This week I decided that I would graduate a year early, so this marks my last year at LC. It is an extremely bittersweet decision, but I'm confident it's the right one. The societal changes brought by covid have changed many people's plans and that includes mine.
I think this all starts back when I was choosing what college I wanted to attend. I remember being at my high school as a junior and my college counselor sending out emails about informational sessions for different colleges. I went to several of these, and one of them was for Lewis and Clark. We heard the presentation and looked through the brochures, and then got to the Q&A portion. I asked about study abroad programs, and the counselor giving the presentation said they were glad I asked because LC is nationally known for having great study abroad opportunities. As a junior, I was a little ways off from making big decisions or starting an application, but I remembered that presentation about LC.
Flash forward to the summer before my senior year, and I was furiously researching small liberal arts colleges, trying to decide where to apply come November and January. Lewis & Clark kept winding up on my list, and I decided to make it one of the schools I would visit in the fall. I adored my visit to LC. I met so many people that were relatable, and the admissions counselors were so nice and wonderful, and it was just a really great visit. I remember my tour guide a senior and was from NM like me, and he talked about his study abroad experience in Greece, and how much he enjoyed it. And I met lots of other students who were discussing where they might choose to go abroad. I decided to apply early action, and I got my acceptance letter over winter break during my senior year. I realized that there was nowhere else I wanted to go more than LC, so I didn't apply to any more schools, and I accepted the offer from LC.
Once I had chosen LC as my school, I didn't need to obsess over searching for a college, so I turned my attention to dorms and study abroad. I spent a long time on the LC website looking through all the different dorm options, deciding what was best for me. I decided I wanted to live in a quad with 3 other students because I wanted to chance to get to know more people. And then I spent lots of time looking through the study abroad office website looking at all the programs and imagining which one I might go on. It was really fun to picture myself on each adventure.
Finally, I got to LC and spent even more time as a first-year debating my option. I got lots of advice from my professors and the counselors at the overseas office. and I'm really grateful I got to have all those conversations. I decided to prioritize studying Spanish, and that I would spend one semester in Mexico and one semester in Spain.
That was supposed to be this year. All throughout my time at LC and even as I was selecting a college, going abroad has always been a priority, so I'm very sad that my dreams of learning abroad have been dashed by the pandemic. And it looks like this global catastrophe may continue for much longer than anyone may have originally thought. Because I had planned to be abroad for a year, I set myself up to finish most of my major requirements in just 3 years. So now that I'm on campus for my junior year, I am finishing my majors at the end of this year, and taking 2 summer classes to meet all my requirements. I'm so grateful to all of my mentors and the college advising staff who all helped me figure out all the details and talk through my options. I'm really grateful that I've been able to build up those relationships and turn to them for advice and guidance. I can't imagine having that experience anywhere else. I know I've got a bit of a tough time ahead of me to get all my graduation requirements in and I'm glad I will have really supportive professors and counselors who I can turn to for help.
I love talking about life at LC, and I would love to help answer any questions you might have. Please feel free to email me at quentingau@lclark.edu