Alumni Profiles
- Beverley Rabbitts, ”˜06, South Africa
- Boris Todorov, ”˜06, Bulgaria
- Makoto Uchiyama, ”˜04, Japan
- Anisa Goforth, ”˜04, Australia
- Cathrine Magelssen, ”˜03, Norway
- Felix Ramli, ”˜03, Indonesia
- Lenka Fedorova, ”˜02, Slovakia
- Sadna Samaranayake, ”˜01, Sri Lanka
- Klas Holmlund, ”˜01, Sweden
- Quinn Slobodian, ”˜00, Canada
- Gregorio Ribeiro da Silva, ”˜99, Brazil
- Kaori Nishizawa, ”˜99, Japan
- Roman Majtan, ”˜98, Slovakia
- Carsten Schlichting, ”˜97, Germany
- Maki Shiina, ”˜95, Japan
- Bal Joshi, ”˜95, Nepal
- Shazheb Jillani, ”˜94, Pakistan
- Michelle Glenn, ”˜90, Singapore/USA
- Sylvia Oh, ”˜86, Korea
- Tip Sukwiwat, ”˜83, Thailand
Beverley Rabbitts, ”˜06, South Africa
PhD Graduate Student in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
When asked why she chose Lewis & Clark, Beverley said, “First of all, I loved the idea of a liberal arts education and the chance to do research with professors.”
As a second-year student, Beverely was engaged in a research project with Greg Hermann, Assistant Professor of Biology. “Our research had to do with genetics and was officially titled ”˜Biogenesis of Lysosome-Related Organelles in C. elegans.’” Beverley and Professor Hermann tried to identify functions of specific genes in worms that relate to genes in human beings. “I had one-on-one meetings with Professor Hermann each week and spent between 5 and 10 hours a week in the lab. I also worked with a research team of other students. It was amazing to be doing this type of research, even as a sophomore. By my senior year, I was spent 5 to 10 hours a day in the lab! Lewis & Clark is one of the few colleges that offers such research opportunities to undergraduate students.”
Before graduating from Lewis & Clark in May of 2006, Beverley achieved a long list of academic and research accomplishments. She was selected as a Pamplin Fellow, one of the highest academic awards at Lewis & Clark and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society. Beverley also graduated with honors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Beverley is currently on a full scholarship attending the PhD program in biochemistry and molecular biology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
After serving on Lewis & Clark’s TCK Advisory Board for her junior and senior years, Beverley shared this candid observation.
“My parents were thrilled that Lewis & Clark had a TCK group, but, I thought it was a load of bull! ” Beverley admits. “It never occured to me how much I would identify with other TCKs and with international students. I really felt at home talking to people from other countries. I appreciate the fact that L&C enrolled so many TCKs and international students.”
Boris Todorov, ”˜06, Bulgaria
Graduate Student in Clinical-Health Psychology
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio, USA
Before coming to Lewis & Clark, Boris had been away from Varna for a month or two at the most. He didn’t know what to expect, especially about living on the west coast of the US. He explains, “Most of what we knew about the US was from what we saw in movies and TV—lots of wealthy, fancy people in skyscrapers and fast expensive cars”¦. It’s really a much more down-to-earth place, similar to my own country.”
Boris learned to be very active in communicating and making friends with Americans, especially students on campus. “At first everyone said ”˜How are you doing?’ but didn’t wait for me to answer. Making friends and communicating was hard, until I decided to take people by the shoulder and speak to them until they learned to listen! I always tried to have longer conversations so I could know them better. My English improved significantly too. I learned that my words could grab them instead!”
Boris spent a lot of time with his friends at L&C. Even though he studied very hard and worked part-time four days a week, he had time to work out, cook meals with friends, and attend a party now and then. “I loved to go on walks through downtown Portland. I always saw something new! Living in a big city in America was an advantage, bigger than I expected.” Boris also spent a lot of time in his position as ISLC (International Students of Lewis & Clark) representative to the student government. It was his first venture into student government but he enjoyed it and did a great job. He was re-elected to the position for a second year.
