Your Degree = Career Success

Studying the liberal arts at Lewis & Clark means that your education is grounded in critical thinking, written and verbal communication skills, teamwork, and problem solving. 

You will build relationships with professors and peers, gain practical experience through internships in Portland and beyond, and create connections among ideas and across disciplines. The Career Center and the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership will support your career success through advising, networking, resources, programming, and more.

  • 96% 

    Within six months of graduation, 96% of the Lewis & Clark Classes of 2018–2022 were already changing the world through employment (76%), continuing studies (19%), and service work (1%), like the Peace Corps.

  • Top 50 

    Lewis & Clark is on the list of 50 best colleges on the West Coast.

  • Top 

    For the seventh time in 10 years, Lewis & Clark has been named a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Top Producing Institution for 2023–24.

  • Top 

    Lewis & Clark earned a spot on Princeton Review’s 2024 “Best Colleges” list.

  • #1 

    Lewis & Clark is ranked #1 for service on Washington Monthly’s 2023 “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” list.

Where Lewis & Clark Will Take You

Lewis & Clark gives you the essential skills you need to succeed in any career. In fact, the top five career competencies identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers align perfectly with the core values of a liberal arts education: critical thinking/problem solving; work ethic; teamwork/collaboration; oral/written communications; and leadership.

  • L&C taught me how to engage with different fields of study, which has prepared me for my jobs and law school, and gave me the skills to think critically and analytically.

    Nicolas Read BA ’18
    German Studies and International Affairs (double)
    More about Nicolas
  • I am interning abroad at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, supporting the work of the Political Affairs section covering issues ranging from elections and democracy to human rights and trafficking in persons. Next, I will head back to Washington, DC to begin my graduate program in Asian Studies at Georgetown University.

    Sarah Lind-MacMillan BA ’22
    International Affairs
    More about Sarah
  • My graduate school thesis explores the early days of international space law — and builds on my undergrad senior thesis!

    Emma Celebrezze BA ’20
    Religious Studies and History (double) | Saint Paul, Minnesota
    More about Emma

Alumni Success Stories

career success, IAS, international affairs symposium, outcomes, research, student event, symposia, symposium

International Affairs Symposium Focuses on Control

The 62nd annual Lewis & Clark International Affairs Symposium is one of the oldest student-run symposia in the country. This year’s event, which runs from April 8 to April 10, is titled Strings Attached: Tracing the Global Systems That Bind.

academic awards, career success, experiential learning, fulbright award, Fulbright Scholar, international education, international, outcomes, overseas and off campus, overseas

Lewis & Clark Extends Its Run as a Top Fulbright Producer

For the seventh time in 10 years, Lewis & Clark has been named one of the top producers of Fulbright Award winners in the country, according to the U.S. Department of State. With four Fulbright grants in 2023–24, Lewis & Clark is in the Top 50 baccalaureate producers of student Fulbrights in the nation.

alumni, Bates Center, career success, experiential learning, internship, outcomes, renewable energy, summer internship, sustainability summer internship, sustainability

Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company.

Lena Essak BA ’24 spent her summer as a paid community relations intern in the Portland office of EDP Renewables. Thanks to the Bates Center Summer Sustainability Internship course, she was able to learn, grow, and gain hands-on experience while working alongside two supportive Lewis & Clark alumni.

career center, career success, career, experiential learning, outcomes

Lewis & Clark Students Visit Meta in Seattle

Two Meta employees, who are also Lewis & Clark alumni, welcomed students to Meta’s Seattle office and shared their career stories.

alumni, career success

L&C’s First Native Scholar-Artist in Residence to Focus on Shakespeare

Waylon Lenk BA ’08, a Shakespeare scholar and theatre artist, will join the college as its first Native Scholar-Artist in Residence this fall. Lenk will give a talk at New Student Orientation and direct the theatre department’s fall production of Henry IV, Part 1.

alumni, career success, international affairs, outcomes, politics

West Linn Selects Recent Alum as Youngest-Ever Mayor

In May, West Linn, Oregon, residents resoundingly chose 23-year-old Rory Bialostosky BA ’22 as the city’s youngest-ever mayor. His election as mayor follows a series of “firsts,” including a term as West Linn’s youngest city council member while he was a full-time student at Lewis & Clark.