Abri Boyd

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I actually found Lewis & Clark by accident as I was headed down to Salem, Oregon, as a junior in high school. I decided to check out the school and parked by Evans Music Hall. I heard someone performing an operatic aria and as a choir lover, I was so excited! At the time I was thinking about becoming a teacher and was also thrilled to learn about the Graduate School. As I went on my tour everything sounded too good to be true. While reflecting on this after graduation, I can confirm all of the things my tour guide shared with me on my tour was true! The welcoming community I was promised gave me the best faculty and fellow students. The freedom to try different extracurriculars without the pressure to over commit yourself gave me access to clubs I would have never otherwise tried. I was also drawn to L&C’s College Outdoors program. Let me tell you, this year when I went cross country skiing and almost got stuck on the roads, I really wished I was in a big CO van with friends blasting music and skiing for cheap instead. All of these things attracted me to L&C and lived up to my expectations.

What have you been doing since graduation?

Since graduation I have been working at the French International School of Oregon’s admissions office as part of a team of two. I absolutely love it and working with kids from the age 2.5 through 8th grade. It’s also a French immersion school, and our 600 families have over 40 different citizenships and over 50 different languages spoken in their homes. I’ve gotten to guest teach a social studies class and do an intro to anthropology unit with 7th graders. I’ve also chaperoned two different groups of 70 students to the Oregon Shakespeare festival. I’ll be joining 6th graders this fall at fossil beds for outdoor school!

Practicing French with native speakers of the language every day has been such a gift. Outside of work, I’ve been having a blast! I’ve done Lewis & Clark’s community choir, lots of reading, and traveling. I just got back from the Netherlands and Belgium. Not having homework anymore also means getting to explore the wonderful food scene and nature Portland has to offer!

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your job?

One thing I can’t recommend enough is work study! My work study all four years of undergrad was spent in the Admissions Office. They taught me so much about all of the things I am now doing in my current profession. I’d recommend students see what internships and jobs are available to them on campus. I genuinely could not have been more prepared on a personal and professional level.

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

I think Lewis & Clark is a safe place to grow into your adulthood. I learned so much in the classroom but I also learned to trust myself and be confident in my ability to do challenging things. This ranges from difficult essays to navigating changes in friendships. Lewis & Clark invites the student body to go forward boldly with pride. This is a skill I carry with me.

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

I stay in touch with my professors, especially Kim Cameron Dominguez, who is helping me brainstorm my next educational steps. I also do Lewis & Clark Community Choir. I keep in touch with the Admissions staff and sometimes come to campus to say hello to my old colleagues.

How do you describe the liberal arts?

The liberal arts is the Swiss Army knife of education. Sure, a single blade could be helpful, but imagine if you had more tools easily accessible to you. You need scissors for something in life, even if you aren’t sure what that is yet. At some point you need tiny tweezers. The liberal arts prepares you with tools for all outcomes.

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

Anthropology is all about intersectionality and I was able to explore so many topics! Also the students in that major are a really tight knit group.

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

It’s too hard to pick one!!! I’d love to give a shout out to all of the Sociology and Anthropology teachers I had. Molly is also a brilliant French teacher!

I would tell anyone though that your majors thesis class is the most precious class you could ever take. If thesis is optional for your major, you should do it! My thesis was about sound healing communities. I’m grateful my thesis allowed me to do such a niche topic and that I was so incredibly supported by my peers and Oren who taught my section.

Where did you find your community on campus?

Choir for sure!!! But also, the steps outside of JR Howard is a pretty magical space to organically meet people and chat!

Who was your mentor on campus? Why do you consider this person your mentor?

Deborah Heath! She has since retired but wow wow wow, I would not be where I am today without her. I was waitlisted for a philosophy class so I took her Intro to Anthropology class instead. It cracked me wide open to my educational purpose, learning and understanding society, culture, and community. She taught me how to balance empathy and practicality in research. I took three classes with her all of wildly different topics (Intro, Cyborg Anthropology, and Multi-species Ethnography) and every class proved to me that I was meant to be a curious person on this great big earth, and that there is so much more to learn.

When she retired, Sepideh became my major advisor and helped me build upon my knowledge and skills. She met me with grace, unconditional support, and made me think more about social theory than I could have ever imagined. I think about her way of conducting a classroom often when I am stressed with my students. When I was in Sepideh’s class, she would have an organized to do list and first thing on the list every day was a breathing exercise. I learned this skill from her and every morning at work I write down my to do list and then do a five-minute guided meditation to channel my inner Sepideh class ethic.

Sociology and Anthropology