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About Woody's Stars
After losing her son Woody, Charity Woodrum dreamed of honoring him by offering financial support and mentorship to students in his name. That dream has come true.
The Woody’s Stars Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation supports college students as they follow their own dreams of succeeding in STEM. Students will receive financial support and mentorship for all four years of their undergraduate degree.
This fund would not be possible without the support of Sandy Cummings (director of Space, Hope and Charity), Kathy Deggendorfer (founder of the Roundhouse Foundation), Dr. Scott Fisher, and Gina Vivona. Dr. Fisher played a vital role in Charity's life as a mentor and this legacy will continue through the Woody's Stars Fund.
If you prefer to mail a check, please specify the "Woody's Stars Fund" and mail to:
Oregon Community Foundation
1221 SW Yamhill St.
Suite 100
Portland, OR 97205
To donate online, click the link below:
About our Current Stars
Caisa
Hello, my name is Caisa. I’m from sunny Central Oregon and am currently studying Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon. Outside of my coursework, I am a member of two labs, one specializing in paleontology and the other in astronomy. Combining insights from both disciplines, I hope to one day contribute to the growing field of astrobiology, a field which seeks to answer questions regarding humanity’s place in the universe, and the future distribution of life on Earth and in the rest of the cosmos.
When I’m not studying, you can find me hiking in the Cascades with my watercolors, attempting to complete my goal of cooking a dish from every country, or at the Pine Mountain Observatory operating telescopes and rambling on about nebulas to visitors. I am proud to be one of the first Woody’s Stars and the support from the program will make a big difference in my college experience!
Mariano
Hey! I’m Mariano, I'm majoring in Physics. I also happen to be an international student from Mexico City. I am an undergraduate researcher in Professor James Brau’s research group, where we are investigating electron-positron collisions with the proposed International Linear Collider. My main goal during my time here at the University of Oregon is to narrow down my dozens of interests. I’ve heard about and seen so many interesting areas that professional researchers are working in that I want to be in all of them! My Woody’s Star award will allow me to take part in research related activities like traveling to present my work at conferences.
My time in Oregon has been wonderful so far. I’ve met a lot of very interesting folks and made plenty of friends. I treasure the time I’ve spent here and can’t wait to experience everything college has to offer!
About Woody's Mom
Dr. Charity Woodrum is is a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team. She earned her PhD as a Doctoral Candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, working under the supervision of Professor Marcia Rieke. She is also a member of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Near-IR Camera (NIRCam) science team and the JADES collaboration. She earned a B.S. in Physics at the University of Oregon, where she conducted research with Dr. Scott Fisher and Dr. Inger Jørgensen. She is still most proud of being Woody's Mom.
About the Film
Space, Hope and Charity is an award-winning independent documentary film about Charity's life as a young woman from rural Oregon whose dream of becoming an astrophysicist is nearly derailed when she suffers a devastating tragedy.
Charity was a nontraditional university student, raised in poverty, the first in her family to graduate from high school. In her mid-20s, she was married and nine months pregnant when she decided to return to school to study physics. Life felt perfect. Then, what she calls "The Worst Day." She lost her husband and 3-year-old son unexpectedly.
With help from friends old and new, Charity finds her way back to the distant galaxies where she feels most at peace.
Keep your eyes on the stars, and the stars in your eyes.
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