Clair Lewis (’26 political science) is a self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to political science “I was obsessed with the president when I was little,” she said.
“I love learning,” Lewis said. “And I’m a huge history buff.”
Lewis appreciates the flexibility Iowa State’s Department of Political Science offers students through its pre-law track, which has allowed her to concentrate on law while also exploring other aspects of politics and civic engagement. This pathway also gives her a chance to investigate other careers if she ultimately decides law isn’t for her.
“With political science, I felt like there were other things I could do besides law school, other things I could fall into if I didn’t like law,” Lewis said.
Many avenues to explore
While Lewis followed the pre-law pathway, she never hesitated to take advantage of the opportunities offered outside of her classes. She served as a student ambassador for the Department of Political Science, where she took part in campus visits and answered prospective students’ and their parents’ questions.
“I think to know and understand what it’s like to be a student at Iowa State right now is a perspective that only other students can give,” Lewis said.
She also was a civic engagement intern with Cyclone Civics and took part in voter registration and non-partisan political issue education. Being well-informed is important to Lewis.
“I think, as political questions become more hot-button issues, it’s extra imperative that people be informed,” she said.
Lewis is currently working for Dave Peterson, Lucken Professor in Political Science, as a research assistant on his machine learning project. The experience has opened new doors for her.
“It’s super atypical. It’s not something I thought I’d get into,” she said.
Career path to success
Lewis has had an overwhelmingly positive experience in the political science department, which she credits to its career paths.
“I think the career paths are really interesting because it actually shows you the direction that you can go. You can pick one and you can think, ‘Oh, that’s perfect,’ or you can do a lot,” Lewis said. “Quite frankly, you can do a lot and still get pretty deep into all of them. So, I think that’s unique.”
Lewis knows that her political science classes will be instrumental in helping her succeed in whatever field she chooses.
“I think that’s something that, no matter what field I end up in, whether it’s law or whether it’s politics or anything else, they will be beyond beneficial,” Lewis said. “I think it’s made me a better writer. It’s made me a better mathematician. It translates into the other things that I’m doing because I’m a better thinker more broadly.”