A Bilingual Learning Exchange With Alder Elementary

On a chilly afternoon in November, seven Lewis & Clark students traveled across the Willamette River to Alder Elementary School in Southeast Portland, where eager third-graders were waiting to meet them. Over the course of the visit, each student participated in three presentations: two in English and one in Spanish.

The students, all of whom were enrolled in SPAN 301H: Spanish for Heritage Speakers, were there to share what college life is like at Lewis & Clark—from academics and campus culture to social life and athletics. The visit grew out of a partnership with Greater Than, a local nonprofit that works to remove educational barriers for underrepresented and marginalized students in the Portland area. It strives to provide robust support services and improve college readiness.

Fall 2026 SPAN 301H class
Back row, from left: Danzel Mercado BA ’29, Mia McGauley BA ’28, Cristal Martinez BA ’29, Diego Gomez-Hernandez BA ’29, William Emery BA ’29, Vanesa Arozamena Rodriguez. Front row, from left: Maggie Musty, Valeria Arevalo BA ’29, Sofía Nava Ulacio BA ’29.Lewis & Clark and Greater Than first collaborated in 2022, and for the past three fall semesters, students in SPAN 301H have made the trip to Alder, which offers a dual language Spanish-English program in grades K-5. The partnership is facilitated by L&C’s Center for Social Change and Community Involvement, which offers a range of programs for students to affect change at both the local and global level.

“What I always highlight to students in Spanish for Heritage Speakers is that this experience is mutually beneficial,” says Vanesa Arozamena Rodriguez, assistant professor of Spanish with term and the instructor of SPAN 301H. “My students, many of whom want to be teachers, get to practice their speaking skills, and the third-graders discover that attending a higher education institution is within reach.”

SPAN 301H is designed for students who grew up speaking Spanish but have had little formal training in the language. The course is writing intensive, Arozamena Rodriguez explains, and includes reading classic literature, short stories, novels, and cultural dispatches in Spanish. For L&C students, presenting to the third-graders in English is a notable departure in a course that’s otherwise conducted almost entirely in Spanish.

“It is important for us as heritage speakers, and as members of the Hispanic and Latino communities, to pour ourselves into the youth of our communities, just as people poured themselves into us to get us to this point in our lives,” says Mia McGauley BA ’28, who visited Alder in 2025. “For education to prosper—especially for children who come from groups of people who have been denied opportunities—they need to know they have support not only from their family and friends, but also from strangers who are rooting for them.”

The presentations, complete with pictures and an interactive bingo game, provided a window into what it means to be a college student. “The students were so excited to hear about the international opportunities we have on campus, both in terms of the number of international students we have and the overseas study programs we offer,” says Maggie Musty, director of the Center for Social Change and Community Involvement. “It was fascinating to them that education can open this door to the rest of the world.”

The Alder students perked up at some popular details of campus life—what’s served at The Bon, and the plants and animals that can be found on campus. “Last fall, the river otter had just been selected as the new mascot. The third-graders loved that,” Arozamena Rodriguez recalls.

“The collaboration with Lewis & Clark aligns closely with Greater Than’s mission of expanding students’ vision for their future,” says Blanca Jimenez, program coordinator at Greater Than. “These experiences help Alder students see what college could be like and introduces them to the idea of continuing their education beyond high school. Many students leave the campus visit inspired and excited about the possibility of one day attending Lewis & Clark themselves.”

In April, the partnership came full circle when the Alder third-graders visited Lewis & Clark’s campus. Students in Arozamena Rodriguez’s SPAN 321 course, Intro to Literary Studies II, volunteered as tour guides, creating another opportunity for mentorship and leadership among the college cohort—and another real-life glimpse at higher education for the children.

“It’s one thing for elementary-age students to hear about Lewis & Clark, and another to actually experience it for themselves,” says Musty. “Having the Alder students come here allows them to envision college life—to see what it means to take classes, live in a dorm, and eat in a dining hall. It gives them a more holistic view of what the college experience can be.”

Center for Social Change and Community Involvement Hispanic Studies