Shell Khandro Santucci
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
What’s your favorite class? Why?
Adolescent Development with Associate Professor Lina Darwich … Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mindfulness/Awareness Practices (MAPS) are my cup of tea.
What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?
I was called to the program and the all-around openness of L&C toward me … It felt as if I was meant to come here. Magnetic! The prestige and landscape are reasons as well. The school is a lighthouse that guides folks who want to shape the future world into her harbor! The MAT program is laser-focused on social justice and imparts the knowledge of progressive pedagogy onto our cohort.
What do you like or find most interesting about your program?
Figuring out how the adolescent brain works has been illuminating for me as a mother and educator, and being taught HOW to spread my joy for reading generationally forward has been wonderful too.
What do you like most about the cohort model in your program? What unique perspective do you bring to your cohort?
I will know these people for the rest of my life. We certainly are a family, no two of us the same. Our collective voice is extraordinary and I am honored to learn alongside these folks. Our collective ability to share space for radically different yet aligned perspectives is amazing.
Tell us about your support systems and social outlets on campus: people, activities, etc.
I know I can turn to my advisors and cohort for support. I have felt enveloped in the care of L&C since before I even submitted my application. Associate Professor Maika Yeigh wrote to me urging me to complete my application!
Did the graduate school’s mission of social justice influence your decision to attend Lewis & Clark? How does that mission align with your personal goals?
Absolutely! I have a Promethean need to be an individual that advocates for my community, especially the children within them. I feel this mission is the most sacred on Earth.
What has your intern or practicum experience been like? Have you experienced anything unexpectedly challenging or rewarding?
Everyday is a challenge that is always sandwiched sweetly in rewards. It’s been a cycle of learning, with all that entails.
How did your financial aid package influence your decision to attend Lewis & Clark?
Oh I am deeply grateful for the financial aid I have received. I have a family to care for over here and we are doing just fine. I mean … is it enough to live on? Almost! And that is a blessing. We make it work!
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Surrender. Just relax in the waves of this place. Your road led you here, you belong, and you can DO this!
Who is your mentor on campus? Why?
I would have to say my fellow mothers, Maika Yeigh and Cari Zall. They are steadfast and compassionate!
What’s one of the best spots on campus?
I like the apiary and the well-worn and wide stump nearby. On a warm day, it soaks up the sun and you can relax into it listening to the buzz of the bees making honey.
What’s your favorite thing about living in Portland?
I love Portland! I love living here knowing I am on sacred Indigenous ground, that I belong to and draw strength from the rivers here, and that there really is something magical about the PNW. Gentle and fierce, like water and wood!
How has Lewis & Clark changed you?
I am in a place of life that I could of only dreamt of just a short time ago. L&C has leveled me up to a transcendent space.