In his classes, Boris developed a strong interest in social and personality psychology, but one of his favorite psych classes was abnormal psychology. “My professor, who was a working clinical and court psychologist with lots of experience, always had lots of great stories and examples to help us understand.” Another class Boris enjoyed, much to his surprise, was economics. He says, “I expected to be bored, but Professor Cliff Bekar put his soul into that class! That’s why I became an economics minor.” Another special cause for Boris was his internship at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland. “The kids were just amazing and I loved working with them,” says Boris. The internship at Doernbecher, coupled with his summer volunteer work at St. Marina Multiprofile Hospital in Varna, Bulgaria, helped him choose his research field for graduate school.
After several offers of full scholarships to study for his PhD, Boris selected the Clinical-Health Psychology program at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He is currently studying there now.
Makoto Uchiyama, ”˜04, Japan
Medical Student
Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Missouri, USA
At Lewis & Clark, Makoto was an excellent student and an enthusiastic contributor to campus life. He majored in biochemistry and dreamed of studying medicine in the US and becoming a doctor. Makoto still speaks highly of the biochemistry program. “Classes were small enough that you could build relationships with the professors. In the lab, my peers and I formulated our questions and conducted our own research. We were able to discuss research problems with each other and the professors were there when we needed help.”
Makoto’s “claim to fame” at Lewis & Clark was that everyone knew him! With his outgoing personality, Makoto never met a stranger. He was also an extremely caring person and his concern for others was evident. Makoto was elected president of the ISLC (International Students of Lewis & Clark) and was a strong spokesperson for international student issues. He also served as country chair for the Japan group at the annual international fair. Although not Hawaiian, Makoto was part of the annual Hawaiian luau and performed dances with that group each year. Makoto was a student manager of the campus food service and he served as a tutor for students enrolled in biochemistry, Japanese language, and international affairs classes.
Makoto graduated from Lewis & Clark in May 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Like many international students, Makoto decided to spend a year doing practical training in a field related to his major. He joined Schrodinger, Inc., a biochemical/pharmaceutical software company, soon after his graduation. His duties included acquiring and analyzing data, working in the biochemistry/medical lexicon, and some computer programming.
Makoto’s dream of studying medicine has recently come true. In 2005, he was accepted to A.T. Still University - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, a medical school in Missouri, where he studies today.
Anisa Goforth, ”˜04, Australia/USA
Graduate Student in Cognitive Psychology
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Anisa was attracted to Lewis & Clark for several reasons. A major factor was the small size (less than 2000), which is comparable to many of the international schools that Anisa attended. Another factor was the academic reputation of Lewis & Clark. And, finally, the international focus of the College, with its many overseas programs and large number of international students, was a key attraction.
At Lewis & Clark, Anisa was an active member of the TCK (Third Culture Kids/Global Nomad) group from her first year. She served on the TCK Planning Committee each year and she became the TCK intern in her senior year. As TCK intern, Anisa helped organize activities that supported the 100+ TCKs enrolled at the Lewis & Clark.
Anisa majored in psychology and was a member of the Behavioral, Health and Social (BHS) Psychology lab teams with Professors Jerusha and Brian Detweiler-Bedell. Anisa studied the effects of journaling on psychological and physiological health. More specifically, she and her team studied how journaling can assist in integrating one’s self concept with a traumatic event.
Anisa participated in the women’s soccer club at Lewis & Clark. She also worked as a resident assistant and was involved in programming for her residents and the entire student body.
In the fall of her junior year, Anisa participated in Lewis & Clark’s off campus program in New York City. “It was an awesome experience,” according to Anisa. As part of her internship experience in New York, Anisa worked as a Public Diplomacy Intern at the Australian Consulate. She helped with publicity for the September 11th memorial ceremony and later helped to publicize the Broadway premier of La Boheme, which was directed by Baz Luhrmann, an Australian, best known for such works as “Strictly Ballroom” and “Moulin Rouge.”
