Elena Becker ’17
For Elena Becker ’17, the pursuit of lifelong learning has always been central to who she is. “I feel very fortunate that so much of my career has rewarded and encouraged curiosity,” she says. During her time at Puget Sound, Becker undertook two study abroad experiences— one in Malaysian Borneo, one in Madagascar—as well as independent research, work as an orientation leader and admissions interviewer, and four years as a varsity lacrosse player. “In the same way I value holism in my education, I value holism in my life,” Becker says. As part of this holism, she says, she has always been drawn to public service—evident in her volunteer work as a girls’ lacrosse coach and a farmhand despite her many spinning plates. “I feel really passionate about the idea that we can do more together than we can apart,” Becker says. Since graduating and working for several years in Puget Sound’s admission office, Becker leaned into this interest by earning a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance in 2023. She then went on to work at the Washington Supreme Court as the judicial assistant to Chief Justice Steven González; this past November, she started a new role as a nonpartisan research analyst in the Washington State Senate, where she provides research, analysis, and support to state senators and committees. She describes her career path as a privilege, and one that ties into her innate academic interests. “No matter what my career has been, what’s been relevant has been curiosity, confidence, and the understanding of how to ask an informed question when you’re not an expert in a topic,” Becker says of the skills she developed and honed at Puget Sound. “That kind of foundational inquiry underpins a lot of what I do.”