MEET THE ASG ACADEMIC AFFAIRS REP.

Collin-Kazu Lewis is the new Academic Affairs representative for the Associated Student Government here at Mt. Hood Community College – and by far, its youngest team member.

He joined the ASG this fall and advocates for different academic programs, and he helps students with questions on their education. If students have any issues with their teachers, they can come to him for assistance.

So far, Lewis has been focusing on spreading the word on Open Educational Resources (OER), a program where students have access to free and/or low-cost textbooks.

One of his goals is to get MHCC teachers and students to use OER. He is currently conducting meetings with different departments on campus to demonstrate the success rate OER has shown in student performance. Another goal is to improve the Textbook Affordability link on Mt. Hood’s website.

He is also currently preparing for a panel discussion of OER at Portland State University, with other colleges present. A formal “OER Week” starts at the beginning of March, and he is starting to organize activities for that week, as well.

Something that sets Lewis aside from other ASG members is that he is just 15 years old, making him the youngest ASG member. He joined the Metro East Web Academy (MEWA) and its Early College program last summer and was able to start at Mt. Hood early. He is taking prerequisites for an associate’s degree in pre-medicine, and by the time he completes that he will also receive his high school diploma.

“Have a goal, know what gets you to the goal, and just do it.”

Lewis estimates he will finish both his associate’s degree and diploma around the year 2021. He plans to attend Oregon State University to finish his pre-medicine program and then transfer to a medical school.

For now, he has one of the busiest schedules a person can have, especially for such a young student. He spends at least 11 hours daily at school, including working in the ASG, going to class, and attending his meetings. Then, there’s the hours of homework he has to finish outside of school.

When Lewis started working at the ASG he felt a lot of pressure being the youngest there, and even had some people doubt in his ability, he said. He says now that he simply needs to demonstrate to everyone that he can do the same tasks any other student can do, and that he deserves the role.

It’s a good example of a piece of advice he would give to all students: “Have a goal, know what gets you to the goal, and just do it.”