Anisa graduated from Lewis & Clark with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She always wanted to become a college counselor at an international school overseas, a goal she accomplished when she taught for two years at Northbridge International School in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Anisa left that position on 2006 to begin the PhD program in Cognitive Psychology at Michigan State University. She continues her studies there today.
Cathrine Magelssen, ”˜03, Norway
Anthropologist
Norwegian Directorate of Immigration
Early in her career at Lewis & Clark, Cathrine was interested in pursuing a degree in international affairs (IA). Her interest in IA grew naturally from her experiences as a professional human rights activist in Croatia. For five years before coming to Portland, Cathrine worked for B.a.B.e., a women’s human rights group in Zagreb, Croatia.
Cathrine was older than her peers in the incoming Lewis & Clark class, but her experiences in Croatia provided her many advantages. She was highly motivated, comfortable in the “activist traditions” of the College, and very open to new ideas.
While at Lewis & Clark Cathrine volunteered at IRCO (International Refugee Center of Oregon) and assisted with an arts program and as well as a sewing circle for new immigrants. Cathrine served on the Board of the International Affairs Symposium, worked as a Russian language tutor for two years and as a teaching assistant for the Russian department for a year and a half. She also volunteered to help new Russian immigrants at Reynolds High School adjust to the US. She did this and more while working long hours at the L&C bookstore.
While doing research for a paper that she was writing, Cathrine spoke with a member of the Sociology/Anthropology department about the topic. The conversation and the willingness of the faculty member to share her insights made an impression on Cathrine. She became more involved with the Sociology/Anthropology department faculty and felt drawn to the students. She decided then to change her major to Sociology/Anthropology.
Of her preparation for graduate school, Cathrine states, “I am currently an MA student and I feel that the L&C experience equipped me with a sound theoretical background to face the challenges of grad school. The rigorous academic program and the willingness of students at L&C to speak up and present their opinions prepared me for the different and diverse views that others have to offer. My experiences in the L&C classroom helped me to refine my own thoughts and to express them clearly.”
Cathrine completed a Master’s degree in Social-Cultural Anthropolgy from the University of Toronto in 2004, where she received a fully-funded fellowship. She is now back in Oslo working for the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration.
Felix Ramli, ”˜03, Indonesia
Master’s Degree Candidate
Real-Time Interactive Simulation
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Felix arrived in Portland in the summer of 1999, eager to pursue his study of English. He was a hard-working student and he completed two semesters of ESL before entering the undergraduate program inthe spring of 2000.
Felix had a solid background in mathematics and he was very interested in computer science. Naturally, a major in mathematics/computer science was of interest to Felix. At the end of his junior year, Felix was selected by Professor Jens Mache, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, to work as a summer research intern. Together, Felix and Professor Mache, explored what is termed the “freenet,” file sharing and peer-to-peer transfer of data.
When asked about what he liked about Lewis & Clark, Felix stated, “I loved meeting people from diverse backgrounds and I actually enjoyed studying subjects outside of my major.” According to Felix, “I learned more about my home country of Indonesia from Professor Roger Paget’s class than I did living there all of my life. A lot of information in Indonesia was censored and Professor Paget’s class awakend me to that fact.”
Felix graduated from Lewis & Clark with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics/computer science in May of 2003. Within two months he received an offer from Xerox Corporation. He began work in their quality assurance engineering department where he tested and corrected printer software before release.
Felix’s year of optional practical training expired in the summer of 2004. He left Xerox Corporation to enter DigiPen Institute of Technology and hopes to earn a master’s degree in real-time interactive simulation. Afterwards, Felix would like to get a job in real-time simulation and gaming.
Lenka Fedorova, ”˜02, Slovakia
Graduate Student
Geschwister-Scholl-Institut for Political Science
Ludwig-Maximilians University
Munich, Germany
Lenka arrived at Lewis & Clark in the fall of 1998. She was determined to take advantage of every opportunity and to make the most of her four years at L&C. She was an exceptional student, making the Dean’s list each semester that she was enrolled. She assisted Professor Erika Berroth of the German Department with a Mellon grant. She was inducted as a Mary Stuart Rogers Scholar, and presented with a merit based scholarship to help fund her studies. Lenka was invited to become a member of the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. She participated in Lewis & Clark overseas studies program in Munich, Germany for one year. Lenka also found time to help with New Student Orientation, tutor her fellow students in German, and play on the L&C basketball team.
