05/21/2021
This week’s post is a little bit different because we are commemorating the past 13 years of work that the graduate and undergraduate coordinator for EALL, Leah Foy, has done for the program. Leah has left a great impact within the program and will be retiring at the end of the term.
Leah comes from Texas and first came to Oregon in 1977. She met her late husband during that time and zipped across various states like Delaware, Florida and Mississippi throughout the years. Leah settled back in Oregon in 2007, and shortly after, was referred to a temporary undergraduate coordinator position. In 2008 Leah was promoted to both the graduate and undergraduate coordinator position and has worked the position since.
When asked about her favorite part of working at the University of Oregon, Leah said, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting a slew of people and interacting with people all over the world. Which I get to do on a regular basis and is pretty cool. I get to learn so much about culture.”
Working with all different kinds of people is the thing Leah is going to miss the most about working at the University of Oregon. The hardest part about working from home during the pandemic was not being able to work with the people in person and have that constant communication.
Being able to work with a diverse group also ties into Leah’s favorite aspect of diversity, equity and inclusion. Leah believes that by working with a diverse group of people, you can gain a variety of viewpoints. Then from those different viewpoints, you can see the differences between each viewpoint and your own and learn from it.
Leah has been a key figure in the EALL department and has helped many undergraduate and graduate students. We want to thank her for everything she has done and wish her a good retirement. Although this post was a bit sad, we are extremely happy that Leah enjoyed her time working at the EALL department.
