Building a community of connections

When Gabe Dawson ’24 was a senior at North Eugene High School, he didn’t know where to start in his college search process. The options seemed endless.

“I considered many campuses mostly large and some medium-sized, but I was very mindful of cost. For this reason, I didn’t initially consider private colleges. However, I was encouraged to reach out to admissions to see what scholarships would be available. In the end, I was shocked at how affordable Linfield was.”

A campus visit further changed Gabe’s priorities. Initially, he was interested in the international relations major because of his passion for languages and government, so he scheduled a meeting with Professor Pat Cottrell, chair of the Department of Political Science and international relations specialist. He also attended one of professor Cottrell’s classes.

“I had never considered the value of small class sizes. The class was almost fully discussion-based, and it was clear that the professor knew everyone’s name.”

Linfield became his top choice, and he went on to study international relations before pivoting his junior year to political science.

Finding his home

When Gabe arrived on the McMinnville campus in the fall of 2020, amidst a global pandemic, nothing was normal. COVID-19 testing, wearing masks and enhanced safety protocols made getting involved more difficult, but not impossible.

Gabe jumped into a range of activities: competing for the men's swim team, holding a work-study position with the Department of Political Science and serving as a resident advisor.

“I absolutely loved Residence Life,” Gabe said. “Building a community, getting to know people and supporting everyone to be their best selves– I think that's what makes residential campuses special.”

Gabe continued as an RA for three years, while also working closely with residential students who sought to contribute to their residential communities through the Residence Hall Association.

Coincidentally, he found that his experience in residence life directly translated to benefit his career goals.

“I know that I would like to serve my community. That’s what I enjoyed most about being an RA, working on political campaigns and the work I’m doing now with MV Advancements to support individuals who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

In the future, Gabe hopes to enter law enforcement to continue supporting his community.

Recurring themes

The small-college atmosphere allowed Gabe to forge personal bonds with his professors including Journalism and Media Studies faculty member, Dr. Kevin Curry, who helped him make connections with people involved in government affairs, public relations and local politics.

“During my sophomore and junior years, with the help of my network, I had the opportunity to work as an intern for an Oregon gubernatorial campaign. I learned a lot about community organizations and state government from that experience," Gabe said. “Every job I have been hired for has been the direct result of a professional or personal connection. Being able to build those connections at Linfield has been invaluable.”

Linfield laid the groundwork for Gabe to thrive in the professional world through mentorship, classroom experiences and, most importantly, connections. For Gabe, the next step is to apply everything he has taken away from Linfield to better serve the community around him.

“What really counts is the hands-on experience you got outside of the classroom,” he said.