Solomon K. Enos ’01

I am originally from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, and was drawn to Lewis & Clark because of its small community, the opportunity to build strong relationships with faculty and staff, its close proximity to downtown Portland, and its generous financial aid. L&C exceeded my expectations by delivering on all of these and much more.

As a first-generation college student, adjusting to classes and a new environment that was colder and wetter was initially tough. I thank the close student friendships I quickly formed, bonds that remain strong nearly 30 years later, and faculty and staff members like Ray Warren and Jean Ward, who took an interest in my success, for helping me find my way.

I was all over the place as a L&C student—I majored in Communication, sang in Cappella Nova, worked at the college bookstore, became an RA in Forest, performed annually at the International Fair, and volunteered off-campus as a reading tutor at a local elementary school in southeast Portland. But outside of class and studying, I spent most of my time leading the Hawaiʻi Club and interning in the Office of Admissions. Some of my fondest memories include dancing hula at our annual luʻau in Pamplin and navigating the cobblestoned paths while giving campus tours, all while trying not to trip.

My L&C admissions internship set me on a career path I still follow today. After graduating in 2001, leading the campus visit program as a L&C admissions counselor, and moving to Philadelphia in 2005 to pursue a master’s degree in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania, I returned west in 2006 to work at Stanford’s Office of Undergraduate Admission, where I directed the transfer review process, developed initiatives to strengthen relationships with school counselors, and supported Native students and families through the application process. I left Stanford in 2010 for a college counseling position at The College Preparatory School in Oakland.

After enjoying working closely with a group of outstanding high school juniors and seniors, I have been at Duke University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions since 2012, leading domestic recruitment, managing DEI initiatives, chairing admissions committees, and serving on the international selection team with a focus on East and Southeast Asia. 2025 has been a year of transition—I completed a doctorate degree in higher education leadership and policy at Vanderbilt University, and I left Duke for a new position directing scholar recruitment and selection at the Morehead-Cain Foundation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

My work is personal to me—education has significantly transformed my life, and it is such an honor to provide similar opportunities to deserving students who have the potential to positively transform themselves, their local communities, and the world.

Durham, North Carolina, is home now. Outside of my daytime job, you’ll most likely find me running on the hiking trails through Duke Forest, at RDU International Airport waiting for a flight to see friends, family, or explore a new travel destination for fun, taking ʻukulele lessons through the Hawaiʻi Club of NC, or in my kitchen with my husband trying a new Melissa Clark recipe from the New York Times cooking section.

While I have had the privilege of attending and working at some of America’s most storied universities, none are as important to me as Lewis & Clark. It’s an honor to serve on the Board of Alumni, and I look forward to supporting a place that has played such an important role in my life.