For this ESU grad, Saturday’s walk only the beginning
By Joey Berlin
Originally published 01:35 p.m., May 16, 2008
Updated 01:35 p.m., May 16, 2008
Stephanie Clark, shown here making Chinese dumplings during a trip to Beijing in 2005, will graduate Saturday from Emporia State University with a degree in art therapy. Clark will then head to Salzburg, Austria, next fall, where she’ll spend the school year to finish a second degree in German and blog about her experiences on ESU’s Web site.
It’s one degree down, one to go for Emporia State University student Stephanie Clark. This fall, she’ll head to Europe to finish up degree number two and use the Internet to keep the ESU community updated on her adventures.
Clark will walk at Welch Stadium in Saturday morning’s spring commencement as one of about 625 undergraduates and receive her degree in art therapy. Then in September, she’ll head to Salzburg, Austria, to study for the entire school year to finish her degree in German. While there, she’ll periodically post to a blog that will be linked to the main page of the Emporia State Web site, www.emporia.edu.
Classes start at the University of Salzburg on Oct. 1 and end in late June. Nine months out of the country will be a new experience for the Paola native; her only previous long-term international trip was a three-week stay in China in 2005. But Clark said she believes everyone should study or just travel abroad.
“I know it’s going to be scary, and I’m sure I’ll be homesick,” she said. “But I know that I’ll work through it, and it’ll be a great experience for me.”
Her blog project will be set up through ESU’s Public Affairs & Marketing department. Clark will begin blogging sometime around the start of June, detailing her ongoing preparations for the trip. She plans on updating it every couple of weeks or so until she leaves in September.
Once she gets there, she plans on posting an update at least weekly, “because I’m sure I’ll have a lot to talk about.” She also plans to include photos and possibly interviews with other international students.
“And maybe it won’t be so scary for other students to do it, and they’ll know what to expect,” she said.
Upon her return from Austria, Clark may go to graduate school. She eventually wants to pursue a career in art therapy and would like to focus on international aspects of the field, such as using it in disaster relief situations.
When she thinks about her time at ESU, Clark said, she’ll think first of the people she’s met. The alumni center, where she worked as a student assistant, has been like a second home to her. Jesse Tuel, director of advancement communications for the ESU Foundation, said Clark has done work that will be irreplaceable.
“We’ll miss her,” Tuel said. “But yeah, it’s fun to see the students move on and do real cool things.”
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Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on June 2, 2008 at 11:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good grief! As I read this article I suddenly felt lazy, unmotivated, and under-educated in comparison. This young lady gives me hope for our future. Her parents should be very proud.
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