Lenka earned her bachelor’s degree with a double major in both International Affairs and German Studies in May of 2002, graduating summa cum laude.
Following graduation, Lenka opted to remain in Portland doing a year of practical training. Her first position was an an intern at the Adidas America Corporate Headquarters. At the same time, Lenka was working at Lewis & Clark’s International Affairs Department doing research and translation as the department assembled one of the most complete collections of Karl Haushofer’s work on Japan and Southeast Asia.
In the summer of 2003, Lenka moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked with the Center of Strategic and International Studies, the leading national and international public policy institute. Her work was housed in the Center’s US-European Union-Slovakia Action Commission. Lenka assisted with research, writing focused on Slovakia’s economic development, security, and foregin policy necessary for its full integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures.
During the 2003-04 academic year, Lenka decided to return to school. She was accepted to Stanford University in the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. She received a full tuition fellowship from Stanford University and was also selected as the recipient of a P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship. While at Stanford, Lenka did an internship at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives where she processed Czechoslovak materials for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Lenka earned her master’s degree from Stanford University in the spring of 2004.
Currently, Lenka has begun her doctoral studies at the University of Munich, Germany, where she studied as an undergraduate while at Lewis & Clark. Her interests include the European Union, and the integration and democratization of Central European countries.
Sadna Samaranayake, ”˜01, Sri Lanka
Graduate Student and NYU Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship
New York University
New York, New York
Sadna Samaranayake wants to apply private sector efficiencies and market principles to affect sustainable progress in the developing world. She plans to use her combined experience as an entrepreneur, and as a founder of a grassroots nonprofit initiative to create social enterprises that benefit livelihood prospects for women in particular, and educational prospects for children.
In 2001 Sadna co-founded a web design and development business, InSiteLogic (www.insitelogic.com), which provides websites and custom web based solutions to a broad range of clients, including over 30 professional member based associations across the United States. As a Partner and Director she handles client services and development, liaising between clients, designers and developers, long term strategic planning, managing employees and contractors, marketing and product refinement.
Originally from Sri Lanka, Sadna co-founded the Sri Lanka Foundation in the aftermath of the 2005 Asian Tsunami. Sri Lanka Foundation implements projects to improve educational prospects and the general quality of life of tsunami-affected and orphaned children in Sri Lanka. Established as part of InSite Logic’s corporate social responsibility initiative, Sri Lanka Foundation’s operating expenses are funded by InSiteLogic, allowing 100% of donations to reach recipient communities.
As Director of her Foundation, Sadna has led fundraising, community awareness and organizational initiatives in the US, while working on needs assessments, program management and strategic partnership building with local NGOs in Sri Lanka. To date, the Foundation has set up libraries within existing children_s community centers, established long-term trust accounts for orphaned children and distributed educational resources, school supplies, and books to children at the periphery of the rehabilitation process.
Sadna continues to explore options for harnessing the “for profit” energy of the private sector in the United States and abroad to create sustainable change in micro economies in the developing world. She is interested in micro enterprise development, micro lending models and corporate social responsibility initiatives as tools for creating profit and positive long-term societal and economic gains in developing communities.
Sadna received a Bachelors of Arts Degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she earned a double major in International Affairs and in Communication, and a Minor in Political Economy.
NOTE: This biography is taken directly from the website of the Catherine B. Reynolds Foudation/New York University. The original website is: http://www.nyu.edu/ reynolds/grad/07_html/ samaranayake.html
Klas Holmlund, ”˜01, Sweden
Treasury Analyst
General Motors
New York City, New York
Klas considered four colleges in the Pacific Northwest, an area where he had friends and also offered great skiing conditions. Klas chose Lewis & Clark because of its location, its international character, its intimate size, and its academic reputation.
