Ross Miyabuchi

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

Originally it was because they offered me the highest paying scholarship. But there were some other reasons as well. It was the only college on the West Coast that gave me a scholarship. I also heard they had a lot of Hawai’ian and international students. They were also the only college that sent a representative to speak at my high school.

What have you been doing since graduation?

Always learning, even at work. I try to enjoy everything as best I can.

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your job?

In terms of my major, the college didn’t prepare me as best as I hoped. The mathematical sciences department doesn’t have the variety of the other departments; many had dozens of different subjects. During the latter half of my career, they started to add more topics, but I was too far into my degree to take up any of them. The computer science program specifically only prepared me for a software development career, which involves a lot of coding. My current position barely uses any coding, if at all.

The college did help me in terms of networking. I was able to meet a lot of different people throughout my time there, many of which I still keep in contact with. I even talked with a few alumni on LinkedIn. The college also helped me with my ability to speak publicly. The classes I took were very presentation heavy and I was able to hone my public speaking skills, even during the pandemic. I even participated in the Baccalaureate of 2022. I would like to thank the college, specifically Associate Professor Peter Drake and his Earthquake Preparedness team, for giving me my first real job right out of college. I was able to use that job as a springboard to push me to a more permanent position. It also granted me a source of income that I definitely used wisely.

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

Definitely how to speak to people. You meet so many different individuals that it’s impossible NOT to meet someone with different views or different backgrounds. Learning how to speak with them without it leading to an outburst is a skill I picked up quickly and am still keeping up with today. I would like to add that no matter what concentration someone picks when they go to college, nothing matters more than learning how to communicate with others. You could be the most brilliant neuroscientist or the most gifted dancer in the world. Skill gets you part way there. Often, you can’t get your foot in the door anywhere if people don’t like you. So, make them like you by learning how to talk to them. I like to talk about a friend of mine who said they were going to go into computer science because they wouldn’t have to interact with anyone. Oh if only they could see their freshman self now.

Why did you major in computer science?

Computer science is the future! Well, more or less. Technology will always be evolving and I want to be there with it.

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

I’ve come back to the college a few times after graduation. First to the Baccalaureate, but I also had the honor of presenting at some of my old professors’ classes to talk about what life after graduation is like for a computer science student. A few students have also reached out to me on LinkedIn to help them find careers. I hope I helped.

How do you describe the liberal arts?

Almost too many choices. There were a lot of classes I wanted to take and classes that I wish I didn’t take. If I wasn’t on a time limit, I would have tried every single political science course because it sounded interesting. Unfortunately none of the classes matched up with the timings I wanted.

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

I’m torn between Operating Systems with Assistant Professor Alain Kägi and Computer Security with Professor Jens Mache. Both classes were brand new to the computer science department at the time and were taught by two professors I’ve had before. This was the moment when I discovered that there was so much more to computer science than just coding programs. This was also when I realized that the department itself was quite small compared to the other departments in the college.

Where did you find your community on campus?

I owe my social life to my roommate. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had a group to hang out with. I was around the international students and Third Culture Kids almost constantly. My entry to them was a bit abrasive, but I’m thankful that one particular student was able to point it out to me before I burned that bridge.
Despite me being American, I felt at home there. While I was never able to know their struggles first-hand, I’m glad they accepted me.

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

I wouldn’t say I had a specific mentor. I took something from each professor I had the opportunity to learn from. All in all, I am glad I was able to meet them, even if for some it was only one semester.

Computer Science