Portia Uwase

Attending

Academic Major

Economics

Class of 2021

Portia Uwase, from Kigali, Rwanda, is a junior at Lewis & Clark College studying economics. She hopes to help other women become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses. Portia also hopes to aid in the development of Rwanda’s economy by being directly involved in the creation of economic policies.

On campus, she is an office assistant for the Alumni and Parents Programs, where she helps with event preparations and encourages alumni and parents to participate. She believes that her constant interaction with people of all backgrounds has helped her to become an effective communicator. In 2019, Portia volunteered at an orphanage in Dakar, learning how to work in a diverse environment and how to solve problems spontaneously. In January 2018, Portia won a full scholarship to participate in Winterim, an intensive entrepreneurship program at Lewis & Clark. The eye-opening experience provided her with ideas on how to help expand her mother’s business in Rwanda, how to bring in more women, and how to create additional employment opportunities. Portia is also a regular contributor to a local creative art and culture website, Mellowviews.com, where her team has released three digital magazines. She is continuously developing her analytical and writing skills, through interning for a political journal in Senegal and a nonprofit organization in Portland. 

Before joining SHE-CAN, Portia was fortunate to attend Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology. She graduated in 2015 and excelled in the Rwanda National Exam. Outside the classroom, she was the chief editor of the school magazine, the leader of a drama club, and led community service projects.

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Mentor Team

Holly Constant
Caroline Donahue
Terry Dwyer Hurley, John Hancock Life Insurance Company
Beezie Handy, Systems Business Analyst, John Hancock Life Insurance Company
Jennifer Lewis, VP of Marketing, WePay 
Nicole Lytle