In her Father’s Footsteps: A Daughter’s Journey to Eastern Oregon University

In her Father’s Footsteps: A Daughter’s Journey to Eastern Oregon University

When Lisa MacPherson opened her acceptance email from Eastern Oregon University, she didn’t expect to cry. Confetti fell across the screen, and for Lisa, that moment carried so much weight.

“It was the moment I realized I was finally doing something for me,” Lisa said. “I felt so much pride knowing I was going to the same school my dad once did.”

Lisa, now an online psychology student at EOU, returned to the university her father attended in the early 1970s. When the institution was known as Eastern Oregon State College. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 55.

“I regret not asking him more about his college experience,” Lisa said. “Now I’m always looking for ways to feel connected to him.”

She softens her tone and smiles with affection when talking about him.

“My dad was everything that you would hope for in a parent. He was loving, kind, patient, and funny. He loved to make us laugh. He was a really good listener… really empathetic. He was just a really good man.”

Inspired by her journey, Lisa and her partner created a video, reflecting on returning to college, the influence of her late father, and the sense of connection she has found at EOU. 

After moving to Oregon just over a year ago, Lisa found herself closer not only to her roots, but to a long-delayed goal.

“I always knew I wanted a college degree,” she said. “But the timing never seemed right. And then life happened.”

She married young, became a single parent, and focused on raising her daughter, now 20,  while building a career in mental health. For years, school felt out of reach.

“I was 21,” Lisa said. Life just took me in a different direction for a really long time. School just wasn’t something I felt like I could prioritize.”

Working alongside students pursuing their own goals, Lisa draws inspiration from the young people around her.

“I used to tell them, ‘If I could go back 20 years, I’d be doing exactly what you’re doing,’” she said. “And they would always respond, ‘Why don’t you start now?’”

When her daughter graduated from high school and Lisa relocated to Oregon, the timing seemed right, but more importantly, her perspective shifted.

“That’s when I realized you have to make those opportunities happen. You can’t just wait for them,” she said. “It’s scary, you take a breath and jump.”

Lisa enrolled in EOU’s online psychology program.

“As an online student, I really feel like part of the EOU community,” she said. “Everyone, from professors to classmates, wants you to succeed. You can feel that.”

That support became tangible early on when a faculty mentor, Felicia Kademian-Saini, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Psychology, helped direct her path.

“She reached out and said, ‘We should talk,’” Lisa said. “She helped me really focus on what I’d be good at, got me involved in research, and helped guide me toward grad school. She didn’t have to do any of that, but she chose to.”

The experience, Lisa says, changed her trajectory.

“When I decided to come back to school, I came back with a purpose, and EOU has fulfilled everything for me along the way,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m older or it’s just that good of a school, but that’s how I feel. I love EOU.”

Even while studying remotely, she describes the university as something rare.

“There’s something special here. You can feel it,” she said. “It still feels like a small, tight-knit family.”

Balancing school and life hasn’t always been easy. As her coursework intensified, so did the demands on her time.

“At first, the balance was pretty easy,” she said. “But as I got further along, it became really heavy. I had to learn where my limits were.”

With support from faculty and peers, she’s adjusted her workload and learned to give herself time.

“It’s something you have to keep finding,” she said. “Every term is different.”

Through it all, her journey has remained deeply personal.

“My dad walked these paths decades ago,” she said. “And through my own journey, I get to walk beside him.”

When asked what he might say if he could see her now, Lisa didn’t hesitate.

“I think he’d smile his proud smile and pull me in for a hug,” she said. “And he’d say, ‘You found your way.’”

Her voice cracked, recalling her late father’s belief in her. 

“He always believed in me more than I ever did… and that would be enough.”

Today, Lisa encourages others, especially those waiting for the “right time”, to reconsider.

“If you’re on the fence, you might be waiting for a while,” she said. “The truth is, it’s up to you to make it happen.”

For her, returning to school has been more than earning a degree. It’s been a way to reconnect with her past, invest in her future, and honor the person who helped shape both.

“And I know,” she said, “he’d be proud.”