The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help St Mary’s Catholic Church
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St Mary’s Catholic Church was established in 1885 by Father Louis Metayer. Our first building was an old school house. St Mary’s Academy was built and opened just a year later. In 1906, under Fr. Arthur Lane, the parish set up a hospital, which they ran for 16 months until they turned it over to the Sisters of Mercy. Read more>>
Sarah Woods
Twenty years ago, ECO’s co-founder, Bethany Thomas, and I were working as environmental educators with another organization, visiting classrooms to teach short science lessons a few times a year. Students were excited, curious, and engaged, but there was never enough time to really dive in. Read more>>
JOY Ashley Sara Harris Gomez Tyler
The PNW Collective began organically. Ashley and Joy started out as solo practitioners who found themselves working alongside each other and naturally building a collaborative rhythm. Over time, Sara joined the space, bringing her own healing approach and energy. Together, we realized we shared a common vision: creating a supportive healing space where multiple practitioners could work both independently and collectively while serving our community. Read more>>
Naily Cervantes
I started my journey in high school when I took a cosmetology class, and that’s where I fell in love with making people feel good about themselves. After graduating, I went to beauty school to pursue my dream of becoming a hairstylist. Read more>>
Dave Beck
Well it started as a dream. I was a journeyman electrician. My dad was retired from the mill. I installed a lift for personal use at my house. Shortly after, We had some friends ask us if we would work on their stuff. We have always loved building and fixing cars. Read more>>
Ronda Partsafas
I purchased Imani Institute of Cosmetology because I saw a gap in the industry — and a change I wanted to make and help talented people who wanted a real career in beauty, but needed training that was hands-on, affordable, and truly connected to what the profession requires. From the beginning, my goal was to build more than a school. Read more>>
Ashok Willmott
In April 2024, I received a phone call that would start the next chapter of a unplanned story. ‘We are delighted to tell you that we are assigning you to be the pastor of the Storyline Seventh-day Adventist church’. Read more>>
Heidi Grant-Starr
I was an interior designer for 25+ years, owned my own business, and as life shifted and the years passed, I got more interested in health and wellness. Over time, I have connected the dots and seen the parallels between interior design for people’s homes and their internal ‘interior ‘design. Read more>>
Laura Hardy
I grew up in the city of Chicago and moved to Amherst, MA for undergrad. I double majored in pre-vet and animal sciences and rowed as a lightweight rower on their Division 1 team! After graduation I moved to Tucson to do an internship at the zoo. I met my husband and we decided to go to grad school together (he’s a human dentist!). Read more>>
Merrilyn E Jovin
The Tropiceel–Naturulz Story Our story began in the early 2000s, but in many ways, the foundation was laid long before that. As an entrepreneur and the sole owner of Tropiceel Products Inc.–Naturulz, my journey has always been rooted in health and wellness. Read more>>
Jamie Ferren
I didn’t get here overnight, this has been built over nearly two decades of hard work, consistency, and learning as I went. I’ve been in this industry for almost 19 years, and from the beginning, I’ve always had a strong work ethic and a drive to create something bigger for myself. Read more>>
Meghan Hanes
I’ve been a social worker for over eight years, supporting individuals through mental health challenges and major life transitions. I was drawn to this field after my own experiences with mental health and navigating unhealthy coping, which shaped the way I approach my work today—with compassion, curiosity, and a trauma-informed lens. Read more>>
Tristan Cooley
We opened in December 2019 by buying an existing brewery. The timing wasn’t great as we were shutdown a mere 3 months later due to the pandemic. Multiple shutdowns and changing attitudes about eating out have proven to be huge hurdles for us from the beginning. Read more>>
Allison Thompson
Cheeky started as a feeling more than a business. I wanted to make art that felt fun again. Not overly polished or trying too hard. Just playful, a little bold, and very me. I kept coming back to the idea of turning everyday things into something cheeky, literally. Giving fruit and snacks personality and a butt. Read more>>
Kennedy Bodiford 1966 Bar & Grill, Tokatee Golf Club
I stepped into the Head Pro role in 2022, and not long after, in 2023, a group of us—Myself and Logan Bodiford (husband), along with Austin and Kara Willhite—took a leap and purchased the restaurant. None of us had owned a restaurant before, so it came with plenty of learning curves, long days, and figuring things out as we went. Read more>>
Stephani Whitney
My partner and I purchased The Chocolate Company in September 2022 and learned from the previous owners how to do absolutely everything. Everything in those early days was fun and also difficult but so incredibly worth it. Read more>>
Lance Leonnig
I moved to town in 2017 and used to sit along the Riverwalk marveling at the old building….. that was back when it had seen better days. Then one day a for sale sign went up and I would think who’s going to save it? Read more>>
Danielle Lewis
I’ve always had a passion for cooking, and I’ve spent the last 15+ years working in the culinary and hospitality industry, learning and growing along the way. I went through the culinary program at Lane Community College and then worked at places like King Estate Winery and Marché, which really helped shape how I cook and think about food. Read more>>
Michelle Houdek
I started my Pilates journey in 2023, just by taking a class. About one year later I lost my job in marketing and ultimately decided I didn’t want to go back to the office. So, I started researching how to become a Pilates instructor, found a reputable online course, local mentorship and never looked back. Read more>>
