The first thing April Sevcik thinks of when she recalls her formative experience at Southern Oregon College (SOC) is her mentor, Professor Vaughn Bornet.

Having grown up in Toutle, Washington, April spent the first part of her college career at a community college in Longview, followed by studies at Chico State and the University of Oregon. But it wasn’t until she arrived at SOC in March 1968 that she learned the value of a mentor.

“Vaughn Bornet helped me get my transcripts together and told me, ‘I’ll have you out of here in four quarters with a social science degree,’” she remembers. “He taught me the value of a mentor. He was bigger than life to me.”

“How often does that happen to you?” asks April. “What I received has meant everything to me. It’s the experience, the confidence. It’s everything.”

After graduating from SOC, April went on to become the Oregon regional manager for U.S. West (AT&T) before heading her own business for fifteen years. For the last nine years, she has been a financial advisor with Smith Barney.

April currently serves on the SOU Foundation Board. In the past, she co-chaired the Center for the Visual Arts campaign, and she helped Jim Wright raise money for the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center (HEC). April hopes more southern Oregonians can have the same formative experience she had, and she has given generously of her time and leadership to make sure SOU students do.

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