Kaitlin Hall

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I was drawn in by the idea of going to this little college in the woods with cobblestone paths and a Manor House that looked like something out of a fairytale. Then I started looking into majors and minor and study abroad opportunities. I knew I really wanted to study abroad and the programs I saw appealed to me. I also spent a lot of time in the Pacific Northwest growing up and made the choice to go to college here, L&C just fit the bill.

What have you been doing since graduation?

Well, I graduated with a MS in Criminology with a certificate in Crime Analysis in June of 2021. During that program, I became the VP and Secretary of the PSU chapter of Alpha Pi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. I was also one of the first two academic interns the OLCC ever had. I worked with their data analysts to research the effect of new Alcohol Delivery Laws due to Covid-19 on Public Health and Safety. As of now, I’ve been working in Intellectual Property Law as both a Legal Assistant and Docketing Clerk. I know I want to get a PhD eventually but right now I’m enjoying living in Portland and trying my hand at brewing. I’m interning under a brewer in my spare time learning about brewing and running a brewpub.

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your job?

During my time at L&C I found myself taking what I thought were going to be electives and then ending up with a minor (or two in my case). I did put a heavy workload on myself, but I was just wanting to learn as much as I could during my undergrad years. Four years seems like a long time until you realize there are hundreds of classes you can take and only so many hours and credits in the day. When I decided to go to grad school I chose to go straight from L&C to PSU to continue my education with the same hunger for knowledge. I barreled through that first year of grad school and I realized that the passion I gained for learning at L&C translated extremely well into finding a niche subject in grad school. I could finally focus on one subject and devote that passion and energy. L&C awoke that in me, and I really think I wouldn’t have been able to find that anywhere else. It opened a up a path for me I never knew I could take.

What would you say is the most important thing you learned at Lewis & Clark?

To be proud of myself. I remember constantly downplaying my accomplishments and focusing on my shortcomings rather than my success. I had a great relationship with my College and Major Advisor, Janet Davidson, and she kind of told me early on that its okay to not take on so much and just focus on what I want to focus on in my studies. She was the first person to really make me realize that it’s okay to celebrate the little things and its okay to not win every time. My senior year I took Tech of the Future with Autumn Kellar and he would really focus on growth mindset and that failure was encouraged because it’s not really failing it’s just a reason to try again and learn. I walked away with that class feeling so much more confident than I had ever felt before in my studies.

Why did you major in Psychology? Why did you minor in Asian Studies and Religious Studies?

I knew I wanted to be a Psychology major when I started looking for colleges. I took AP Psych in high school and was fascinated by the human brain. Psychology at LC really challenged me and I’m glad that I took that route in my studies. It led me to pursue a graduate degree in Criminology at PSU where I took the knowledge from my Psychology degree and applied it to another area of science.

Additionally, I ended up with a minor in Asian Studies and Religious studies. There was no minor for Entrepreneurship when I was at L&C but I guarantee that if there was, I would have held a minor in that as well. I took a class called Contemporary Korean Culture, which was taught by Youngdae Kim at the time, my freshman year and immediately started looking into other courses in the Asian Studies department. I took courses in art, culture, and religion and ended up having enough credit for not only a minor in Asian Studies but Religious Studies as well. With both of those departments being relatively small, I got to know the Professors well and that only added to my positive experience with my studies.

How do you stay connected to Lewis & Clark as an alum?

Most of my friends are LC Alumni, it’s great to have people in your circle that experienced similar things to you in early adulthood. I also look forward to getting the L&C Magazine in the mail and catching up on what the students and professors are doing in their studies.

Psychology Asian Studies Religious Studies