{"id":25941,"date":"2025-12-19T12:24:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T20:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/?p=25941"},"modified":"2025-12-19T13:01:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T21:01:01","slug":"scholarship-recipient-spotlight-camile-orego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/scholarship-recipient-spotlight-camile-orego\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship Recipient Spotlight: Camile Orego"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>*Article first posted on the<a href=\"https:\/\/foundation.wsu.edu\/2025\/11\/15\/scholarship-recipient-spotlight-camille-orego\/\"> WSU Foundation official website<\/a>, in November, 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>By&nbsp;Keith Powell, WSU Foundation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading  wsu-heading--style-marked\">Camile&#8217;s Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A software engineering major from Silver Creek, NY, Camille Orego has made a lasting impact on WSU Everett through leadership, advocacy, and community building. As president of the Society of Women Engineers, she\u2019s organized high-impact events like Evening with Industry and soldering workshops, while also co-leading Girls Explore STEM to inspire future innovators. Her scholarships\u2014the Launching Futures and AAUW SnoKing\u2014have given her the gift of time, allowing her to reduce work hours, improve academically, and expand her outreach. A first-generation college student and woman in STEM, she\u2019s built strong campus connections and fostered inclusive spaces for others to thrive. Whether advocating in Olympia, mentoring peers, or forging industry partnerships, she leads with empathy and purpose. Her journey is a testament to the power of support, and she\u2019s determined to carry the Cougar spirit forward\u2014lifting others as she climbs and making the crimson and gray proud every step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading  wsu-heading--style-marked\">Talking Cougs, Community, and Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-accordion\">\r\n    <h3 id=\"unique-id-1__23933\" class=\"wsu-accordion__title\">\r\n        <button class=\"wsu-accordion__title-button wsu-accordion--toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"unique-id-1__content\">What scholarship(s) did you receive, and what does receiving this support mean to you personally?<\/button>\r\n    <\/h3>\r\n    <div id=\"unique-id-1__content\" class=\"wsu-accordion__content\" aria-labelledby=\"unique-id-1__23933\">\r\n        <div class=\"wsu-accordion__content-inner\">\r\n            \n\n<p>For the 2025\u20132026 academic year, I received the Launching Futures Scholarship and the AAUW SnoKing Scholarship. These scholarships have significantly eased my financial burden, giving me the personal freedom to focus on what matters most to me: my academics and community. With this support, I\u2019ve been able to reduce my hours at my restaurant job and dedicate more time to my studies, planning Girls Explore STEM workshops, building community on campus, and helping more women attend the Society of Women Engineers National Conference. My grades have improved, my stress has gone down, and honestly, I can\u2019t help but take on more projects now that I have the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For me, receiving this support is deeply personal because my sense of purpose comes from contributing to others. These scholarships don\u2019t just lift one student, they help me lift others, and that\u2019s what makes them so meaningful.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wsu-accordion\">\r\n    <h3 id=\"unique-id-1__26832\" class=\"wsu-accordion__title\">\r\n        <button class=\"wsu-accordion__title-button wsu-accordion--toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"unique-id-1__content\">What campus organizations. community service, or leadership roles have you been involved in or hop to be involved in?<\/button>\r\n    <\/h3>\r\n    <div id=\"unique-id-1__content\" class=\"wsu-accordion__content\" aria-labelledby=\"unique-id-1__26832\">\r\n        <div class=\"wsu-accordion__content-inner\">\r\n            \n\n<p>I\u2019ve served as President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) since arriving on campus. Through SWE, I organize multiple annual events, including two soldering workshops with over 50 participants each, a Halloween event, and our main event: Evening with Industry\u2014a large-scale networking event that connects over 100 students with professionals and potential employers. I also lead fundraising efforts for the event through CougStarter and coordinate industry partnerships and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond SWE, I co-lead the software workshop for Girls Explore STEM, which this year will focus on agentic AI, a topic I\u2019m excited to introduce to younger students to inspire their interest in software and emerging technology. I also make sure SWE is represented during the event, and many parents approach me with questions ranging from being a woman in engineering to our programs to how SWE supports K\u201312 students. I\u2019m also an active member of MESA, where I\u2019ve represented students by speaking with professionals and legislators about how MESA impacts our campus. Last year, I even traveled to Olympia to advocate for the program and hope to do so again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to my technical and