Kevin Carriere
Year: Junior
Major: Psychology, minor in Religion
Campus Involvement: Ballroom Dance Team and Club, Psi Chi, Undergraduate Psychology Committee (UPC), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Salsa Club, Student Council, Scarlet Key.
Reason I Came to Clark: It was like visiting a second home, not a college. I felt the warm and fuzzies half way through my first tour, and I knew.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: In the middle of my graduate school studies working towards my Ph.D. in Social Psychology at Clark examining meaning making of religious symbols.
Favorite Spot on Campus: Second floor of the library looking out towards the green and Red Square playing chess with my friends.
Favorite Course Taken at Clark: Research in Cultural Psychology with Dr. Jaan Valsiner
Pinar Barlas
Year: 2016
Major/Minor: Undecided, but looking at a Physics/Communication & Culture double major.
Campus Involvement: Active member of OPEN (more inclusive version of a GSA), member of CUPS & occasional Props master for shows (theatre club).
Reason I came to Clark: Clark has the same mindset that I do; “Challenge Convention, Change Our World”. I really feel like I fit in, and I honestly couldn’t have made a better choice. 
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Doing an internship or getting my Master’s degree!
Favorite Spot on Campus: In the Spring & Summer, the Green – large grassy area in the middle of campus. In the Winter, my dorm – especially the lounges with the TVs and lots of natural light.
Favorite Course Taken at Clark: Difficult to choose, but probably IDND 021, “Queer Horror”. It was my First Year Intensive, and I loved every single minute of the class – I even loved the assignments!
Contact Information: pbarlas@clarku.edu
Melissa Miller
Year: Freshman
Major/Minor: International Development and Social Change
Campus involvement: I’m in an exploratory stage. Hopefully a little bit of everything!
Reason I came to Clark: I felt so at home as soon as I walked on the campus. The atmosphere is so refreshing and everyone is incredibly friendly. It was an act of destiny.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: I’ll (hopefully!) be finishing up my masters here at Clark, and then I’ll be off to explore the world and have adventures. Peru, here I come. Adventure is out there!
Favorite Spot on Campus: The stairwells in the library.
Favorite Course Taken at Clark: TBD.
Skye Wingo
Year: 2016
Major/Minor: Screen Studies/Business
Campus Involvement: Nothing yet. But I look forward to getting involved on campus.
Reason I came to Clark: For studying film and discovering what my passion is.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Interning at a film studio.
Favorite Spot on Campus: Near the Little Center, there are these two trees that are just perfect to sit under. My friend Brenden and I both agree that it’s the best to read a book, use your laptop, or just relax. Going to need to find out how to deal with the winter soon though…
Favorite Course Taken at Clark: Hands down Screen Studies 101. The discussions, movies, and lessons are amazing. And Professor Hugh Manon is nothing short of Awesome.
Katie Horigan
Year: Senior, Class of 2013
Major/Minor: History major, political science minor with a concentration in Holocaust and Genocide Studies (HGS)
Campus Involvement: Right now I’m most involved in Clark Musical Theater, Rising Stars, and Scarlet Key. In past years at Clark, however, I’ve been involved in several other groups including the Ballroom team, Clark Historical Society, and different singing groups.
Why did you come to Clark: Originally I wanted to go to a big school in a big city. I grew up in a wicked small town in Maine and wanted to break out of that in college and experience something completely different. My guidance councilor thought that Clark would be a good fit for me and convinced me to look at it even though it was a smaller school. After visiting and touring around I was sold. Clark’s sense of a tight-knit community and its location in an urban area made it the best of both worlds in my mind and made Clark my number one choice.
Favorite Spot on Campus: The terrace on the fourth floor of blackstone.
Favorite Course Taken At Clark: Holocaust: Action and Agency. I took this course with Professor Dwork my first semester at Clark. I enjoyed this course so much that I’m currently pursuing an HGS concentration and Professor Dwork is now my advisor.
Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve seen over 100 bands live.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Let’s see I have senior year then fifth year, then three years of law school so that puts me at just graduating law school and entering the real world. Oh dear.
What makes you a Clarkie: I’m adventurous, crafty, and passionate.
Jessa Green
Year: Sophomore (Class of 2015)
Major/Minor: Management/Possible Accounting and or Communications
Campus Involvement: Student Alumni Relations Committee (SARC), STIR Magazine, Goddard Library
Reason I came to Clark: Financial Aid and Opportunities, such as the Fifth Year program
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Graduated and well one the way to becoming a CEO
Favorite Spot on Campus: It’s a fair toss-up between the green and the library. Definitely depends on the weather.
