Mike Steele | "Like an Oasis in the Desert"

Mike Steele’s parents were victims of the Great Depression who didn’t have the luxury of a college education.

But their son — a “bright but indifferent student” — was encouraged by a high school counselor. Steele didn’t know much about choosing a school, so he named the best he’d heard of: Notre Dame.

And that’s where he went.

“I had zero study skills,” he said. “But I was surrounded by these pre-law and pre-med people, and I saw one guy studying like mad all the time, and I said, ‘Oh, is that what I’m supposed to be doing?’”

He persisted, and he thrived, going on to earn a PhD and becoming one of the most beloved professors at Pacific University.

His parents never really did understand his career — though his mother showed her pride in her own way.

“When I got my PhD, I took a Xerox of it and sent it to her,” he said. “She hung it on the Christmas tree.”

For Steele, though, the academic atmosphere is one of constant stimulation.

“Life in college is like an oasis in the desert,” he said. “It’s the excitement of the life of the mind.”

First-Generation at Pacific | About 24 percent of Pacific University undergraduate students are “first-generation,” meaning they are the first in their families to attend college. Pacific faculty and staff are seeking out ways to better support those students through their college experience, including a recent luncheon where staff and faculty like Steele shared their own first-generation experiences. “There are people here to help you,” said College of Arts & Sciences Dean Lisa Carstens.”We already know you can do it; you’re here. We just want to make it smoother.”

Read more First-Generation News & Stories