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The New Leaders

Leading the Associated Students of ÃÛѨÊÓƵ-Portland Campus (ASLU-PC) provides some unique challenges — ensuring students in the School of Nursing feel connected to their counterparts on the larger McMinnville campus, and fostering a sense of community on a commuter campus. But newly elected President Brielle Brick ’25 and Vice President Violet Strange ’25 are up for the task.

Brielle's Journey and Vision

Brielle, who is originally from Creswell, Oregon, became involved with ASLU-PC earlier this year while serving as the May 2025 cohort senator.

“It was one of the first leadership opportunities I’ve had, and I truly enjoyed it and realized how rewarding and fun it could be to serve as a voice for my fellow students,” she said, adding that it was especially satisfying to work with Dean Paul Smith. “It was an, ‘oh wow!’-moment, feeling like I really do have control over my education. In the past, there were things that would bother me but I never felt like I got a say. In doing this, I help make everyone feel heard.”

Brielle envisions herself someday working in labor and delivery, or another element of women’s health. For now, she said, she’s excited for the opportunity to represent Portland campus students by serving on committees with university leadership.

“We’re able to go to some big meetings (on the McMinnville campus) which has been really great,” she said. “I want to continue building that, advocating for student involvement and just increasing inter-campus communication and relationships.”

Violet said she shares that goal.

“We want to give students more opportunities to join these councils,” she said. “It’s very important to be able to have our voices heard.”

Violet's Commitment to Student Involvement

Violet was not previously involved in ASLU-PC, but sat on the Student-Superintendent Board while she was at Newberg High School. She was on the McMinnville campus for her first two years at ÃÛѨÊÓƵ, and said she hopes to continue the work of outgoing President Bella Miranda-Goeller and Vice President Sarah Roberts, whom she and Brielle both commended for their work on integrating Portland Campus students into the larger ÃÛѨÊÓƵ community.

“They’ve started developing better communication pathways between the Portland and McMinnville campuses, and they’ve instituted a lot of opportunities for students to serve on councils, feel more connected and part of the team,” she said. “There’s a lot of responsibility and big shoes to fill, but it’s exciting. I was invited to answer questions from our incoming cohort at a recent orientation session and I absolutely loved it … I remember when I was in their position, how scared I was, and it feels so good to say, ‘You can do it, I believe in you, and we can support you.’”

Support from the cabinet

Brielle and Violet will be supported in their work by their cabinet, each of whom will address specific needs and initiatives for School of Nursing students.

“We’ve got a really great team in place,” Violet said. “Everyone on the cabinet is very enthusiastic about their positions, and there are lots of first-semester students, which means they’ll be around for a while and really get to grow in their leadership.”

ASLU-PC Cabinet: 
Vice President of Programming: Khaia Montes 
Secretary: Arisa Marx-Vickers 
Resource Chair: Ray Anthony 
Multicultural Engagement Chair: Brianna Phiakhamngon 
Communications Director: Madison Barrett 
May 2025 Cohort Senator: Tara Bazyari