Lower Burrell woman excels in music, school

If getting to your destination is half the fun, Pamela Ogurchock of Lower Burrell is going to have a great time when she finally arrives.

The 2001 Burrell High School graduate and co-valedictorian has been running at hyper-speed since the fifth grade and shows no signs of stopping.

Yeah, Ogurchock is one of those students that made the rest of us look bad.

While some students excel academically or in extracurricular activities -- and many of us at neither -- Ogurchock does well at both. And she does both with equal enthusiasm.

"I really love science, and I also love speaking Spanish," Ogurchock said.

And in the next breath, she explains that she really loves helping and being around people, which has led to a host of extracurricular activities.

Early start

"I started getting really active in the fifth grade when I joined the Girl Scouts and started playing piano for the choir," Ogurchock said.

Her mother, Harriet, said those early activities were the harbinger of things to come.

"Pam has always been very driven," Harriett said. "She's one of those rare people that whatever she puts her mind to, she accomplishes."

As an example, Harriet said her started playing piano for the senior citizens at nearby Belair Health and Rehabilitation Center when she was in the sixth grade.

"She did it because she likes people and it brought them some enjoyment," Harriet said. "But she also kept a log of how many hours she spent doing community service, and that log was very important to her."

That drive to accomplish carried over to the classroom, where Ogurchock was a straight-A student.

But while she excelled academically, it was not until ninth grade that her interest in science found a kindred spirit in science teacher Robert Campbell.

"We just hit it off," Campbell said. "We had a lot of the same interests in science."

Campbell said he was immediately impressed when Ogurchock achieved one of the highest scores ever on a test covering topographic maps.

Campbell said he helped Ogurchock get involved with the Science Olympics, where the ninth-grader surprised even him by capturing a gold medal while competing against upper classmen.

"I knew she was good, but not that good," Campbell said.

Over the next few years, that academic excellence -- she got her only "B" in trigonometry as a sophomore -- translated into acceptance at whatever college she desired, and a slew of scholarships to pay the way.

Campbell said he was also impressed by Ogurchock's drive outside the classroom.

"Pam is a real ball of fire," Campbell said. "She's always looking for some activity to get involved in."

That drive and interest in other people included nominating Campbell for a teacher of distinction award.

"That's just the kind of person she is," Campbell said.

College life

After two years at Slippery Rock, Ogurchock shows no signs of letting up. She is already a junior because of extra classes, including foreign studies in Spain and Mexico, while continuing to have a full plate of outside interests.

She is the president of her dormitory hall, which has included a host of fund-raisers for local charities and food banks. She also serves as secretary of the school's honors program and plays in "The Rock's" percussion and wind ensemble.

Her intermediate goal has changed since entering college.

"She wanted to be a science teacher," Campbell said, "but now she might want to teach on the college level."

Ogurchock said that while she is leaning toward teaching, she also has strong interests in biological chemistry, nutrition and the health sciences, and osteopathic medicine.

Toward those ends, Ogurchock is currently majoring in biology while pursuing minors in chemistry and Spanish.

While that workload might seem onerous, Ogurchock takes it and her outside activities all in stride.

"I have been really busy at Slippery Rock," said Ogurchock. "But it has been really a lot of fun."

You see, it's all part and parcel of the trip to a yet uncertain destination.