coast Guard in Alaska, he got married and had two children but couldn't find steady work. He says he and his family spent part of those times in a homeless shelter, he and his pregnant wife and two sons in a small, shared home.

Through moves and different jobs, he began understanding that education is a great catalyst for change.

"I used to hate school," he admits now, looking back on his more rebellious youth. "But now I absolutely love it." Chemeketa, he says enthusiastically, has been a transforming experience.

"I really love coming to school every day, meeting the amazing variety of people here, all the different age groups."

As an example, in one class he says he is sandwiched between a 17-year-old who just got out of high school and is at Chemeketa working on a transfer degree and a retired woman who is at Chemeketa taking lifelong learning classes.

"Chemeketa," he said, "has a lot to offer, lots of different avenues to go down."

He works full time as a Security Specialist with the U.S. Department of Justice, is looking to expand his condominium to better suit the needs of his family, and is also looking forward to continuing his education at an Oregon university.

But with all that to occupy his time, and graduation around the corner, until those next steps are taken, Bob says he will continue to fulfill his desire for education at Chemeketa:

"I love the air," he says, "just walking onto this campus."

Updated October 2006 by the College Advancement Department.