Christian Purnell
Undergraduate School: Carleton College
Major: Political Science
Minor: Economics
Recommended Book: "A Brief History of Time" - Stephen Hawking
Christian admittedly understood only a small portion of the book, but the book was written in a way that encouraged him to feel humbled rather than discouraged by what he didn't know. An important lesson for college.
Post-Grad Job: Paralegal in Washington DC
Christian Purnell graduated from Carleton College in the spring of 2017 with a major in Political Science and a minor in Economics.
While in high school, Christian was most impacted by the Director of Portland Tennis and Education, Danice Brown. Danice taught Christian the importance and privilege of expectation. She encouraged him to take moon shots but grounded him with the reminder than many of our greatest challenges are here in our community.
Diane Harlan taught Christian's English class and helped him with his final IB paper. She challenged Christian to have high expectations for his work while also being able to thoroughly enjoy the whole process, from the reading to the final edits. Christian really cherishes that approach and believes it was of great value throughout his education.
Christian participated in Lincoln's Constitution Team which was his favorite extracurricular activity. He found it to be a lot of fun and an immense challenge. He believes this early exposure to philosophy and the law shaped his studies and his early career.
Trying to pinpoint one accomplishment as his best so far was hard for Christian. He thinks that every time he does something that scares him, such as rock climbing, or starting a job he is unfamiliar with, he feels the most accomplished.
Christian now works full time as a paralegal in Washington DC. He works in Antitrust in the Department of Justice. We are proud of your achievements Christian!