At the Winter DJ Meeting, I asked the DJs to write a testimonial in regards to their experiences at KEOL. It was completely voluntary. Several have now turned those testimonials and blog posts. This week’s posts have definitely taken a turn, to talking about individuals’ journeys with KEOL, and how KEOL has shaped their lives. I might as well jump on that band wagon. I was going to do this at some point in the blog and now seems like as good of a time as any.

I originally got involved with KEOL when several of my friends were working for the station, and were DJs. I would go in when they were doing shows, and I would start cataloging the CD collection while they did their shows. It was a good time. There were lots of laughs and tons of good music. Those times inspired me to take the class and become a DJ myself.

Through my friendships with several of the DJs, I also got involved with the newly revived KEOL Club. Not long after I joined, I became secretary of the club. This got me involved with planning the KEOL DJ Reunion, to coincide with KEOL Fest. I spent hours and hours digging through KEOL’s history, looking at old schedules; doing anything I could to find as many former DJs as possible. This caused me to spend endless hours in the station; I eventually became best friends with the Station Manager of the time, Rocky Gothard.

Rocky and I would spend hours in the station planning for KEOL Fest, teaching FM Broadcasting to the summer institute, and every night with us at his house, sitting out front bar-be-queuing and drinking beers. That didn’t change the last night of KEOL Fest, granted we were at the bars and not his front yard, but we were out socializing and having a great time. Little did I know, that night, someone I barely remembered meeting would become a huge part of my life.

KEOL Fest didn’t only bring me and Rocky closer together. I also became best friends with Ikaika (Sticky Icky) during this time. Some of my best memories from that summer are of Ikaika and I driving around the valley, or going on Wal-Mart runs. We, along with some other people, were the adventurers to Seattle. We went for HempFest, to see Sum People, as well as attending Bumbershoot.

This picture pretty much sums up my relationship with Ikaika

The other person I came out of that summer with was Papa Lory. He saved me when it came to the reunion. He was also the voice of reason a lot of the times, he still is. We have had lots of adventures since then: traveling to Boise to see Cramebroolay’s debut show, ONPAs in Albany, and Current Swell at the Doug Fir in Portland. Papa Lory and I talk daily; I would even go as far to say that he is my mentor, but he is even more than that, he is my best friend.

One of my best friends is also a DJ, even though she has been removed for a while. She understands my love and frustration of the station. Chantell knows me, we go on adventures, make cupcakes, and have wine nights. I can’t quite put my finger on the moment when we actually became friends. I do remember Yoshida telling me in the Spring of 2013 that, “Panda will go if you go.” However, I do know that Chantell and I would not have been friends if it was not for KEOL.

Chantell (right), Tiffany (another friend; center), Myself (right), with Rocky photo-bombing on Halloween 2014

Since becoming friends with Rocky, he was able to convince me to take an archaeology class from Rory Becker. That one class changed my whole perspective of what I want to do with my life. Instead of going and becoming a zookeeper, or working in environmental conservation, I started down the path of pursuing archaeology.
For the 2013-2014 academic year, I was not involved with KEOL, at least until Spring term. It was during that time Papa Lory and I would rant about the station, and be participants from afar. As KEOL struggled, my heart would break a little at a time. I would help where I felt comfortable, and stepped in to keep the station running spring term.

It was also Spring term that I started talking to the person mentioned above, that I met the night of KEOL Fest, again. He has become one part of my life that I wouldn’t trade. Through my connections with him, and with Chantell, I have found a phenomenal friend group, one that is a part of the La Grande community, and not just attached to the university. I found people that do not plan on leaving La Grande in the next few months. I found people that would make La Grande tolerable.

All of this is because of one thing: KEOL. KEOL has influenced my life to the extent where I do not know where I would be if it were not for KEOL.

Thank you, KEOL.