Phoenix Cox

What’s your favorite class? Why?

Either The Art of Solidarity taught by Magalí Rabasa or Voice and Movement taught by Rebecca Lingafelter. The Art of Solidarity was my words class, and I appreciated the depth and variety of perspectives explored in the class with various options for responding to the class, as well as her passion. Voice and Movement changed the way I interact with my own voice and the way I take up space in the world while also being the most foundational class I have taken in making my own art.

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

As a member of the high school class of 2020, I was lucky enough to have been able to tour L&C before having to decide where to go to college. I set foot on the campus and I knew it was where I belonged, as cliche as it sounds. I did not have much prior knowledge of L&C before my tour, but I left certain that I was going to attend. Additionally, the study abroad programs, the way I heard students talk about the community, and that L&C seemed to be a campus where things happened, that even when mostly empty, it feels teeming with life and possibilities.

What do you like or find most interesting about your major?

That theatre deals with the self and as an actor, it forces me to think about the way I exist in the world outside of the theatre building. I don’t only do reading for my classes, but also getting to put into practice the things I learn in class in my everyday life is really unique. Theatre spans more than just Shakespeare or broadway, the more I study theatre and get older, the more I see how theatre really is about how we create the environments we exist inside of and all of the necessary thought processes to create those environments. It’s much more applicable than you might think, there is so much collaboration and support in theatre that those skills aid me daily.

What do you like or find most interesting about your minor?

I find most interesting about my minor is that it has so much diversity while also being able to continually pull from the same pool of knowledge. I can take a Latin American History class and then a Spanish Literature class the next semester and be able to use the knowledge from the history class in my literature class and I am able to understand the readings in a different way than my peers due to this previous knowledge. I also like that the learning deepens and expands as you progress through the minor, where you can learn about the same event in different classes but being able to analyze the same event from different disciplines is fascinating to me, I like being able to use my previous knowledge while also continuously expanding my knowledge.

Tell us about your support systems and social outlets on campus: people, activities, clubs, res halls, etc.

Tea Club has been a big way that I have met people on campus, it’s a very low stress environment and all you have to do is like tea (and for bonus points, bring a mug and a spoon!) to talk with different people. Improv (Serious Club) has also been a major support for me, everyone on the Improv team is so genuine and supportive. It is really nice to have a place to come and let go while being silly. I really loved living in the Visual and Performing Arts Living Learning Community (VAPA); knowing that I was surrounded by fellow artistically minded people made me feel really comfortable introducing myself.

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?

I studied abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador! I chose my program because I needed to complete my science requirement and I also wanted to continue to improve my Spanish. Also, getting to say that I got to do biology in the Ecuadorian Amazon as a theatre major was a bonus. My overseas experience taught me that the only way out is through, and the importance of relying on others in difficult situations. It also has been a huge benefit in classes for my minor, being able to have had a deep cultural experience in the region that I’ve been studying.

What advice do you have for incoming students?

Find some way to keep track of your assignments (and actually take the time to do them). A good sleep schedule will be your best friend; college is exhausting and I personally notice a stark difference when I get enough sleep and when I don’t. Being an underclassman can be intimidating, you don’t want to feel like you’re burdening professors or other faculty members by asking for help or using resources because your work “isn’t important enough,” and that’s not true at all. For any artists: these spaces you are learning in are some of the nicest spaces you’ll work in for a long time, so take advantage of them and make your own stuff! It doesn’t have to be good. Also, you’re going to feel like you’re running out of time, but it is so much longer (and shorter) than you think it is, so slow down and take the time to enjoy your experience.

Did you visit campus before deciding to come to L&C? How did your visit influence your decision to attend?

It was super important for me, I do not think I would have come if I had not visited. Being able to visit helped me feel that it was the right place for me.

How do you describe the liberal arts?

Broad, but interconnected.

What do you remember most about your New Student Orientation?

How hot it was! I didn’t really connect with the people in my group, and that’s okay. I still see those people around campus and I like that I have a connection with them, even if we haven’t talked since then. The extra time before classes was really helpful to meet new people, and I am still close with the people I met during orientation week.

If you went on a New Student Trip with College Outdoors, how did it shape your experience as an incoming student?

I got a virtual New Student Trip, which partially was just a way to fill a week of the time left in my parents’ house, but it definitely motivated me to want to lead the Creative PDX trip when it was introduced. I wanted to give the experience that I could not have, and also to meet some cool artists and build a community of people who express themselves.

Who are your mentors on campus? Why?

Rebecca Lingafelter and Štěpán Šimek have mentored me and are the reason I am the artist I am. Štěpán gave me the foundation I needed, and Rebecca taught me the importance of opening myself up to not just the audience, but the world around me while nurturing my curiosities about Shakespeare and how the voice can inform not just our acting, but the very essence of who we are.

What’s one of the best spots on campus?

The Platteau! Not only does it have great vibes, but it has lots of couches and free art supplies that you can use to make your own art!

What’s your favorite thing about living in Portland?

How you can cross a bridge and feel like you’re in a different city.

How did you decide on your major?

I have loved theatre and performing since I was little, and when it came time to pick a major, I didn’t know what else to pick. Initially, I was going to double major, but after a couple attempts of finding a second major, I gave up and decided to take a minor instead.

How did you decide on your minor?

After my failed attempts of choosing a second major fell through, I ended up being suggested to take Elliott Young’s Colonial Latin America history class and then a couple weeks later, deciding on studying abroad in Ecuador. The history class and overseas program ended up filling requirements for the minor, and the rest is history!

What have been the biggest challenges you have faced at Lewis & Clark?

Knowing when to stop. It is all fun and games to be in all of the extracurriculars that you think are cool and fun and doing cool stuff on campus, but learning what are your personal limits and sticking to them is more important; burnout is very real and your time at L&C is a marathon, not a sprint.

What’s one of your best Lewis & Clark memories so far?

Performing with the Improv troupe or being in a theatre thesis where we were clowns inside of a museum representing what various people had lost to the early stages of the pandemic, combined with an outside celebration of the future.

How has Lewis & Clark changed you?

I am so much more sure of myself, my beliefs, who I am, and what is possible. I feel less scared to go for my dream of making my living off of theatre that I want to make, knowing that I will always have the theatre community built during my time at L&C.

How are you involved in the arts at L&C?

Besides being a theatre major, I am also a part of Serious Club, our Improv team, and have participated in numerous Once Upon a Weekend-s, L&C’s 24 hour theatre festival. I also have been a leader of the Creative PDX NST 2 times, and through that opportunity I was able to build connections with so many people and help create a community of artists.

Theatre Latin American and Latino Studies