Mal Spicer

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I honestly did not see myself going to L&C until I first visited campus. Seeing the forest growing around the buildings was a magical sight for a kid from Oklahoma—I couldn’t believe that my walk to class could look like that. What really sold me was hearing my student tour guide describe the small class sizes, strong relationships with professors, and amazing opportunities to get out and explore—whether through the amazing study abroad programs or through College Outdoors.

What have you been doing since graduation?

For the 2023-2024 academic year I lived in Tours, France, where I worked as an English teaching assistant at a local high school. I was placed through a program called TAPIF, which I first learned about during my study abroad semester in Strasbourg. Along with my beginner English classes, I had the opportunity to work with advanced students and teach courses on American History and Culture, which I loved! After my contract ended I travelled for a bit before eventually returning home to Oklahoma.

Last fall I started work at the Oklahoma State Election Board, working in voter registration services and public information assistance. I jumped right into all things elections and definitely had to learn quickly as I started just before the Presidential general election. I never thought I would end up as an election official, but through the process I have learned a lot about government and politics here in Oklahoma, especially what goes on behind the scenes to make all the magic happen.

This has been a great few seasons in OKC, especially the Thunder’s basketball season, but I am now preparing to move to New York City. I can’t wait for what’s to come!

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your job?

There are many ways in which Lewis & Clark prepared me for my life post-grad. My time working for College Outdoors was definitely a large part of that preparation. Before moving to Oregon, I had practically no experience in outdoor recreation. I had such an amazing time on my New Student Trip (NST), Surf and Hike the Coast, that I decided to become a student coordinator with College Outdoors. As I continued to work towards becoming a trip leader, I struggled at times with feelings of inadequacy due to my lack of knowledge or experience. It wasn’t until I led my first NST that I felt like a real leader. My older coleaders helped me learn to slow down, have fun, and let your team support you to get the job done. Those feelings of inadequacy turned into motivation to improve as a leader, and I gained the confidence in myself to believe that I would get it done. That confidence in myself, plus the ability to work well with a team, facilitate a group, and problem-solve were all skills I refined through my time with CO. The most important lesson of all was that inexperience is just an opportunity to gain experience. All of those things have helped me in my first few jobs since graduating.

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

Studying abroad was at the top of my list of things I wanted to experience in college and I am still so grateful that I had the opportunity. It truly is the first time I felt how my work in the classroom actually meant something in the outside world. I mean, I confirmed I could actually speak French! Throughout the semester, the encouragement I received from my host mom as well as my program director pushed me to break out of my comfort zone as much as possible. For my research project, I joined an inter-cultural hiking group centered around refugees and asylum seekers. I wrote extensively on the benefits of the group, not only for socialization but also for offering a space of peace for people who needed a distraction from their everyday lives. My report quickly turned into a passion project for me. I spent entire days with the group hiking through the Vosges, I interviewed participants and organizers, and I wrote for weeks. When I shared my final draft with the group director, I hoped that she would give me her approval. She approved, and then she asked me if she could include my report in the organization’s yearly report to the City of Strasbourg. What?!?! My report being included in a nonprofit’s annual review for the city? Of Strasbourg? France?! I couldn’t believe it. And of course, I was honored to say yes.

Throughout the semester, I felt that the work that I was doing was important. I loved it, I learned from it, I put my energy into it. And then, like magic, someone else thought my work was important. I think this experience helped me realize that if you have a passion, you should be passionate about it, and that passion will not go unrecognized.

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

I keep up with friends in any way that I can, but it’s nice to see what people are up to on Instagram or LinkedIn. Life can get busy, and I am a big procrastinator, but I try to update my old professors and mentors as often as I can.

A few of my best friends from L&C also did teaching assistant programs in Europe the year after we graduated, so it was great to be able to meet up with them while we were abroad. I hope to continue to keep up all of the amazing relationships I built. I would definitely love to visit Portland in the near future, but until then maybe I can make it out to an alumni event!

What was your favorite class? How did it expand your knowledge?

Politics of Public Memory with Mitch Reyes changed my life. I took the course the spring of my senior year, and my only regret is that I didn’t take the class sooner. Mitch is an amazing professor; he somehow transports your mind outside of the classroom to explore real world events. Through the course curriculum we analyzed public monuments, historical events, education systems and more. More than any other class, I felt as though I could see the real tangible evidence on how rhetoric and communication shapes our understanding of the world around us. One of my primary interests through my studies at L&C was the intersection of rhetoric and media and modern American politics, and my ideas on this subject developed even further through this class. Public memory guides a public to shape certain ideas about who they are, who they have been, and who they will be—but who constructs this memory? These are the types of questions that had me on the edge of my seat during class discussion.

Honorable mention to Global Environmental History with Andrew Bernstein: One of the coolest classes I have ever taken. I felt like I was on an adventure expedition through space and time. I unlocked a historical perspective of the world that I still carry with me today.

Rhetoric and Media Studies French Studies