Logan Drain

What’s your favorite class? Why?

It is so hard to choose one class, so I’m going to say two. My favorite class I have taken has to be between Genders and Sexualities in a Global Perspective with Professor Kim Cameron-Domínguez and Gender and Aesthetic Expression with Professor Therese Augst. Both classes were absolutely fascinating and took such wide-ranging and diverse perspectives to examining gender. Because of the amazingly interdisciplinary way that the gender studies program at Lewis & Clark is run, these two classes allowed me to bring my other interests of international affairs and German language and culture into conversation with the topics of gender and sexuality.

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

There were so many things that led to my decision to come to Lewis & Clark, but amongst the top reasons would have to be a mixture of the stunning natural beauty of campus, the open and welcoming environment of the school, and how easy it is to study abroad while at Lewis & Clark.

What do you like or find most interesting about your major?

I have always been interested in other countries and global governance and interaction, which is what led me to the international affairs major. The way the major is set up, it has allowed me to take classes in so many different areas of international affairs and really expand my knowledge and understanding of the world.

What do you like or find most interesting about your minor?

The gender studies program has led me to so many of my favorite classes during my time here. The program is truly interdisciplinary, which has allowed me to take such interesting classes from other programs, like ethnic studies with Professor Magalí Rabasa, and count them toward the minor. Additionally, the gender studies program has allowed me to engage with extremely fascinating and deep texts and sources which might fall out of the scope of traditionally accepted “academic” sources in a deep and meaningful way. This, I think, has had some of the most consequential impacts on my learning and world view ever.

Tell us about your support systems and social outlets on campus: people, activities, clubs, res halls, etc.

Lewis & Clark is a truly close-knit community and has allowed me to grow bonds with so many people and groups on campus during my time at the school. Through taking part in two of our renowned symposia I have also had the opportunity to create connections with my fellow cochairs and committee members. My study abroad experience and time working with the German Club has also allowed me to meet so many new people from all over the world.

What advice do you have for incoming students?

My advice for incoming students would be to try your best to not limit yourself. It can be so easy to come into college with an idea of what you want to do or study and to close yourself off to other opportunities and interests. Try not to do this and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Go abroad, learn a new language, take classes outside of your major; you’ll be surprised about what you can learn about the world and yourself.

Tell us about the upcoming Gender Studies Symposium. What has your experience as a cochair been like? How does this event complement your academic experience?

Being a cochair has been one of the most intense and most rewarding experiences of my life. We’re only halfway through planning the symposium at this point, but I am already so excited for what we have put together. It has been an amazing compliment to my academic experience, as it has allowed me to take a lot of what I have learned in my gender studies classes and apply them to an event. When looking at what themes we wanted to explore and which keynote speakers we wanted to invite, we all looked back at our experiences and classes on campus to find the best and most interesting topics.

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

One of the very first decisions I made after selecting Lewis & Clark was to pick what study abroad program I was going to go on. For me, that ended up being Berlin in Germany which just ticked so many of my boxes. For one thing, each class knocked out a different general education requirement for me, which made selecting classes much easier and flexible in the future. For another thing, I had already decided that I was going to learn German to fulfil my foreign language requirement at Lewis & Clark, so they served as a perfect compliment to each other. As for what my time overseas added to my experience, I could go on for hours. Berlin is truly the most beautiful city in the world, and you gain so much knowledge and worldview from spending time and living not only in a different country, but also a city with such an international community. My experience abroad has even led me to apply for a Fulbright Grant after graduation to hopefully go back to Germany and help teach English so I can give back even a little of what I got from my time living there.

International Affairs Gender Studies