Kalea Kaui

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I chose Lewis & Clark because it is such a close, tight-knit community with a lot of different educational and athletic opportunities. I have always wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest and Lewis & Clark is such a beautiful campus to live in.

What have you been doing since graduation?

After I graduated, I worked a couple different jobs. One of those jobs was a piano teacher. After I discovered I loved teaching kids, I went to Lewis & Clark’s Graduate School for Education and Counseling and got my master’s degree in teaching. I graduated summer of 2025 and plan to have a classroom of my own one day at an elementary school here in Portland. For now, I will be substituting around the Beaverton School District and continue my love for teaching.

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for graduate school?

Lewis & Clark’s requirements for graduation really allowed me to expand my horizons and take classes I did not know I would enjoy. I took an Intro to Pre-Theory class freshman year, which is where everything shifted and I made music my major. As a music major, you are required to take piano lessons. This allowed me to turn this requirement into a passion and teach kids. As a music major, I was required to do a senior capstone in which I had to organize a performance for myself. There were a lot of pieces to this capstone that prepared me for what real life was going to look like after college. Every class, every lesson, every day prepared me for life after college, including more college. Graduate school was a dream and L&C made that possible for me.

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

I learned to try new things. I knew going into college I would play softball and make friends that way. I did not know, though, how many connections and people I would meet through other aspects of school. I made friends through my major and through clubs I joined. Don’t limit yourself to one part of college. See what else is out there. It goes by fast to not try new things.

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

I play in our Alumni Weekend softball game every year to stay connected to my friends. I enjoy time with friends and coaches since I am still living in Portland near Lewis & Clark. I reach out to friends who have moved away from both graduate school and undergrad. Living so close to campus also means I tend to bump into people around school. Being an alumni of L&C has been such a fun experience and is one I will get to keep for the rest of my life.

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

My favorite class was Orchestration with Michael Johanson. It was a class to explore parts of music I did not know I was capable of doing. I took music for piano and rearranged it for an orchestra, a wind quartet, a brass quartet, and percussion. Being able to explore my creativity and new online music programs was so much fun. I did not think I would find something new I was passionate about. I thought I only liked playing music, but I also learned I liked creating music.

Music