Cooper Rodgers ’19 Named Inaugural Wyss Scholar

In 2017, the Wyss Foundation—a private charitable organization dedicated to Western public lands issues—selected Lewis & Clark to be one of the first law schools in its prestigious Wyss Scholars Program. This year, Lewis & Clark named Cooper Rodgers ’19 as its first Wyss scholar.

Rodgers spent much of his childhood in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California, surrounded by red-tailed hawks, mule deer, and coast live oak. His relationship to the land inspired him to work towards conserving and preserving natural areas, and in high school he interned with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

“Meaningful public service became my long-term career goal. During college I majored in environmental science, but came to realize that the hardest battle for our environment is being fought in the courtroom.”

While at Lewis & Clark, Rodgers is pursuing the Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law certificate. He has volunteered with the Natural Resources Defense Council, externed with Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, and participates in Lewis & Clark’s Earthrise clinic.

The Wyss Foundation’s Scholars Program supports graduate-level education for the next generation of leaders in Western land conservation. Lewis & Clark will select one Wyss Scholar each year.