Favorite Course Taken at Clark: All of my Management classes!! They are amazing and I couldn’t easily pick. The courses here have all been wonderful.
Stefanie Gough
Year: Junior
Campus Involvement: Sinfonia, Communication and Culture Office, Clark Diarist, PA, Quidditch team
Favorite Spot on Campus: I like hanging out in the AC and pretending to be productive
Favorite Spot in Worcester: Clark, of course! Also, the top of the hill by Crystal Pond.
Favorite Course Taken at Clark: Baroque Art in the Age of Bernini with John Garton
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Traveling to visit the friends I’ve made from abroad, searching for a job, and hopefully completing the PCT hike!
Rebecca Liebman
Year: Sophomore
Major/Minor: Global Environmental Studies with a double minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and International Development and Social Change.
Fun Facts: I collect quotes (I have over 500 in books and files), my favorite thing to do is meet new people and talking to people, I love Pandora Radio, the book Tuesday’s with Morrie, Panera, event planning, public speaking, and saving the world.
Pre-Orientation Program: Clark Trek Restoration – Volunteering to restore and build homes for those in need in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Favorite Class taken at Clark: Social Entrepreneurship
Reason I came to Clark: You’re not a number; you’re a whole person!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Completing my Master’s at Clark and then moving to Washington, DC.
Campus Involvement: Making A Difference Scholar, Student Council, Eco-Reps, SARC (Student Alumni Relations Committee), Club Lacrosse, Scarlet Key (tour guide), Peer Adviser, YOW (Youth Outreach Worcester), NetImpact, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program.
Olivia Rogine
Year: Sophomore
Major/Minor: International Development and Social Change / Sociology
Campus Involvement: Hip Hop Collabo, ONE, Democrats of Clark University, CUPS, Outing Club, and of course…Clark Diaries!
Reason I came to Clark: The student body! There is such a strong sense of community which is filled with vibrant personalities craving change in our world.
Favorite Spot on Campus: The benches next to Maywood under the trees in full bloom.
Fun Facts about Yourself: I am a transfer student and have won two New York State Champion softball titles.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Feeling accomplished after the five year master program and embarking on unique career that gives me fulfillment.
What makes you a Clarkie: I am a accepting and open minded person with an appreciation for unconventional learning.
Rian Watt
Year: J
unior, Class of 2014
Major/Minor: Double Major, Economics and Political Science.
Campus Involvement: Undergraduate Student Council (President), Residential Life and Housing (Resident Advisor, Blackstone Hall), CU Admissions (Scarlet Key Society), STIR Magazine (Copy Editor).
Reason I Came To Clark: Because I couldn’t get into anywhere else I wanted to go. Much more interesting is the reason I stayed, after a first-year performance that would have allowed me to transfer out. And that is that I fell in love with the sprit that absolutely captures Clark: earnest, unaffected enthusiasm for learning, aided and abetted wherever possible by Clark’s faculty and staff. It’s my home now, and I couldn’t be prouder of it.
Favorite Spot on Campus: The academic commons, easily. I have a reputation for sitting in a particular spot – at a tall table right alongside the quiet study room. It’s relaxed, still social, and I do my best work there. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that some eager first year hasn’t taken up residence there since I’ve been in London. I’ve missed it!
Favorite Course Taken at Clark: There’s a couple that really mattered. The first, chronologically, was ‘Privacy Protection in Law and Ethics’, with Professor DeCew. I took this couse during my first semester at Clark and loved the depth in which we covered our single issue – privacy. It was a real introduction to college learning. In the nearly three years since I took the course, privacy has moved into the national eye in a way that it wasn’t then, and I’ve benefited enormously by having thought about the issue at some length already.
Sophomore year, I took ‘Intro to Statistical Analysis’ with Professor Tan. It sounds boring as heck – and in some respects, it is – but it allowed me to prove to myself that I was actually good at math (and, more broadly, quantitative analysis). That meant a lot for a kid who came perilously close to failing several math courses in high school. Plus, Professor Tan is one of a number of folks who pointed me towards the LSE.
Lastly, I can’t fail to mention the second of two courses I’ve taken with Professor Michael Butler, who next year will be doubling as my thesis advisor: ‘Politics of the European Union’. There’s an intensity to Professor Butler’s teaching that makes learning a real joy; coupled with the high standards he expects of his students, I’ve rarely learned so much so well as I did in this class.
Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years: From the beginning of the 2012-13 academic year, five years gets me to September 2017. Plans change fast, so I’ll be as nonspecific as possible: I see myself beginning my second year of graduate school. If all goes according to ‘plan’, I’ll work for two years after graduation next May, then come back to the States in September ’16 to start my program, whatever it ends up being.
Email: rwatt@clarku.edu
