4 features
February 27, 2015
Where are they now? Mounds View alum is new governor of Oregon Kate Brown by Nina Bertelsen business manager
On Feb. 18, Kate Brown, a 1978 Mounds View graduate, became governor of Oregon, after former Governor John Kitzhaber was forced to resign due to numerous scandals regarding his fiancé. She became the first ever openly bisexual governor and one of only 37 female governors in the history of the United States. Over the past months, Governor Kitzhaber had come under scrutiny due to the actions of his fiancé Cylivia Haynes, who is 20 years his junior. Haynes has been accused of using her connections to the governor for influence-peddling and tax evasion. Brown addressed this in her first press conference as Governor by saying that she planned to restore the “... trust in state government,” Brown said. “Oregon has been in the national news for all the wrong reasons. That changes starting today.” Former classmates of “Katie” Brown remember her as “a student government/cheerleader type, petite, immensely popular and wore a ‘Nixon Now’ button in 1972,” according to Jack Ohman, quoted in the Star Tribune. Another classmate, Larry Sawyer, said, “I would think she would have nothing but the best intentions
stayed in the state and married Dan Little before being elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1991 and the state Senate in 1996. In 2004, she became the first female majority leader for the Democratic party in the state Senate and was elected to the Oregon Secretary of State office in the 2008 elections. During her term as secretary of state she performed rigorous audits to help balance the state’s budget and implemented online voter registration. The state of Oregon does not have a lieutenant governor, so the secretary of state was next in line for the governor post. As the highest ranking LGBTQ state official in the country, Brown has had her share of controversy. “I was pretty much outed in the Oregonian as bisexual. I didn’t know anyone else who was like me. I had no photo fair use from Willamette Week Publication role models,” Brown said. She said it was difficult to be upfront with people, Kate Brown is the first openly bisexual governor in but her honesty and forthrightness paid off. “It wasn’t any state. She graduated from MV in 1978. on my terms or my timing, but it was for the best in for the people of Oregon, I’m sure she’ll do everything the end,” she said. The move to the governor’s office wasn’t a she can to do a great job. That’s who she is.” large leap for Brown, who was widely rumored to After graduating from Mounds View High be planning on running in the next possible election. School, Brown completed her undergraduate degree She’ll get her chance to run in the 2016 election as she at The University of Colorado Boulder and got her law degree in Oregon at Lewis and Clark College. She will not serve out Kitzhaber’s full term.
Recent grads make their mark Kevin Gam
Alan Zhao and Drew Ovshak
by Jordan Counihan staff reporter
by Jordan Counihan staff reporter
After graduating in 2011, Kevin Gam began attending the University of Minnesota. He became a part of the Pi Delta Psi Fraternity Incorporated, which is a social and cultural fraternity. After joining, he worked his way up to external Vice President. “I am one of the very few undergraduates who has ever served on the national board,” said Gam. In this role, he has worked to create a scholarship for student leaders across the Midwest. “I made the scholarship on behalf of my chapter to provide the opportunity for student leaders to attend [The VIA-1] conference by submitting an essay on what they seeked to gain to use as leaders in their own cultural organizations and communities.” said Gam. Gam, a Vietnamese American was always interested in his heritage. The VIA-1, or Vietnamese Interacting as One, Conference is an annual meeting of Vietnamese people from all over America. “I had gotten involved as a volunteer after learning about it and eventually joined the organization and planning committees,” Gam said. Now he has been running the conference for four years. But that’s not all. This past summer, Gam attended the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) in Washington, D.C. This program was designed to establish a forum for engaging and training the next generation of Asian Pacific American policymakers and public leaders. Completing this has
Mounds View preps its students to be the very best. By offering many AP and Honors courses, along with a variety of hybrid and online classes, the aim is to make sure students leave ready to succeed in college. One remarkable example is the story of Alan Zhao and Drew Ovshak. Ovshak and Zhao, both 2012 graduates now attending Washington University, were approached by a doctor at the medical school and asked to help create a new device to make an old procedure easier. “[We were asked] to develop a device to help doctors perform double balloon enteroscopy, when they stick a camera down your throat into your small intestine,” said Ovshak. “We invented a device to do that.” Their website describes the device as a way to track how far the device is in the patient. The location of the device is critical to the doctor and the patient. If the issue is not solved or reoccurs, the doctor needs to know the exact location to fix it. Ovshak and Zhao’s product, the EnteroGauge, fixes these problems and makes exploring the small intestine easier for all involved. Individually, both alumni have had countless other achievements since leaving Mounds View. Ovshak has made Deans list almost every semester and has gotten a 4.0 for three consecutive semesters. He credits teachers Dan Butler, Graham Wright, and Mark Johnson for giving him the necessary tools to succeed in college. Zhao has had his fair share of accomplishments too. “I think I’m [most] proud of being president of the Chinese Students Association on
photo courtesy of Kevin Gam
made Gam more prepared to go into a career in government. Gam’s biggest inspiration at Mounds View came from now-retired orchestra teacher John Madura. “He was my favorite teacher. He was the perfect embodiment of everything a teacher should be,” said Gam. “Incredibly thorough, patient, and especially pushing us as hard as we could, even if we didn’t think we were capable.” Gam isn’t sure what he wants for the future. “Going into college, I was really certain of the career path that I wanted... But through student group involvement, volunteering, and interning, I really got to find new things I’m passionate and could see myself finding a rewarding career in. It’s really important to keep an open mind.” Currently, he is working on finishing up his degree at the University of Minnesota and working in operations and supply chain at Zurich Medical.
photo courtesy of Drew Ovshak
campus. They’ve done some really great things and we’re bringing Michelle Kwan to campus on Monday.” said Zhao. In addition, he is an RA for a dorm on campus. “I live with 75 sophomore students and serve as an academic and peer resource,” he said. “It’s been a really rewarding experience.” Currently the pair are trying to get Covidien, a medical device company recently bought by Medtronic, to invest in their company, with hopes that their company will continue to grow over the next few years.