Enriching perspectives

As a double major in biology and sociology/anthropology, Casey Nelson CAS ’08 had learned a lot about the physical, political, and social conditions that contribute to human suffering in the world. At the beginning of her junior year, she was eager to complement intellectual knowing with experiential learning.

Lewis & Clark’s overseas program in Kenya and Tanzania provided the ideal opportunity. In the fall of 2006, Nelson undertook an ambitious and intense independent study project: she explored the relationship between prostitution, poverty, and AIDS in Kenyan women. “It was very difficult,” she recalls. “But I got to talk to these amazing women who defied every stereotype. They made the problems of exploitation and disease very real for me.”

Deeply moved by that reality, Nelson returned to Nairobi this past summer on a SAAB grant to continue her research, this time for her senior thesis. Working with a nongovernmental organization that is empowering women to break the cycle of poverty, prostitution, and illness, she discovered “a new perspective on how difficult it is for an NGO to function efficiently and to connect with the people who need the services. It’s a huge challenge.”

It’s also the kind of person-to-person work Nelson engages in wherever she is. While excelling in her studies—she is a Dean’s List student, member of Phi Beta Kappa, and Rogers Scholar—she tackles societal issues head on. She has helped homeless youth and elementary school children in Portland, volunteered in an emergency room in Texas, and worked for an ecotourism campsite in the Virgin Islands.

Her next challenge will be the pursuit of lifework that extends her academic zeal and global commitment, work such as social medicine. “Public health seems ideal for me because it is multidisciplinary and pertinent everywhere—from Oregon to sub-Saharan Africa. I want to be helpful in a genuine way. What I’ve learned and the experiences I’ve had at Lewis & Clark are helping me sort out how I can best do that.”