Careers in Ethnic Studies

“Where Academic Excellence Meets Social Transformation” 

The Ethnic Studies major is designed to develop students’ abilities to think through the larger stakes involved in their life choices and to apply their academic skills toward life-affirming social change. As such, many of our students move on to a variety of career tracks in public leadership and service. Some of the professions our ES alumni have entered since 1998 include: 

Organizing and Non-Profit Sector 

  • Oregon State Director, Main Street Alliance, Salem, OR 
  • Human Resources Manger/Risk Management, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), Portland, OR 
  • Development and Marketing Officer, Humanities Tennessee, Nashville, TN 

Government 

  • Member, Oregon House of Representatives, Salem, OR 
  • Transition Coordinator, Oregon Department of Human Services, Salem, OR 
  • Director of International Relations, City of Portland, Portland, OR 

K-12 Education 

  • Program Director, Title VI Indian Education Program, Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR 
  • Principal, Cottage Grove High School, Cottage Grove, OR 
  • Managing Director, Southern California Recruitment, Teach for America 

Higher Education 

  • Native American Student and Community Center Manager, Portland State University, Portland, OR 
  • Student Activities and Outreach Manager, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Davis, CA 
  • Externship Coordinator, Oregon Culinary Institute, Portland, OR 

Business/Private Sector 

  • Senior Associate Analyst/Program Manager, Microsoft, Redmond, WA 
  • Broker, Coldwell Banker Seal, Portland, OR 
  • Event Producer, New York Public Radio, New York, NY