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Appearances
Thu, 09/28/2023 - 10:23 — kirstau
Hey there!
I'm Kirsta (pronounced Curse-tuh), the current Executive Assistant for Dean Molleda with SOJC. It's been a long journey, but I love being a part of the University of Oregon and working in higher education!
I have worked as an Executive Assistant for over eight years now. Along my journey, I have gained much knowledge and experience with project management, policy analyst work, events planning, and more. My journey started with working for the State of Oregon in 2014 with the Department of Human Services. I worked with DHS for two and half years in different roles before moving over to Oregon Health Authority, where I started my work as an Executive Assistant in IT project management.
After 2020, I worked remotely for a year and decided I needed a change and to be around people again. I left my role with my IT project management team after five years and decided to go into health care, where, during the time, people were needed the most. I got a role at the Salem Hospital working in Care Management, a team that helps patients get resources and support to get better so they can return to the public, healed and healthy. After six months in this role, I was asked to support and help build a new department at the Hospital. Within another six months, I helped build the Anesthesia department at Salem Hospital.
I have lived in Salem, Oregon, most of my life and was in a place in my life where I wanted to move. I am a single mom to a teenage daughter and wanted something more for us. I didn't want to go too far away from home as Salem is where our support system and loved ones are. I had always been a University of Oregon fan, being born and raised here. I found a role as an Executive Assistant with the Office of the Provost and thought it would be worth a shot. I don't have a college degree, and I am the first person in my family to graduate high school, but I believe in shooting for the stars. I landed the role and supported two amazing people, Karen Ford and Troy Elias.
I commuted to and from Salem for six months while working in the Provost office. I spent that six months learning more about the university and the other schools and colleges on campus. I desired to be more involved with student life on campus and found interest in the School of Journalism and Communication. Through making connections and building relationships on campus, I decided to make the transition. I feel fantastic about how I felt at home with SOJC and couldn't be happier with my decision!
Beyond my professional commitments, I'm passionate about Diversity, Equity, and inclusion. I have been working on educating myself and learning more about how I can make a difference and keep this in the forefront, especially in higher education.
Another passion of mine is sports; this is where my love for U of O started. I played sports my entire life, softball being my longest played for 14 years. When my daughter was old enough, I had her in competitive cheer, softball, basketball, flag football, and volleyball. I love watching sports, but basketball and football bring me the most joy.
In my leisure time, I am a pretty simple person. I am a huge Disney fan, so Disneyland is my most traveled place. I enjoy being outdoors, hanging with friends, BBQs, and all the true Oregonian things. Otherwise, you can find me at home cuddled up with my daughter, four cats named Meeko, Loki, Groot & Gus Gus (all Disney characters), and our Chinchilla Tina.