Sophie Vigeant
My classes at L&C fostered a community of participation where we worked together and shared ideas in order to understand concepts.
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What three words would you use to describe L&C?
What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?
I was drawn to Lewis & Clark’s beautiful campus, its proximity to Portland, and the stellar reviews I had heard of the school’s faculty and staff. The scholarships and financial aid I was offered made it possible for me to choose Lewis & Clark.
What have you been doing since graduation?
Soon after graduation, I was hired by the Northwest Reading Clinic, which specializes in diagnosing and treating students with dyslexia and other learning challenges. Through this job, I have worked as a one-on-one reading instructor with private students and on-site at Rosa Parks Elementary School in North Portland for the past four years. However, I will soon be leaving this employment in order to go back to school to pursue a master’s degree through the MAT program at the University of Portland beginning in summer 2023.
How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your job?
The education courses through the Teacher Pathways program at Lewis & Clark prepared me for working in Portland Public Schools and with students of all ages. One course in particular, titled Education in a Complex World taught by Jennifer De Saxe, was a service learning course through which I volunteered at a high school and observed the students and teachers in action. We read educational theory on our college campus and then were a part of it in practice at the high school.
What would you say is the most important thing you learned at Lewis & Clark?
The most important thing I learned at L&C was how to collaborate with people. My classes at L&C fostered a community of participation where we worked together and shared ideas in order to understand concepts. I use this ability to collaborate in my life after college and hope to continue using it in grad school.
Why did you double major in English and Hispanic studies?
I double majored in English and Hispanic studies because I am so passionate about literature that I wanted to study it in not one but two different languages! Joking aside, I have always loved to read and studying literature in both my English and Spanish courses provided me a way to make connections between texts and our society. Some novels and passages allowed me to reflect on myself and others provided me with a connection to cultures, experiences, identities, and circumstances with which I was not previously familiar.
How do you stay connected to Lewis & Clark as an alum?
I graduated the year before the world shut down due to the global pandemic. In that time, attending alumni and campus events obviously became quite challenging. I hope to attend more in the future! I do stay in contact with many friends that I made at Lewis & Clark and I reach out to professors and faculty members, as well.
Who was your mentor on campus? Why do you consider this person your mentor?
My mentor was Professor Karen Gross from the English department. Karen was also my academic counselor. In every conversation I had with Karen, she would share with me all sorts of scholarship and grant opportunities, job openings, and internship recommendations. She was always looking out for me and helping me figure out my path in college and beyond.
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 studied abroad in Valparaíso, Chile, in order to strengthen my Spanish skills. My study abroad experience was fantastic from start to finish, and it helped me grow as a person and as a student.
