Vice-President of Student Affairs

Samantha Valdovinos

Personal Statement:
¿Que Tal Lewis & Clark? My name is Samantha Valdovinos and I would be honored to serve you as Vice President of Student Affairs. I am a second year law student with an immense passion for student advocacy and I also have extensive experience working in student government and serving as a student representative in multiple capacities.

Prior to attending Lewis & Clark, I attended an undergraduate school with about 22,000 students and was an elected Senator in the student government that also functions as a nonprofit corporation.  As Senator, I served on different hiring committees for faculty and administrative positions. I was also elected to both the Student Fee Advisory Board and the Alternative Funding Committee (a committee focused on raising money for the school’s children’s center). Lastly, I was selected by the Dean of Students to serve as the only student voice on a committee that reviewed department grant proposals and selected a department to award a $50,000 grant for student programming. Outside my roles in the student government, I also worked as a resident advisor for 3 years where I worked closely with the Career Center, Counseling Center and the Office of Student Life.

My experience in student affairs and leadership at L&C is very indicative of my passion for student advocacy and willingness to serve this organization. I joined the Latino Law Society (LLS) in 2011 and have served as the Secretary of the Organization for the 2012-2013 academic year. During my tenure with LLS, I have undertaken several projects, including revising the organization’s bylaws, increasing the organization’s publicity outlets by creating a facebook account, expanding our cross-cultural collaborations by coordinating programs with student organization’s LLS has not collaborated with in the past including OUTLAW’s Transnational LGBTQ panel. Currently, I am developing a mentoring program through LLS to mentor at-risk and low income high school students.

I have a lot of school spirit and have represented Lewis & Clark with a lot of fervor this past year. In the fall, I competed in the Mock Trial intraschool competition and advanced to the Regional Competition in San Francisco.   I also participated in the National NALSA moot court competition as an assistant coach for the 2013 team. This Spring I was elected by the Student Bar Association to serve as a student representative on the admissions committee. In the last three months, I have reviewed over 60 student applications and have worked hard with the rest of the committee to diligently select the most qualified students for L&C’s incoming class of 2016.

I really love L&C and I love the opportunities that SBA has to offer for students to learn and grow as professionals! I am very passionate about  any project I undertake and that is why I hope you will vote for me as Vice President of Student Affairs!

Goals:
As Vice President of Student Affairs, I will work hard to meet the needs and goals of the organization. I consider myself to be a listener, problem solver and a team player. As such, I would like to host office hours for students to voice any concerns they may have and then work with SBA to find a resolution.

Because I consider myself to be very people-oriented I always try to gain deeper insights into the unique characteristics that make people special. This is something I will bring to the role of Vice President, which I believe is what makes me a great candidate for working with the diverse group of students, student leaders, organizations, faculty and administration at L&C. Further, beyond the role of Vice President, as a member of SBA I will continue to commit myself to fulfilling L& C’s philosophy by putting “students at the heart of what we do” by being a transparent leader students can trust and turn to with their concerns.

Thank you for your time!