Uwella Rubuga

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

At first it was the amount of financial aid I received from Lewis & Clark. But before making the final decision, I talked to alumni and found new pieces of information that sealed the deal for me: things like the kinds of on-campus jobs that students can do such as working in the Business Office, Events Office, Career Center, Administration, etc. All these were important to me because I would be able to gain valuable tangible experiences from such opportunities that I could use in jobs after graduation. I also found out from talking to alumni how accessible the Lewis & Clark campus is to downtown Portland. This might not be a big deal to some but as someone who grew up in a big busy city of Dar es Salaam, I needed a sense of city life nearby so that I wouldn’t feel too out of place. I loved that our college campus was away from downtown up in the hills so that we could concentrate on our studies without any distractions but also accessible to downtown by bus (which was free to all students) or car in 30 minutes or less. We could also bike too, which was awesome with all the serene amazing views! All these factors and many more such as the diverse community of international students, study abroad programs, College Outdoors trips, and small class sizes made me want to come to Lewis & Clark College.

What have you been doing since graduation?

Well, I’d say I’ve still been doing a lot of learning and exploration since graduation—both inside and outside of classrooms. Right after graduation in 2019, I started working in finance at Vacasa, a vacation rental management company, but I got laid off a year later in 2020 due to Covid-19. Therefore, I started volunteering with a nonprofit to support African immigrants and refugees in Portland, Oregon, by providing vaccine clinics, information sessions, children educational programs, food, masks, and many other resources to help them adjust, adapt, and persevere during those devastating times of going through a pandemic. Then in fall of 2020, I started my master’s degree in business analytics and risk management at Johns Hopkins University where I learned tremendously about data science and analysis, big data machine learning, corporate finance, business leadership, communication, and so much more. I participated in pitch competitions and rigorous consulting programs with real business owners. I also learned how to organize and conduct annual business panels with global industry leaders. Right before completing my master’s degree, I started working as an operations analyst at Wieden+Kennedy, an advertising agency. Media and advertising was a completely new industry for me but I learned everything on the job and it has been an incredible experience so far. I also moved to Washington, D.C., and I have been enjoying learning a lot about American history and culture, as well as cultures from other nations through all the museums, embassies, and diverse communities present in the country’s capital. Nonetheless, I have been doing annual trips and so far I’ve traveled to the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Virginia Beach, Baltimore, Miami, San Diego, and LA. These travels have honestly been inspired by L&C College Outdoor trips, which sparked the desire to be outside more often and where I learned a lot of safety tips to take into account when traveling. I can happily say that since graduation at Lewis & Clark College, I have been living the school’s motto, Explorare, Discere, Sociare, which means to “explore, to learn, to work together.” I’ve had amazing opportunities to explore different cities, learn from many life opportunities, and work together with outstanding people from various career fields and industries.

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your job?

As a liberal arts school, Lewis & Clark prepared me for my career path by reminding me that there are endless opportunities one can explore instead of restricting oneself within a specific box. Besides my economics major and computer science minor, I’ve also used the knowledge and experiences gained from my on-campus jobs, extracurricular activities, and classes outside of my major and minor such as entrepreneurship classes to navigate different career opportunities by incorporating leadership, communication, adaptability, hard work, and perseverance skills. This has truly helped me to grow and be successful in the work I do.

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

The most important thing I learned at Lewis & Clark is the power of community and networking. I remember there was at least one networking event happening on campus each week. This one time they even brought one of the costume designers for the Black Panther movie to speak about their creative process. But it wasn’t so much about who we were talking to but rather about learning how to get out of our comfort zone and putting ourselves out there to talk to different people including professors, staff, alumni, and fellow students within our own community. I find myself still networking to this day when I go to coffee shops, hiking trips, sports games, grocery shopping, and several other events. And you never know what that connection you make with someone today can lead to in the future. I actually got recommended to my current job by a Lewis & Clark alumna I had talked to two years prior to the recommendation. I’d reached out to her directly on LinkedIn to just hear about her experiences when she was a student at L&C and what she had been doing in her career. Little did I know that two years later, she would still remember me and recommend me for a job at her company. So it’s definitely important to take advantage of the networking opportunities at Lewis & Clark and also use them as practice to talk to people. It’s nerve-wracking at first but it gets easier with time.

Why did you major in economics?

I was inspired by my dad to major in economics. He would often talk about things like exchange rates, interest rates, international finance, etc. and it made me realize how interconnected the world is through economic policies. Therefore, I majored in economics so I could learn more about those policies and understand their impact from household to national levels.

Why did you minor in computer science?

I minored in computer science to be prepared with the ever-changing advancement of technology. I also thought it would pair well with economics. For example, I took a Computer and Network Security class where I learned about cyber attacks. The skills learned from that class have helped me be mindful and cautious when working with financial data for different companies and organizations.

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

As an alumna, I stay connected to Lewis & Clark through their LinkedIn and Instagram pages as well as through their regular emails.

How do you describe the liberal arts?

I would describe liberal arts as a form of education that encourages the exploration of many different paths as one continues to discover their passions, strengths, and interests.

Where did you find your community on campus?

I found my community on campus through the International Students and Scholars Office, which was honestly a home for us and a way of meeting other international students from different year groups and learning about how we were all doing on campus. We also did a lot of things together such as going to Maggie’s after a long night of studying at Watzek, going to football and basketball games, and going to downtown Portland.

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

Professor Eric Tymoigne from the economics department was my advisor. He shared different opportunities such as PhD programs that would enrich my major. He also nominated me to present my senior thesis in the Festival of Scholars and Artists, which was a great way to bring my thesis to life as I talked about it with students and faculty. Professor Tymoigne also speaks French so during my study abroad trip, he encouraged me to email him in French when planning about the senior thesis so as to become more fluent in the language.

If you studied overseas while at Lewis & Clark, how did you choose your program? What did your overseas study add to your L&C experience?

I chose the language-intensive study abroad program to Paris, France, because I had been studying the French language from second to sixth grade back home in Tanzania but never quite became fluent. I wanted to become fluent in French so I started taking French classes again my first year of college. By my junior year, I was quite fluent and became even more fluent during the study abroad program. The overseas study enriched my L&C experience by expanding the liberal arts through classes such as History of Photography and Paris Cinema City. I brought the skills learned from these two classes back to L&C with me as I started renting out free cameras from Watzek Library and immersing myself in photography and videography during College Outdoor trips.

Economics Computer Science