Kelly Gambino
I started working as a receptionist at a spa in high school and after seeing how all the Estheticians made their clients feel beautiful, relaxed, and special I knew that’s what I wanted to do when I graduated. I got pregnant at 19 and during my pregnancy I worked at night and went to Esthetic school during the day. Read more>>
Czarina Boyce
I was born and raised in the Philippines and then moved to Hong Kong when I was 23 got married and moved here in Portland ti be closer ti the grandparents if my two beautiful chikdren. Read more>>
Julieta Arredondo, MSN, FNP-C
My healthcare career began while I was playing Division I soccer at Oregon State University. As an athlete, I developed a deep interest in preventative medicine and the science of keeping the body strong and healthy well into later adulthood. I earned my undergraduate degree in Health Management and Policy while completing my nursing prerequisites. Read more>>
Suzanne Clark Cambray
Like many people in Portland, my path into real estate wasn’t a straight line. It evolved over time through a combination of personal moves, professional experiences, and a growing interest in how people transition from one chapter of life to the next. Read more>>
Eryn Ross
How did I get to where I am today…that’s a loaded question. I’m going to do this in bullet form. I moved from Vancouver Canada at 28ish to Sherwood Oregon with my husband (his job) and daughter. I had my own bookkeeping business there. I was on multiple visas and couldn’t work for the 1st 7 years. Interesting based on current events. Read more>>
Patricia Irma Vera González
When I move to Madras in 2023, I start looking for what Madras needed, and found out to main that were in my scope of work. ADSS and another out patient treatment for drugs use. I applied for ADSS, after 6 months I did have the connection I needed to move forward and change direction, started and submitted my application for COA licenses. Read more>>
Skylar Schlunz
I started SRC in 2020, but my path into the industry began much earlier. While I was in high school and college, I worked for a family friend in Portland, Oregon. What started as a seasonal job to help pay for school quickly turned into something I genuinely enjoyed, and eventually, a passion. Read more>>
Brittani Casto
I feel like photography has always been part of who I am. I was always the friend taking the photos, even before I knew anything about cameras. As a kid, I was out in the country taking pictures of everything—bugs, rocks, the river, animals, trees… literally anything I could find. Read more>>
JAXON SHAFFER
My path into this work as an MFT, or gender and relationship therapist, as I like to refer to myself, is deeply personal. I grew up in San Diego as a queer person, and from a young age, I was struck by how much more struggle I seemed to see in the queer community especially around mental health, substance use, identity, and belonging. Read more>>
Destree Thompson
For more than twenty years, my work has lived at the intersection of healing, human resilience, and the quiet but powerful process of transformation. I began my professional journey in human services, working directly with children and adolescents who experienced intellectual and developmental disabilities. This may be the beginning where I was drawn to the deeper layers of people’s stories—particularly those shaped by early trauma. Read more>>
Erin Frazier-Maskiell
I have been a licensed therapist since 2006 and relocated to Eugene from Nashville in 2015 and was really excited to build something new. My husband and I agreed that he would take a step back from his own career to stay at home with our three young daughters at that time so I could focus on creating my caseload. Read more>>
Jake/Silqet Martin/Ra
Jake- I started in kitchens at 16 washing dishes. I loved the action and hustle and noise of the professional kitchen so I really never left. I relocated from Northern California (Arcata) to Seattle and really got into cooking at a higher end level. Read more>>
Tiana Boruff
I’ve been a hairstylist for 16 years and a mother of two, and for most of my career I followed the traditional path in the beauty industry. About five years ago, everything changed when I became very sick and was essentially bedridden for months. That experience forced me to slow down and really look at what was impacting my health. Read more>>
Abigail Lewis
Creating Golden Rule ReEntry was a lifetime calling for me. Everything I felt drawn to do and every skillset I’d gathered in my life found expression in Golden Rule ReEntry. We are a trauma informed organization that assists the formerly incarcerated by engaging the community. We foster connection through kinship, networking, classes & services with a focus on personal & professional growth. Read more>>
Andrea Bartell
Andrea Bartell: Our story starts with empathy cemented in stubborn grit. I had worked with youth in various capacities starting in my mid-20s. This work inspired me to go back to school to pursue deeper knowledge and skills of how I could make a career within this field. Read more>>
Doris C. Woods
I started my career in real estate because I’ve always been drawn to work that allows me to serve people in a meaningful way while also helping them build something lasting for themselves and their families. For me, real estate was never just about houses. Read more>>
Sara Kelly
I struggle with agoraphobia, panic disorder, health anxiety, OCD, and I was dependent on alcohol. At my worst, I became extremely paranoid. I thought every lump on my body was cancer, and I would visit doctors and hospitals constantly for reassurance. Every visit brought a new symptom. I remember going outside at two in the morning, screaming for help. Read more>>
Jaclyn Rae
Using Allergies to Fuel Change: Jaclyn Rae’s Path From Adversity to Achievement For readers of Oregon Voyager Magazine, the story of Jaclyn Creations is ultimately a story of healing that turned into infrastructure, personal research that evolved into programs, products, and purposeful community impact. Read more>>
