Three Minutes with … Alaina Schwertfeger of Hermiston

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Who are you and what do you do?

I am Alaina Schwertfeger. I am a purchaser and operations coordinator for a cattle in vitro fertilization company. I’m also a wife and mom of three.

Where did you grow up? When did you come to Hermiston?

Well I moved around a lot as a child, but my mom grew up in Hermiston so we always seemed to find ourselves back here. I graduated high school in Troutdale, but I have been permanently in Hermiston since 2004.

What are a few of your hobbies?

I enjoy crocheting, playing games with my family, taking our dogs for walks, but my No. 1 hobby is reading. I have joined a local book club and have started keeping a reading log to find out how many books I can read this year. I have read 88 books in 2022 so far.

How do you spend your free time?

My free time is pretty occupied with my family. My husband and I have three children, ages 6, 8 and 17. We love going to story time at the local bookstore, going to the library, and the kids keep me busy with dance classes and sports with the city.

How would you describe yourself?

I think I am a friendly and approachable person. I enjoy meeting new people and making conversation. I like to find common ground with the people around me and learn more about them.

What is something that you’re passionate about?

I’m really passionate about reading, it feels a bit repetitive. But I have been an avid reader my entire life. I can’t imagine a world without books. I have been instilling a love of books and reading in all three of my children. I believe in the love of fiction, finding new friends and new worlds in a good story. I also am passionate about the the love of learning, if you don’t know something look it up, get a self help book or a how to book. You are always capable of learning new things. We have the resource to learn at our fingertips, literally.

What are a few of your proudest accomplishments?

My family is my proudest accomplishment. We work hard to always support and love each other. It can be easy and some days it can be hard work.

What do you like most about the community you live in?

I love how our community grows together. I love seeing the kids in the community growing with my kids, we have swim lessons and city sports and community events with a lot of the same kids off and on over the course of their childhood. I love that I can see someone my kids played soccer with two years ago, that is now in their swim lessons. Or a teacher an older sibling had who is now the youngest sibling’s teacher. These are things I didn’t get to experience moving around a lot in my childhood, or going to a really large high school.