When looking back on his college years, Shawn Hempel sees a community that changed the trajectory of his life.
Not because of one defining moment, but because of dozens of people—teachers, mentors, friends—who saw something in him and nudged him toward opportunities he might never have taken on his own.
A Push in the Right Direction
In high school, Shawn thought about becoming a computer repair technician. That changed the day his high school programming teacher pulled him aside and said, “No, you’re capable of more than that.” She encouraged him to look at Oregon Tech and consider computer engineering.
That conversation led him to attend Oregon Tech, where he planned to double‑major in hardware and software engineering, eventually discovering that software was where he felt most at home. But academics were only one part of what shaped his experience.
Finding His People
Before Shawn even set foot on campus, a member of Phi Delta Theta called him over the summer to welcome him and make sure he knew at least one friendly face on day one. That simple gesture became the start of a lifelong network.
By the end of his first term, Shawn had a community—fraternity brothers, classmates, and a friend from high school who became his roommate.
Stepping Into Leadership
In the spring of his freshman year, Shawn ran for a position in ASOIT. By sophomore year, he was serving in student government. By junior year, he was vice president. By senior year, he was president.
And along the way, he learned a lesson that stuck with him: being a team player matters, but sometimes you have to be willing to stand out.
That mindset led him to apply for a student seat on the Oregon State Board of Higher Education—a role that brought him into boardrooms with executives and university leaders across the state. It also led to regular one‑on‑one meetings with Oregon Tech President Martha Anne Dow and Dean of Students Dr. Sheldon Nord, both of whom became important mentors.
“I have been very fortunate in my life to have a lot of people who invested in me and cared about me,” Shawn said. “They were willing to give me advice and encouragement.”
A Career Built on Confidence and Curiosity
Shawn’s leadership experiences gave him something invaluable: confidence. The kind that says, I don’t know everything yet, but I’ll figure it out.
That mindset carried him into his first job at Louisiana Pacific, where he worked in IT and software development. It helped him push for newer technologies, take on ambitious projects, and eventually transition into more modern software engineering roles.
Over the years, Shawn moved through several companies, each step bringing him closer to the kind of work he truly wanted to do, building meaningful, mission‑driven software.
That path eventually led him to a California startup, and later to co‑founding Writable, an education technology company focused on helping teachers save time and supporting students who struggle with writing and literacy.
Writable was acquired by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), but Shawn and his team negotiated something rare: the ability to stay together as a 25‑person unit within the larger company. Today, they operate as HMH Labs, still supporting the product they built and the educators they serve.
“It takes a special team,” Shawn said. “I’m so proud of the engineering team we built.”
A Life Shaped by Oregon Tech
Oregon Tech didn’t just give Shawn a degree. It gave him mentors who believed in him, leadership roles that stretched him, and a community that shaped his character.
It also gave him something even more important: his wife, Crystal.
They met as freshmen—he in engineering, she in the OHSU nursing program hosted at Oregon Tech. They became friends, then partners, and eventually married just months after her graduation. Shawn even spoke at her commencement ceremony, despite not having graduated yet.
Giving Back and Paying It Forward
Today, Shawn and Crystal remain deeply committed to supporting education. They fund scholarships, stay connected to Oregon Tech, and believe strongly in the value of small, hands‑on polytechnic universities.
“We had such great experiences,” Shawn said. “We want to invest in that for others.”
Advice for Students
Shawn’s message to current Oregon Tech students:
Stick with it. There’s going to be hard times, challenges, and classes you don’t like. Seek help and take advantage of the support.
Don’t be afraid to stand out. Standing out is risky, but if you’re not willing to take the risk, then you can’t get the reward.
Say yes to the unexpected. None of the defining moments in Shawn’s life were part of a plan. They came from being open, curious, and willing to try.
“None of this was on my vision board,” he said. “But saying yes changed everything.”