outreach efforts, I focus heavily on community building. I organize campus events that ensure women in STEM feel represented and supported. One of my proudest achievements was building a relationship with Helion after meeting their representative at the SWE National Conference, which has since grown into a long-term partnership benefiting both our campus and the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also try to be an approachable advocate for students. I make myself available for panels, class visits, and casual conversations, and students often come to me for r\u00e9sum\u00e9 feedback, course planning advice, or general guidance. I love being that person others can rely on, someone who helps make the path a little clearer for those coming after me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, I organize industry tours, handling outreach, scheduling, transportation, and logistics. This year, I\u2019ve built a supportive team to help with these efforts, allowing me to focus more on strategy and partnership growth.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wsu-accordion\">\r\n    <h3 id=\"unique-id-1__84219\" class=\"wsu-accordion__title\">\r\n        <button class=\"wsu-accordion__title-button wsu-accordion--toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"unique-id-1__content\">Can you share a moment at WSU that made you feel especially proud to be a Coug?<\/button>\r\n    <\/h3>\r\n    <div id=\"unique-id-1__content\" class=\"wsu-accordion__content\" aria-labelledby=\"unique-id-1__84219\">\r\n        <div class=\"wsu-accordion__content-inner\">\r\n            \n\n<p>I wish I could pick one moment, but there isn\u2019t just one. Here at the Everett campus, it\u2019s all about community, and I know that word gets used a lot, but I truly mean it. I love walking on campus and saying hi to everyone, faculty, staff, students, IT leads, and advisors, because I know them all by name. I know my student body government, the other club officers, and the faculty and staff who are genuinely present and involved.<br>You might find that same sense of connection within a single department at a larger university, but here, it extends across the entire campus. It\u2019s cross-disciplinary and deeply intersectional; our campus brings together students from all backgrounds, ages, and life experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m 37 years old, a woman in STEM, and a first-generation college student, yet I\u2019ve never felt out of place here. There are many older students, many first-gen students, and while there aren\u2019t as many women in STEM, that\u2019s made our bonds even stronger. We celebrate each other\u2019s successes, support each other through challenges, and genuinely want to see everyone cross the finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not about competition here, it\u2019s about community. I can\u2019t point to a single moment that made me proud to be a Coug, because there have been too many. They\u2019ve all built on one another to create what makes this campus, and WSU, truly special.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wsu-accordion\">\r\n    <h3 id=\"unique-id-1__39302\" class=\"wsu-accordion__title\">\r\n        <button class=\"wsu-accordion__title-button wsu-accordion--toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"unique-id-1__content\">How do you hope to give back-either to your community, your field, or future Cougs-after graduation? <\/button>\r\n    <\/h3>\r\n    <div id=\"unique-id-1__content\" class=\"wsu-accordion__content\" aria-labelledby=\"unique-id-1__39302\">\r\n        <div class=\"wsu-accordion__content-inner\">\r\n            \n\n<p>I don\u2019t think I have it in me to keep my head down and just get a job done. I\u2019ll always strive to make the crimson and gray proud by being true to who I am: a leader, an advocate, and someone who perseveres. I hope to continue embodying empathetic leadership by understanding that people are complex, with different experiences, strengths, and needs. I want to help others feel supported and ensure they have access to opportunities that let them thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also hope to be in a position where I can stay connected to WSU, whether that\u2019s as an industry professional, a donor, or by building partnerships that create networking and career opportunities for future students.<br>I know I\u2019ll sometimes fall short, but I\u2019ll always keep moving forward with grit, compassion, and determination.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wsu-accordion\">\r\n    <h3 id=\"unique-id-1__82161\" class=\"wsu-accordion__title\">\r\n        <button class=\"wsu-accordion__title-button wsu-accordion--toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"unique-id-1__content\">What are goals after graduation, and how is WSU helping you prepare for them?