Colby Beck’s lifelong connection to Oregon State led him to law, public service, and an accelerated path to his M.P.P.
Colby Beck | Credit: Rudy Uhlman
By Jessica Florescu, CLA Student Writer - April 20, 2026
Political science undergraduate student Colby Beck was a part of the Oregon State University community from a very young age. Both his parents are alumni and the entire family would make the short trip down to Corvallis from Canby, Oregon, every fall for football games and spring for baseball games. Joining Beaver Nation was always the plan, but Beck never imagined majoring in public policy, let alone earning a graduate degree.
Things began to change during his final months of senior year in high school and over the summer before starting at OSU. The COVID-19 Pandemic had already begun and the worldwide protests prompted by the murder of George Floyd were just getting started. Beck became fascinated with learning about U.S. institutions, policymaking process, and the role of democracy. The idea of law school was something he had been ruminating on, but his time on a mock trial team also bolstered his plan to start OSU at the School of Public Policy.
“Things all came together in 2020 and attending OSU looked more and more appealing,” said Beck. “I had a realization that I was interested in a career in law and it has been the aspiration I’ve chosen to pursue since then. Also, the land-grant values and OSU mission to serve all Oregonians also really resonated with me and aligned with my own purpose and values.”
Beck started on the law and politics track of the political science major, which provided him with a roadmap of more relevant classes to his interests. Courses such as Intro to U.S. Government (PS 201) by Professor Chris Stout, Environmental Politics and Policy (PS 475) with Associate Professor Erika Wolters, and Constitutional Law (PS 381) with Professor Rorie Solberg. Beck also continued his run at mock trial by joining OSU’s team, and gained valuable public speaking and critical speaking skills applicable to any career in law.
He shared, “It was honestly intimidating to join and compete at first as a young member, but forcing myself to still do it helped me get over those fears. I learned to think on my feet when public speaking, and my experiences taught me better ways to formulate an argument in front of people I don’t know.”
While in the School of Public Policy, Beck also landed a handful of critical internships that added even more public policy and law experience to his repertoire. First, at the Linn County Juvenile Department, Beck worked with probation officers in guiding juveniles through the detention court processes. This opportunity led to a second internship at the Linn County district attorney's office, working with victim advocates representing all ages in preparing necessary court documents and accompanying them to court hearings.
“This position reminded me of the reason I wanted to pursue law school, which is to advocate for people who are unable to advocate for themselves,” explained Beck. “Working alongside the DA and victim advocates in this intimate way confirmed that this is what I wanted to be doing and instilled more confidence in me about the judicial system in a lot of ways.”
In between his positions at Linn County, Beck worked as a district intern at the office of Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-6) in Salem. Routinely, he fielded calls from constituents, managed the day-to-day in the office, as well as worked alongside Congresswoman Salinas when she returned from Washington D.C. When not interacting with residents of Oregon’s sixth district, Beck worked to find ways for Rep. Salinas to engage with her constituents, as well as keep her aware of what’s going on in her district while she worked in Washington D.C. Beck also attended constituent events, like roundtable meetings with community stakeholders surrounding certain topics, like veterans affairs.
“It was a very cool experience overall, especially because there were a lot of changes happening in the political landscape at the time,” shared Beck. “I was given an up close perspective of how the current administration is impacting Oregonians, and I received a lot of phone calls from people that were very worried about what was happening.”
Outside of academics, Beck held multiple executive positions within his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, in addition to being an ambassador for the College of Liberal Arts since his first year, a position he’s found “incredibly rewarding.” Beck and his peers on the ambassador team interact with students on a daily basis, answering questions and organizing events throughout the academic year, including Launch, CLA’s new student orientation. “It’s a cool experience that has allowed me to help first-generation and first-year students with any of their questions.”
With his final year as an undergraduate coming to an end and law school on the horizon, Beck decided to bolster his grasp on the intricacies of the U.S. judicial and legislative institutions by enrolling in the School of Public Policy’s accelerated master’s program, which allowed him to begin taking graduate-level courses during his senior year and then seamlessly transition into the one-year M.P.P. program. He will end up earning his public policy bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years, with the intention of taking the LSAT in spring 2026.
For students considering a career in law or policy, Beck recommends trying to explore experiential learning as much as you can to solidify your decision to continue that path. It’s important to not only learn about law from a textbook, but also gain practice by being part of court proceedings or holding a similar experience.
Beck’s ideal plan is to attend law school in the Northeast and pursue working in areas of litigation, public sector, or in a legislative capacity.