Emma Contreras

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I was attracted to the small, tight knit community that Lewis & Clark offered. I came from a small rural town in California, and I really wanted a community-focused and engaging college experience. The small class sizes were a major selling point for me and provided lots of one-on-one support throughout my time there.

What have you been doing since graduation?

I’ve been working as a paralegal since my last semester at Lewis & Clark. My first job was working at a small immigration law firm in downtown Portland. I’ve since shifted to civil litigation and currently work at a medical malpractice defense firm.

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for post-college life?

As an International Affairs major, we were assigned lengthy and dense readings that would be discussed as a group in class. This experience gave me invaluable reading comprehension and analytical reasoning skills that I utilize on a daily basis as a paralegal and graduate student. I also wrote a “mini” thesis my final semester and this experience, in part, inspired me to pursue a Master’s in Political Science.

What would you say is the most important thing you learned at Lewis & Clark?

The most important skill I learned at Lewis & Clark was to ask for support. I struggled academically my first year, and I found an incredible amount of support from faculty and the administration. This skill has translated into my professional life and helped me find success in adversity.

Why did you major in International Affairs and Hispanic Studies?

I was undecided during my freshman year and flirted with the idea of majoring in Biology. I took class in different disciplines my first year and ultimately chose to major in Hispanic Studies and International Affairs. I ended up choosing these majors because of the rigorous curriculum and the outstanding professors in those departments.

How do you stay connected to Lewis & Clark as an alum?

I stay in touch with lots of friends from Lewis & Clark. I stayed in the area for a few years after graduation and enjoyed attending volleyball and football games.

If you studied overseas while at Lewis & Clark, how did you choose your program? What did your overseas study add to your L&C experience?

I chose to study abroad in Alicante, Spain, my Junior year of college. It was a requirement of the program to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country and I chose Spain because we have close family and friends that live there. I did a homestay and lived with a Spanish woman that only spoke Spanish. This challenged me to speak exclusively Spanish with her for the 6 months I was there and drastically improved my conversational fluency and reading comprehension. My overseas study added a change of pace to the routine of college and allowed me to advance my language skills while traveling!