Column: Local Grads Make the World A Better Place Episode 4; Meet Laura Miltenberger

Meet Laura Miltenberger, Wahtonka Grad of ‘77

Patty Rolen

Editor’s Note - This is the fourt in a multi-part series of columns looking at students who were educated within The Dalles School system and who have gone on to make major contributions to our community by bringing their skills and experience back home to make an impact for all of us. A huge thanks goes to Nancy Turner and Patty Rolen.

By Nancy Turner and Patty Rolen

Nancy Turner

Here’s a glimpse into the life of another successful person who was raised and educated in The Dalles. For a small community, you’d be surprised how many success stories are out there. Way too many for Patty Rolen and me to interview.

If you are one who hasn’t been contacted, don’t feel bad. At least you can read about friends you went to school with.

Laura (Noe) Miltenberger graduated from Wahtonka High School in 1977.

Her family didn’t have the financial resources to pay for college. But when she was sixteen, one of her teachers recognized her intelligence and made an effort to make sure Laura recognized it as well. This teacher’s belief in her gave Laura the confidence needed to find ways to make a college education attainable.

She attended a year at Mt. Hood Community College and then moved back with her family in The Dalles to save money to continue her education.

While living back in The Dalles, she took classes at Treaty Oak Community College, which was a satellite campus of Portland Community College. Living at home enabled her to save enough money to finish out her undergraduate education. Eventually, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1981.

A good portion of Laura’s educational career was spent in eastern Oregon, where she taught for twenty-four years before moving into educational leadership as an elementary building principal and then director of curriculum and assessment.

For the past nine years, Laura has worked remotely for the SWIFT Education Center at the University of Kansas. Having semi-retired about a year and a half ago, Laura currently does contract work for the SWIFT Education Center and Southern Oregon ESD.

In her current role, Laura works alongside dedicated, hardworking district and school personnel across Oregon in creating multi-tiered instructional practices designed to meet the needs of each and every student.

As Laura bravely put it, “Students don’t fail!” It’s the system that fails to meet the needs of students. She emphasized that it truly takes a village to create a system where every child can experience success.

After more than forty years of living in eastern Oregon and short stints in Washington and Wisconsin, Laura decided to move back to The Dalles to be close to family, friends, and an airport.

Her older sister lives here, and two of her three children are a short drive east to Pendelton. The close proximity to the Portland airport makes it convenient for traveling to see her third child and family in Massachusetts, traveling for work, and traveling for pleasure.

She was also looking for a town with little traffic, close proximity to wineries and breweries, and a place where she could enjoy the extraordinary geographic splendor that is so unique to Oregon. She also sought a place rich in diverse culture.

The Dalles checked all those boxes. It gave her comfort in knowing she was coming home. 

Laura’s career has been based on her belief that all children deserve a good education. The population of The Dalles is about 16,000. About twenty-five percent are under the age of eighteen. That means 4,000 youngsters live here. So it behooves us to give them the best care and education we can.

After all, in a few years, they are the generation who will be doing everything. The kids you see around town will one day be running the show. Even if you don’t have children, all kids deserve to be taken care of by our collective kindness.