<\/button>\r\n    <\/h3>\r\n    <div id=\"unique-id-1__content\" class=\"wsu-accordion__content\" aria-labelledby=\"unique-id-1__82161\">\r\n        <div class=\"wsu-accordion__content-inner\">\r\n            \n\n<p>It\u2019s hard to say exactly what my goals are after graduation because I don\u2019t yet know where I\u2019ll end up, but I can say that WSU has done an incredible job supporting me as I figure that out. No matter where I go, my goal is to use my strengths to create the best opportunities for myself and for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve been told many times that the path you end up on might not be the one you expect, and as a woman in STEM, that path is often non-linear. But WSU has prepared me to approach those opportunities with clarity and confidence. I\u2019ve had countless chances to connect with professionals in my field, from networking events and career fairs to faculty introductions and industry partnerships. Faculty and staff have gone out of their way to help me, even something as simple as asking to see my r\u00e9sum\u00e9&nbsp;without my offering it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it\u2019s through a SWE conference, a professional connection, or a classmate-turned-colleague, I know that wherever I land after graduation, WSU will have played a key role in getting me there.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wsu-accordion\">\r\n    <h3 id=\"unique-id-1__99904\" class=\"wsu-accordion__title\">\r\n        <button class=\"wsu-accordion__title-button wsu-accordion--toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"unique-id-1__content\">What would you like the donor(s) who made your scholarship possible to know about you and your journey?<\/button>\r\n    <\/h3>\r\n    <div id=\"unique-id-1__content\" class=\"wsu-accordion__content\" aria-labelledby=\"unique-id-1__99904\">\r\n        <div class=\"wsu-accordion__content-inner\">\r\n            \n\n<p>I would want them to know that they\u2019ve given a student something far more valuable than money. As I mentioned above, they\u2019ve given me a precious resource that engineering students rarely have: time. With this time, I\u2019ve been able to give back to my community, strengthen my leadership skills, discover new passions, and grow beyond what I thought was possible, even as a 37-year-old adult who thought she already knew who she was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of this support, I\u2019ve been able to look for internships, plan new campus and SWE events, and devote more energy to building community. The financial assistance you\u2019ve given one student has also supported countless others, from the women who can now attend the SWE conference because I had time to write proposals and advocate, to the students who benefit from the events I now have time to organize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ve also given me the ability to focus more deeply on my studies. I\u2019m doing better this semester than I have in a long time. I can finally attend full-time, feel less financial stress, and even take a weekend off work to earn an A on an assignment instead of settling for a B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your support hasn\u2019t just changed my experience. It\u2019s shaped the experiences of so many others. For that, I am endlessly grateful.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wsu-accordion\">\r\n    <h3 id=\"unique-id-1__62238\" class=\"wsu-accordion__title\">\r\n        <button class=\"wsu-accordion__title-button wsu-accordion--toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"unique-id-1__content\">Finish this sentence: &#8220;You know you&#8217;re a Coug when&#8230;&#8221;<\/button>\r\n    <\/h3>\r\n    <div id=\"unique-id-1__content\" class=\"wsu-accordion__content\" aria-labelledby=\"unique-id-1__62238\">\r\n        <div class=\"wsu-accordion__content-inner\">\r\n            \n\n<p>We recently had a visit from several industry professionals at SAP Concur, all proud Cougs, and it was the first time I truly saw what people mean when they say,&nbsp;<em>\u201c<\/em>Cougs take care of Cougs<em>.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;Being on the Everett campus sometimes feels a little removed from Pullman\u2019s school spirit, but that day I really felt the pride and connection that comes with being part of this community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the visitors mentioned how \u201cGo Cougs!\u201d is something you say to strangers, no matter where you are, and it\u2019s true. I\u2019ve had strangers stop me and my friends on the light rail to SeaTac for a trip to Pullman just to say it. There\u2019s something incredibly special about that kind of shared connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over my last two years here, I\u2019ve found myself loving that spirit more and more. Maybe that\u2019s how you know you\u2019re a Coug: when you not only see and feel the connection, but when you know you want to carry it with you long after your days on campus are done.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*Article first posted on the WSU Foundation official website, in November, 2025. By\u00a0Keith Powell, WSU Foundation. From the classroom to the lab and beyond, these Cougs turned curiosity into hands-on research that not only advanced their academic journey but also contributed to their respective fields.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41976,"featured_media":25962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wsuwp_accessibility_report":null},"categories":[],"tags":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25941"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25941"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25961,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25941\/revisions\/25961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25941"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=25941"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagewp.everett.wsu.edu\/everett-wds3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=25941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}