At a new event, Ovation, the college honored three individuals who have made a significant impact at OSU and in the community. College supporters, alumni, preceptors and students joined together in celebrating them and the many relationships that support the college and student success.
Among alumni guests was Marvin Yonamine from Mililani, Hawaii. Mililani is on the island of Oahu and is over 2,690 miles from Corvallis.
I was fortunate to be able to catch up with Marvin before he headed home. I chatted – or “talked story” as they would say in Hawaii – with him about his experiences at OSU and how it’s helped shaped his life.
The middle school college prep teacher received his degree in science education in 1987. At that time, the College of Education was housed in the College of Home Economics, the former name of the CPHHS.
About a decade ago, Marvin received notification that as a science education alum, he was now part of CPHHS. He’s not quite sure how or why he ended up here but he’s DAM proud and was excited to attend our recent event.
Marvin’s time at OSU shaped the rest of his life, and he couldn’t be happier to be a Beaver.
“I owe everything to OSU because it made me the successful man I am. I’m not going to take credit and say I did it by myself. OSU took me from a boy and made me into a man,” he says.
Attending the event also afforded Marvin the opportunity to visit with his two daughters, Amber and Rachel, who are both students in the College of Engineering. Being a Beaver is a family affair. Marvin’s father started the tradition when he attended OSU for his master’s degree in agricultural sciences at the age of 50.
Marvin’s first trip to Corvallis was when he was 8 years old, and it left a lifelong impression. He remembers it being very much the town it is today, only with a smaller population. He followed in his father’s footsteps when he arrived at OSU in 1982. He completed his bachelor’s degree in science education in 1986 and graduated in 1987.
His wife, Laurie, also graduated from OSU in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and their son, Evan, will continue the tradition when he arrives at OSU in the fall to start his degree in kinesiology in the CPHHS.
Marvin’s been teaching with the Hawaii Department of Education for the past 30 years. He started as a science teacher and now works as a college prep teacher at Kapolei Middle School. He loves what he does because he strives to inspire young people to think about college.
“I love to inspire kids to be better educated. The reason why is because when you have an ignorant population you have a lot of problems,” he says. “My main goal is to get people educated.” His advice to young people is simple. “Don’t give up, it will benefit you in the long run personally and financially.”
I also had to ask Marvin about his OSU gear after reading an article in The Daily Barometer. He confirmed that he does indeed own more than 130 OSU shirts, including a few new ones from this recent trip.
He wears them every day because he promised friends if the OSU football team ever ended its losing record that began in 1970, he’d do so. He made good on his promise in 2001 when OSU dominated over Notre Dame, 41-9. That was 15 years ago, and one might predict that Marvin’s going to need a larger closet in the near future!