Humans of LBCC

Connor Spevacek

Connor Spevacek hopes to start a company one day using a degree in business administration, then working up the chain of an organization. But before he gets there, he plans to work on a cruise ship for a year to travel. “I’ve always wanted to [travel] but I have never known where it’s supposed to fit in.” Spevacek, like many of us, has made tough decisions that may not have worked out the way we wanted them to. If he could go back in time, Spevacek wishes he would not have, “gone to Roseburg to play baseball. I still would have tried playing somewhere else but probably not there.” He noted that Roseburg was a bad choice for him because it felt very military-esk. “Everything was regimented and we weren’t allowed to show any emotion or difference among each other.” Luckily he found himself back home in the Willamette Valley and attending Linn Benton. Spevacek shared that college has taught him that it all works out in the end, regardless of how bad or stressful things get and that everything happens for a reason.

Keller Smith

Keller Smith has set his goals high as he began his journey in the automotive program located at Linn Benton's Lebanon campus. By taking this rigorous program, Smith is now one step closer to pursuing his goal of starting up his own custom body shop for automobiles. His dream started 6 years ago when he began working on cars then shifted into a reality when the opportunity arose to work in a shop. Smith has two years of shop experience under his belt and started working for Northwest Autofab within this last year, where he has been learning auto fabrication.

Getting to work in the shop is, “something I enjoy doing," because he is learning valuable skills that will benefit him while he is studying at LB and for when he decides to open his own business. While he will learn all there is to know about fixing up automobiles, Smith wants to focus on working on body and paint.