Klas did well academically. He received some advanced standing credit for his secondary school work in Sweden and decided to try to graduate in three years instead of the usual four. He took overloads two of his six semesters at Lewis & Clark and still managed to make the Dean’s List on many occasions. In his second year at the College, Klas was honored by the Economics Department who presented him with the John Baumler Memorial Scholarship in recognition of his academic achievements in Economics.
At Lewis & Clark, Klas worked in the Resource Lab, a computer lab focused on media applications available to students and faculty. His background in computers, which he had developed in Sweden, helped Klas find the position. With the exception of his first semester, he worked in the Resource Lab for the duration of his studies. Klas also served as a tutor in the Economics Department, and in his final year, he and a fellow Economics student taught a class called “Basic Investments” as part of the College’s “Free University” program.
Klas accomplished his goal of graduating in three years. In May of 2001 Klas earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business-Economics and immediately moved to Boston, Massachusetts. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I had no job, no contacts, and no apartment. But, here I was flying across the country and hoping to find all of that in Boston. In retrospect it was quite foolish and I am certain I would not do the same today,” states Klas.
He found a job two months after moving. He credits his good fortune to being “plain stubborn. Or if you will, very, very persistent.” He began working at Evergreen Investments, part of Wachovia Corporation. He was hired as a Global Reconciliation Specialist, which he describes as “a standard portfolio accounting position”. After nine months Klas was promoted to Portfolio Administrator and since April of 2003 Klas worked at Evergreen as an Analyst for the Investment Analytics team.
For two years, Klas worked full time while attending the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. He earned his M.S. in Finance in August of 2004. “I barely had a social life for two years,” admits Klas. “It was very had to juggle both school and a demanding workload, but somehow it all got taken care in the end.”
Klas states that Lewis & Clark prepared him very well for his career and graduate studies. “I did not know everything about finance and investments when I left Lewis & Clark, but I had a solid foundation to build from. Lewis & Clark provided me with applicable ”˜value added’ skills. Specifically, I learned how to do good and diligent research, how to critically approach the results, and, perhaps most importantly, how to communicate well which enabled me to take complicated concepts and express them in a concise and comprehensible fashion.”
After earning his M.S. degree at Boston College, Klas left to pursue an MBA at Yale University in 2005. As of 2007, Klas co-manages a $5 Billion commodity derivatives portfolio for General Motors in New York, focusing on base metals and energy. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts.
Quinn Slobodian, ”˜00, Canada
Assistant Professor of History
Wellesley College, Massachusetts
Quinn selected Lewis & Clark, in part, because the College awarded him a full-tuition Neely Scholarship, one of ten such scholarships granted each year to truly outstanding first-year students. Quinn earned the scholarship with a very impressive academic record from Maxwell International Baha’i School, with superior test scores, and with strong personal qualities. Quinn maintained high academic standards at Lewis & Clark and his scholarship was renewed each of his four years at the College.
Quinn had many interests and one of the things that attracted him to a liberal arts college was the “flexibility to follow passions and interests as they develop.” In his first year, Quinn explored the sciences, fairly certain that he would major in biology. “It left me cold,” he confessed. Quinn found he loved the history classes he was taking and soon decided on that field as a major. “Not all schools allow you to shift seamlessly to a history major and still finish in four years.
While at Lewis & Clark, Quinn pursued his studies diligently, but he still had time for other activities and interests. He participated in KLC, the College radio station and he wrote articles for the Pio Log, the campus newspaper. During summer vacations, he manned an ice cream stand in Victoria!
When asked what he liked most about Lewis & Clark, Quinn recalled “the intimacy of small classes, the personal interest and attention of professors, the beauty of the campus, and the windows in the library.”
