Cody Bowen-Crosby

*Student-supplied profile photo due to COVID-19. Thank you, Bowen!

Pronouns

he/him

Degree and Class Year

BA ’22

Hometown

Kalispell, Montana

Major

Biology and World Languages (double)

Extracurriculars

International Students and Scholars/Third Culture Kids Club, French Club, Russian Club

Overseas study

France, New Zealand

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

Rigorous, Welcoming, Accommodating

What was your favorite class? How did it expand your knowledge?

Understanding How We Understand the Maya with Assistant Professor David Galaty. Professor Galaty’s passion for his subject was exceptionally clear. While we looked at an ancient society that has persisted to this day, we never exhausted the multitude of modern issues they’ve faced like indigenous rights, the roles of indigenous societies in the world of expanding liberal economies, gentrification, piety, and so on. What made this course special was its focus on a forgotten people and the passion with which the subject was taught.

Who is your mentor on campus? Why do you consider this person your mentor?

Picking a mentor can be both very easy and quite challenging because there are so many welcoming and warm people on this campus. I was immediately drawn to Associate Professor Isabelle DeMarte, who taught French 301. While her class was fun and engaging, I also saw her true passion for education and her profession. It drew me to ask her to be my advisor for my world languages major. She is an incredibly warm and congenial person with whom I have had many amazing conversations.

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I had a rather unique high school experience, finishing at a United World Colleges (UWCs). My older sibling went to L&C as well, and I learned about UWCs through their friends here. After high school, I came to Lewis & Clark because, despite having the chance to go all over the world, this college had the best opportunity for growth in my major, is located in one of the best cities in the Northwest for food, and seemed to have faculty that care about having a genuine relationship with their students. It feels great to be able to come back to the same place that taught me about the UWCs initially.

How do you describe the liberal arts?

The liberal arts, as opposed to a purely vocational education, focuses more on the development of the individual in terms of skills rather than rote memorization. It involves active engagement and participation in class rather than passive recognition, and emphasizes the importance of communication, analysis, and teamwork across all professions.

If you have studied or will study overseas while at Lewis & Clark, how did you choose your program? What did your overseas study add to your L&C experience so far?

I am going to Strasbourg, France, during the spring semester of 2021. Having been to France before, and being able to speak the language, I knew that I wanted to return and experience it as a student immersed among native French peers. However, I also wanted a program in a city that one would not normally visit that was close to the alps, so Strasbourg it was!

What advice do you have for prospective students?

Don’t pick your school based on a figure from some website; pick your school off of where you think you’ll be happiest and where you want to plant the seeds to start a professional career.

What’s your favorite spot on campus?

I love the Graduate School of Education and Counseling! South campus can have great views of the city that you wouldn’t normally get from the north end!

What’s your favorite thing about living in Portland?

The food! You never run out of weird and wacky options when eating out in Portland! You just have to be adventurous.

How did you decide on a major?

I couldn’t decide on just one, I picked two! Languages have always come naturally to me, and I have always enjoyed them, so I decided to test into the world languages major to get further education in the ones I spoke. In picking my biology major, I thought of something that I saw myself doing in the future that I enjoyed and was curious about. Despite how difficult both of these things are to schedule together, I am incredibly happy with my decision and have not looked back.