Laresa Beck, 2000

Upon graduating from Lewis & Clark, Laresa Beck worked as a program coordinator for a nonprofit in Colorado called The Women’s Center.  In this job, the two main SOAN skills she used were being able to effectively function in a new environment while also learning about it and being able to look at how people and institutions function together with a critical mindset.  After this job, Laresa went to graduate school to get a Master’s in Education.  She now works for Portland Public Schools as a School Climate Coach where she continues to put her SOAN skills to use regularly.  As a climate coach it is important for Laresa to understand how people exist together in society and as a community, a skill that she learned in the SOAN department.  Additionally she feels like SOAN taught her to approach all situations with both a critical eye and with empathy.  Laresa often feels that there is a strong connection between her undergraduate degree and current job and owes much of her insight to individuals in the SOAN department, family members, and coworkers.