Quinn graduated from Lewis & Clark in May of 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in history. In 2008, he received his PhD in Modern European history from New York University in New York City. His dissertation topic was Third World politics in 1960s West Germany. Currently, Quinn is an assistant professor of History at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
According to Quinn, “I’m constantly putting to use the practical and critical tools of the historian that I learned at Lewis & Clark in my present work.” “Because I’ve continued in the academic world, the L&C education has obviously been appropriate and applicable. It set me up for a career doing something I love. I couldn’t be happier.”
Gregorio Ribeiro da Silva, ”˜99, Brazil
Law Student
Faculdades de Vitoria
In the fall of 1995 Gregorio entered Lewis & Clark as a freshman with a plan to major in business. He was active and involved in campus life and he cherished the friends—both international and American—that he met at Lewis & Clark. His best friends came from around the world—the US, Spain, and Pakistan.
Gregorio played soccer, a club sport at the College. He wrote for the Polyglot, a foreign language magazine, and was active in ISLC (International Students of L&C) activities, including the annual international fair, in which he danced and sang each year. He also worked on campus in “The Bon” and at Media Services. In his senior year, Gregorio worked as an intern at Portland’s World Trade Center where he served in the language services division.
Gregorio graduated in the spring of 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He took a three month tour of Europe, visiting friends from Lewis & Clark, before returning home to Brazil.
Soon after arriving in Sao Paulo, Gregorio began work for Dabramo Raggi Associados, an international brokerage firm. He served as an account manager, overseeing accounts for clients in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and the Middle East.
After working in Sao Paulo for a year, Gregorio moved to Vitoria, ES, and began working for Distribuidora Lunar Ltda., a pharmaceutical distributor, where he has been for the last four years. Gregorio was promoted to the position of General Manager of the company. He is responsible for all areas of the business—account management, price analysis, personnel, warehouse management, and so forth. Distribuidora Luna Ltda. has a staff of 100, three warehouse centers in various parts of the country, and a call center.
When asked how his education at Lewis & Clark helped prepare him for his work, Gregorio stated, “My education at L&C never gave me a specific answer to a problem faced by my company. True, it provided me a background in economics, accounting, and so forth, but it did not provide an answer for a specific situation. But, my L&C education gave me the tools to solve problems. That’s what I do everyday. I have to think about how to solve a problem that I have never faced before. Lewis & Clark helped me with that.”
In January of 2008, Gregorio left his position with Distribuidora Lunar Ltda. to pursue a law degree at Faculdades de Vitoria, a law school in Vitoria. He enjoys the program and is very interested in civil and labor law. After he obtains his law degree, he plans to pursue post-graduate studies in either civil, labor and tax law, combined or not with private professional practice.
Kaori Nishizawa ”˜99, Japan
Marketing Director and Press Liaison
Recruit Co., Ltd
Kaori Nishizawa came to Lewis & Clark College in the fall of 1997 as a transfer student from Nihon University in Japan where she had earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in law. Kaori’s goal was three-fold: to become fluent in English, to learn more about the US legal system, and to earn a bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College.
When she arrived in Portland, Kaori already had strong English skills which she had developed while enrolled in an English language conversation class in Tokyo. Still, in her first semester at Lewis & Clark, Kaori elected to take one AES (Academic English Studies) class to help with her transition into the US academic system. That decision helped her start on the right track!
While it is possible to major in law as an undergraduate in Japan, law is considered a graduate field in the US. Kaori realized this before coming to the US, but she managed to take courses, such as the Political Science Department’s “Law, Lawyers, and Society,” which focused on the US legal system.
After taking several courses related to politics and world affairs, Kaori decided that she wanted to major in international affairs. She completed the requirements for the degree in the spring of 1999.
Of her academic experience at Lewis & Clark, Kaori says, “One of the most unexpected benefits of studying at Lewis & Clark was to learn about my own country, Japan. I learned how the rest of the world sees Japan, its people, its politics, its economy, its legal system, and its culture. ” About her preparation for a career, Kaori says, “I had to go through tons and tons of readings and papers and work within course deadlines. These experiences and skills have been extremely helpful in my work.”
Kaori returned to Japan in the spring of 1999 and began working for Recruit, Co., Ltd.
