Community change agent

Schjoll Kristen Schjoll, loves words. She loves to read them, write them, and—most of all—to build connections by sharing them. While earning her bachelor of arts in 2003 from the College of Arts and Sciences and a master of arts in teaching in 2006 from the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, she volunteered with SMART (Start Making A Reader Today), Oregon’s nonprofit early literacy program. Reading individually with two children every week, she helped spark in them a love for words. In 2003-04, she managed more than 100 volunteers as a SMART reading coordinator for two elementary schools.

Fluent in Spanish, Kristen participated in Lewis & Clark’s overseas study and internship program in the Dominican Republic, an experience she calls “very formative in my development of a global consciousness.” Living with the people there, doing volunteer work in two orphanages, and researching aggressive juvenile behavior by orphans enhanced her awareness that countries and cultures are interconnected. The experience also deepened her resolve to share her teaching and language skills in ways that advance constructive, positive change in the world’s many communities.

Promise and Practice

From convocation to commencement, students at Lewis & Clark pursue studies and experiences that deepen their understanding of themselves, their knowledge of their chosen field and the larger world, and their capacity to participate fully in society. Opportunities to translate the promise of education into practice are myriad—and ever growing.

Peace Corps pride

Community change agent

Fulfilling a promise

The arc of inquiry

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