“Worthwhile Change Takes Time” – Tau Bate, Single Mother of Three Shares in her 2022 Commencement Address

There is no denying that obtaining a degree can be a long and arduous journey regardless of one’s situation in life. With engineering curriculum being one of the most difficult to succeed in, it can be especially challenging if you are a nontraditional student with a family to support and responsibilities outside of maintaining your GPA, attending lectures, studying, and participating in extracurricular activities.

Pamela R. Jackson, OR D ’22, with her three boys in tow, left Kentucky in 2017 in pursuit of an engineering education at the Oregon Institute of Technology where she became a full-time student in concurrent undergraduate and graduate programs in hopes to save the world from the climate crisis.

A busy single mother, Jackson was closely involved with the Oregon Tech community. serving as an officer of the student government body, peer consultant, graduate assistant, library assistant, and member of the Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy Industry Council. In 2019, she achieved the honor of being initiated into the Oregon Delta chapter of Tau Beta Pi where she held officer positions.

Throughout her six years at Oregon Tech, Pam was dedicated to helping people, tutoring students, and making a positive impact on campus. After returning to campus following the COVID-19 pandemic, she relaunched the school’s Society of Women Engineers, saying, “I think it is a really important club to have on campus. We were able to participate in outreach events for future students and younger students to promote STEM, particularly for women.”

This year, she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor and master of science in renewable energy engineering and was asked to address her graduating class during commencement. Pam also holds a bachelor of science in discrete math/operations research and a master of business administration in information technology management. After graduation, she aims to work in a national energy lab near Portland and research energy solutions.

“When something is important and we are determined, each of us has the ability to see it through,” Jackson said during her speech, “so now is the time for us to go out and find the best way we can personally improve the world.”

To read the full article on Jackson and more of her commencement speech, visit: https://pamplinmedia.com/wsp/134-news/549289-439505-single-mother-of-three-headlines-oregon-tech-class-of-2022