Former English major Heather (Eggen) Bowman was recently elected partner at the Portland, Oregon law firm Bodyfelt Mount, where she practices civil litigation, focusing specifically on employment litigation and defense of professional malpractice claims.
After graduating in 2001, Heather put her English degree to direct use teaching English literature at Qiqihar University in northeastern China. Teaching Chinese English majors their only English literature class in their college careers was a challenge, writes Heather, not only because of the intricacies of English language and literature, but also because of the foreignness to her students of the history, politics, geography, and thinking of the West.
As a lawyer, Heather continues, on a daily basis, to develop skills first honed at SPU. Although she rarely has an opportunity to quote William Blake, she constantly interprets documents and case law, tells client stories, and writes and argues her way to (she hopes) good results.