Fall 2025 15 GARCIA: KARL MAASDAM, ’93; PINARD: COURTESY OF ZAC PINARD; ANDERSON: COURTESY OF CASEY ANDERSON; LEGARD: COURTESTY OF RACHEL LEGARD; TORRES: COURTESY OF MARCIA TORRES; PUGH: KARL MAASDAM, ’93 PERSPECTIVES JAVIER GARCIA, ’24 Software engineer, Atlassian After moving to New York City, I thought the toughest part of starting as a software engineer would be learning new programming languages, systems and tools. In reality, the bigger challenge was navigating ambiguity: balancing projects, managing time and making decisions without clear answers. College gives you structure, but sometimes the real world doesn’t. With each new responsibility and opportunity, I’ve relied on the solid foundation from Oregon State to help me learn, adapt and grow. ZAC PINARD, ’19 Research and GIS associate, Clean & Prosperous Institute I graduated in December 2019 and got a job in the state legislature for the three-month session. I supposed I would figure out my next step in March 2020. The pandemic sort of ruined that. I expected finding the first job out of college to be the biggest challenge, but really it was keeping my career on track while the world was shut down. My connection to the OSU community was instrumental in that. CASEY ANDERSON, ’14 Assortment planning manager, Nike I thought my biggest challenge would be landing a great job. Because I got involved with the OSU Design Network, I ended up getting interviews very quickly. What has been more challenging is staying energized and engaged. At OSU, I loved getting a fresh start every term and being able to try different things. But in my career, I need to fight the repetitiveness by volunteering on side projects and working in roles that are cyclical so that I still get those “begin again” moments. RACHEL LEGARD, ’19 Human capital senior consultant, Deloitte I thought my biggest challenge would be waking up early for my new nine-to-five after avoiding morning classes during my four years at Oregon State. But then COVID hit, and my commute to the office (aka my couch) got a lot shorter. The real challenge became figuring out how to navigate learning, networking and making an impact in a completely remote environment. MARCIA TORRES, ’01 Founder and principal consultant, Imagen Talent Solutions After graduation, I started at Anheuser-Busch as a brewing manager — despite not being a beer drinker! I assumed the product would be the challenge, but as a young, diverse woman leading teams old enough to be my parents or grandparents, the real test was earning trust and finding my footing in an unfamiliar environment. That experience taught me how to adapt, build credibility quickly, lead confidently outside of my comfort zone and learn from others’ experiences. DENVER PUGH, ’97 President, Pugh Seed Farm Inc. I had the security of already having a job when I graduated because I was headed back to the family farm, but I was nervous about starting over socially. It turned out that I not only maintained the friendships I’d fostered in Greek life at OSU, but also stayed in touch — and even worked on research projects — with former professors. My biggest challenges were learning how to work with family and integrating new ideas into a generational farm. DIVING INTO THE UNEXPECTED Q: “WHAT DID YOU THINK YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE WOULD BE AFTER GRADUATION, AND WHAT DID IT ACTUALLY TURN OUT TO BE?”
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