Kodai Kubota

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I chose LC because of the extensive scholarship program and the beautiful campus.

What have you been doing since graduation?

I’ve been consulting, specializing in Global IT Organization Transformation.

How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for post-college life?

Lewis & Clark’s diversity made me aware of key considerations when it comes to inclusivity, and respecting peoples ways of working. This is now an integral part of my work life, aligning with project members at the start to identify everyone’s ways of working and being respectful to each other throughout the duration of the project. My minors in CS / Chinese also helped me succeed in two different projects I was involved in as a consultant. With regards to the first project, my Chinese skills came in handy. This project was a system migration where we needed to collaborate with both Deloitte China and clients/stakeholders based in China. Although my language skills were not enough to have technical discussions with the client, it did come in handy when building relationships with the client. As for the second project, my CS skills came in handy. This was a system implementation project supporting the Government initiative for providing Covid Relief Aid to mid/small sized companies. My fundamental background in coding prepared me for daily technical discussions with software engineers and architects.

Why did you major in International Affairs?

My experience as a Japanese Third Culture Kid in America/Singapore/China made me want to engage more in international relations. Especially around how cross-border relations and communications leverage/harm key historical outcomes.

If applicable, why did you minor in Computer Science and Chinese?

Given the rising demand for both CS/Chinese skills, it felt like the bare minimum for myself to engage with and have some basic understanding in.

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

Through the Alumni Association.

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

I minored in Chinese so I wanted to test/grow my capabilities in a local setting.
I still talk with colleagues I met in China today and although we all reside in different countries, these connections are definitely something to be cherished.