Roman Majtan, ”˜98, Slovakia
Attorney, Legal Advocate
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C.
With intense determination, and accompanied by a solid educational foundation and strong English skills, Roman was well prepared for the academic challenges at Lewis & Clark. He decided to double major in international affairs and French. He reasoned that the international affairs and French courses would provide good preparation for law school.
While a student at L&C, Roman studied diligently, worked many hours each week to help pay his educational fees, and still managed to be involved in campus life. Roman played on the L&C tennis team. He served as an RA (resident assistant) for one of the campus residence halls. He participated in the IA Symposium and International Fair each year. He received a SAAB (Student Academic Affairs Board) grant to do research on the political situation in Slovakia. In his final year at the College, Roman was a participant in Lewis & Clark’s study abroad program in Strasbourg, France.
Immediately after graduation, Roman began work with PRM Corporation in Pasedena, California. He worked there for one and a half years before gaining admission into the Juris Doctorate (JD) program at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Roman completed his JD degree in May of 2003 and passed the bar examination soon afterwards. He currently works as an attorney and legal advocate for veterans in the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
When asked about Lewis & Clark College, Roman stated, “As I think back on my time at the College, I have to say that I think very highly of Lewis & Clark. The faculty and academics were excellent. It was a stimulating environment.” He also commented on student life at Lewis & Clark. “I really appreciated the life style that the College offered. There was so much to do; so many opportunities.”
Even though Roman is many miles from Lewis & Clark today, he says that he is amazed at how many L&C alumni he meets in Washington, D.C. “It is surprising how often I meet someone at a meeting or party who mentions attending Lewis & Clark. Lewis & Clark alumni are everywhere.”
Carsten Schlichting, ”˜97, Germany
Software Architect/Architecture & Integration Team Leader
Bwin (Online Gaming Company)
In his first year, Carsten balanced three psychology courses with classes in communication, economics, international affairs, and physical education. During his three years at Lewis & Clark, Carsten worked in several computer jobs—as an IT consultant in the College’s Office of Information Technology and as coordinator of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab—experiences that eventually led to a major career shift. Thinking back to his L&C days, Carsten says, “I really appreciated the possibility to gain hands on experience and explore various careers in on-campus jobs in addition to my academic training. This really helped me prepare for my current career.”
Immediately after graduation Carsten left Portland to begin graduate work at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He received a fully-funded position as research and teaching assistant in psychology. In 1999 Carsten earned his Master’s degree in cognitive psychology and started to work as a software developer in the university’s Information Systems & Computing Department.
In July 2001 Carsten returned to Germany and began work at Accenture as an IT consultant. He stayed with Accenture for two and a half years before joining KVB (Kassenarztliche Vereinigung Bayerns), a German company that provides services for the medical insurance field. Carsten worked as a software developer for KVB.
In January 2007, Carsten moved to Vienna, Austria and started a new job as a Software Architect at Bwin (www.bwin.com) Since May 2007, he has been leading the Architecture & Integration Team.
Maki Shiina, ”˜95, Japan
Master’s Degree Candidate, Communication Studies
Portland State University
In her senior year at Lewis & Clark, Maki was selected by the Japanese Department to be a Japanese language assistant which led to a position as tutor for SAAB (Student Academic Affairs Board).
In her senior year, Maki secured an internship at the World Forest Institute (WFI), a position that provided her with a great “first job” experience. She served as a liaison for Japanese guests as well as editorial assistant for WFI’s newsletter, Update, and its quarterly publication, Forest Perspectives. Her work at WFI led her to write an article about WFI for Ringyo Shimbun (Forestry Newspaper) in Japan.
Maki returned to Japan in 1996 and secured a position as Visa and American Citizen Services Assistant at the American Embassy in Tokyo. She advised US and Japanese citizens on immigrant and non-immigrant visa issues. She worked at the US Embassy for five years.
In 2002 Maki decided to return to the US to pursue a master’s degree. She hopes to earn her MA from Portland State University in December of 2004.
