Alex Cohen
My professors knew my capabilities better than I did, and pushed me to create the best work I could.
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What three words would you use to describe L&C?
What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?
I fell in love with the campus and wanted to go somewhere well respected for environmental programs. I loved how passionate students were and how much professors would support the individual interests of students.
What have you been doing since graduation?
Since graduating, I have worked in politics and environmental advocacy in Washington, D.C., ensuring we have federal elected officials who will protect the environment.
How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your job?
My time as an English major, where I learned how to use critical analysis to understand a wide range of literary texts, was foundational to the work I do now. Sitting down with a complicated piece of legislation and having to analyze, revise, or critique it under a tight deadline is a key part of my work now and is fundamentally the same skill I learned as an English major at Lewis & Clark.
What would you say is the most important thing you learned at Lewis & Clark?
To challenge myself and not be content with slightly above average work. My professors knew my capabilities better than I did, and pushed me to create the best work I could.
Why did you major in English?
I am a firm believer that an English major is one of the most critical and versatile majors out there. My classmates have gone on to do many amazing, creative, and unique things since graduating across a wide variety of fields. However, I originally joined Lewis & Clark to be an environmental studies or international affairs major: my freshman year, I signed up for a class called The West and the Western, thinking it would be an international affairs course on how other cultures view the West. I was surprised to see on day one it was instead a course taught by an English professor on the literature and filmography of the Western film, cowboys, the frontier—and I loved it! I switched my major soon after.
How do you stay connected to Lewis & Clark as an alum?
I stay close with my friends from Lewis & Clark who are scattered across the country and the globe. I attend alumni events in D.C. as well.
