Jay Ash, Class of 1983, City Manager, Chelsea, Mass.

Jay Ash, a government major and economics minor, came to Clark because he "wanted to be a person, not a number." An interest in government blossomed at Clark and led Ash to his current position as city manager of his hometown, where he has come to fully recognize the value of his Clark education. "While I didn't necessarily realize it at the time, I now know from two decades of meeting people in the workplace who attended schools all over the country that my Clark education was second to none," Ash says.

Jay Ash, Class of 1983 At the time I applied to Clark, some of my friends were applying to colleges that had enrollments larger than my hometown. I wanted to be a person, not a number. I wanted to be able to walk to where I had to go, not hop on a bus or train to get across campus. I wanted to be part of a community, and wanted to be in a place where I would be able to experience a wide range of people and ideas. Clark was the best fit for me.

I've always had a love of government and found the coursework at Clark to be interesting and engaging. I was surprised, though, at how I took to economics. Clark's work in those fields helped to introduce me to many experiences and concepts that helped prepare me for the real world ahead.

Clark introduced me to the world. For example, I thought geography was learning about the capitols of states. I met internationally renowned geography professors who opened my eyes to an entire world I didn't know existed. I got what I was hoping for in being part of a community, contributing when I was motivated to do so, but sometimes just as a participant and observer. It was great to see the dean of this in the dining hall and the dean of that in the gym. From fellow students to campus police officers, I was able to establish relationships that I still value and often recall. Mostly, I received everything I needed to turn a work in progress into someone who was ready to succeed at life. Oh, I also met my wife!

As a government major who wanted to set out to have a positive impact on his community, many of the lessons I learned while participating in the early stages of what has become an award-winning community development effort in Main South (Clark's University Park Partnership) I have applied to my own work now in managing my hometown, Chelsea, Mass. While I didn't necessarily realize it at the time, I now know from two decades of meeting people in the workplace who attended schools all over the country that my Clark education was second to none. I sometimes chuckle to myself when, even to this day, something brought up in my workplace was first raised to me in a seminar or by a professor back at Clark. The philosophy of a bureaucracy, the time value of money, and motivating the workforce are just some of the many aspects of my profession that I remember studying in Jonas Clark Hall.