Bal Joshi, ”˜95, Nepal
Founder, Thamel.com
Bal applied to Lewis & Clark College in his senior year of high school. He came to Portland because he had a cousin living in Oregon. He chose Lewis & Clark because he had researched the school on the internet and felt it had the environment and programs he wanted.
At Lewis & Clark Bal’s outgoing personality made him a popular figure on campus. He was particularly involved with the international community—playing soccer, serving in the ISLC (International Students of Lewis & Clark), and, singing each year at the international fair. Bal also took his studies seriously and he discovered a business philosophy that was meaningful to him. “I learned that business is not just debits and credits. There are sociological aspects to be considered. I learned to look at business holistically.”
Bal credits Lewis & Clark’s liberal arts curriculum with opening his eyes to the anthropological and social side of business. “I took a sociology class about the effects of advertising on society. It made me realize that we have a responsibility in business for what we do and how we do it.”
Bal graduated from Lewis & Clark with his bachelor’s degree in 1995 and immediately returned to Nepal. He wanted to put some of the principles he had learned at Lewis & Clark into practice. His first venture was to start the nation’s first lottery, sanctioned by the Nepali government. Although the weekly drawings proved very successful, the real joy for Bal was seeing the Nepali’s embracing the computer technology used to run the lottery.
After a year of great success, there was a change of government in the Kingdom and the lottery was taken over by the government. Bal was left with a cadre of out-of-work computer techs with nothing to do. Bal regrouped and looked for ways that he could keep the workers and help them survive.
A short time later, in 1997, Bal launched Thamel.com, an online network that permitted Nepalis living in the US to send gifts back home. A Nepali son living in Los Angeles could go online and order a cake, or fruit basket, or the most popular item—a goat—for the holidays. Bal’s staff would then purchase the item, deliver it to the family, take a digital photo showing the family receiving the gift, and send the photo back to the gift giver!
In 2007, Thamel.com did over $5 million US dollars in business over the internet. Nepalis around the world can choose from over 5,000 items to send to friends and relatives in Nepal. The business is thriving and expanding to other areas of the world. More important to Bal, however, is that his efforts are bringing sorely needed income to Nepal, and bringing computer training and employment to hundreds of Nepalis.
Bal Joshi has been cited numerous times, both in Nepal and in the US, for the social conscience of his company. Bal recently moved back to Nepal to scale his operations and get more involved with development related issues. The area of his focus is Information Communications Technology (ICT) and development. Currently, he is working on establishing rural wireless networks to deliver thamel.com services to rural communities.
To learn more about Bal and his efforts at Thamel.com, click on the links below:
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Shazheb Jillani, ”˜94, Pakistan
Editor, Radio Urdu
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
While an undergraduate, Shahzeb was a very active member of the campus community. As part of Lewis & Clark’s Student Speakers Bureau, Shahzeb spoke on the culture and politics of Pakistan at several public schools in Portland. He served as President of the ISLC (International Students of Lewis & Clark), as Vice President of the ASLC (Associated Students of Lewis & Clark), as editor of the World Link, the ISLC newsletter, as a staff writer for the Pioneer Log, the school newspaper, and as a DJ for KLC, Lewis & Clark’s radio station. He also served as a Resident Assistant in Odell Hall.
Today Shahzeb works for the BBC World Service as Editor of Radio Urdu, one of 42 language services of the BBC. More than 13 million Urdu speakers in Pakistan, India, the Middle East, US, and Canada listen to Radio Urdu daily. Shahzeb manages a team of more than 35 reporters.
Shahzeb states, “I owe much in my career to my liberal arts education at Lewis & Clark College. At L&C, heated discussions in IA classes and constant encouragement from professors gave me tremendous confidence in my ability to lead change and make a difference. We were encouraged to think conceptually, clearly and analytically about complex world issues. There weren’t too many answers available, but we were encouraged to ask intelligent questions. Critical inquiry was the name of the game. Little did I know back then that this perpetual desire to explore and raise good questions would be one of my biggest assets as a journalist and a broadcaster.”
You can read some of Shahzeb’s online stories below: