Brynn Rova

Brynn Rova '19

Pronouns

she/her

Degree and Class Year

BA ’19

Hometown

Saint Michael, Minnesota

Major

English

Extracurriculars

Anything in the theatre department, a cappella, L&C Quidditch Club, Admissions Ambassadors program, Writing Center

Overseas study

Dublin, Ireland

What three words would you use to describe L&C?

Passionate, Quirky, Enlightening

What’s your favorite class? How has it expanded your knowledge?

My favorite class was The Victorians: Heroes, Decadents, and Madwomen. It is an English course taught by Andrea Hibbard that focused on the writing styles of the Victorian period. The class made me fall in love with the novels of that era while also showing me just how close you can get to a group of people when you all have something to bond over. Everyone in that class got along really well, which allowed us a nice, open space for discussion. That class became the most comfortable place for me to talk simply because it was such a welcoming space.

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I knew that I wanted to go to a private, liberal arts college, and L&C fit that perfectly. The small class sizes and friendliness of the faculty only solidified my love for the school. I knew it was a place that didn’t just want its students to pass their classes and graduate, but instead wanted them to succeed and enrich their lives. Not to mention, the campus is beautiful!

What did your overseas study add to your L&C experience so far?

I went to Ireland in the spring of 2017. It was an absolutely unbelievable experience. I bonded with every one of my fellow students and got to explore a whole new culture. Even if Ireland isn’t too different from America, it still made me see the world in a new way. At the time of my program, Ireland was going through a major social movement with people fighting about abortion rights. While that’s a big topic here in America, it was a huge point of contention in Ireland. So during our program, we got to participate in the activity by going to marches and talking to the public about their thoughts on the issue. It was really interesting to experience a major movement like that as it’s currently happening.

How did you decide to declare your major and minor?

To be honest, I don’t think I had a choice in either of them—both departments kind of chose me. I’ve always been in love with writing and reading. Anything literary was beautiful in my mind, and I even wrote little stories when I was a kid. Books are such an essential part of my past and who I am that I can’t imagine not being an English major. As for theatre, the stage has constantly been a second home to me. From a very young age, I found myself drawn to acting and portraying fictional characters. It felt like bringing to life and embodying those characters I fell in love with in books. That said, I never really planned on doing anything with theatre. I didn’t even partake in any theatre productions until the fall of my sophomore year when I heard the school was putting on my favorite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. I just knew that I had to audition, and lo and behold, I got cast as the female lead, Beatrice. After coming back to theatre, I just couldn’t fathom leaving it again, so I continued to audition for shows and enrolled in the department classes. At that point, I was so hooked into the theatre scene again that I just had to minor.

What’s your favorite spot on campus?

The long green lawn in the estate gardens is always gorgeous, but when it’s late at night and you’re stressed from schoolwork or rehearsals, the lawn is almost ethereal with the stars sparkling overhead.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Portland?

It’s such a cute, little city. It’s not like other cities I’ve been to; it feels almost smaller. Whereas other cities feel big and loud, Portland almost feels like a city made up of small towns. It has everything you’d need in a city (big corporations, large concert venues, etc.) but the majority of it is smaller shops and local businesses.

What’s your best Lewis & Clark memory so far?

It’s going to sound small and cheesy, but I vividly remember the day I came back to L&C for the fall semester of my sophomore year, and my friends tackled me with hugs the moment they saw me. Of course, I’ve gotten hugs before, and I have done even more fun things with that group of friends, but that was the moment that I knew I found a group of people that would stick with me through everything. Those people have really taken my L&C experience to a whole new level of greatness.