Even before she finished her Clark degree, Laura Betts, M.A. ’21, was putting her learning to work.

As a graduate student in International Development, Laura Betts welcomed Clark’s Worcester location. “The city has such an interesting and diverse mix of cultures and socioeconomics, which had huge benefits for me in my field of study,” she says.

During the pandemic, her cohort did an assessment of the shift to remote learning for schools in an under-resourced neighborhood in Worcester. And in a collaborative project with community leaders that focused on youth violence prevention, she was part of the research team.

“If you’re someone who wants to learn through practice,” she says, “This program is a great place for you.”

After graduation, Betts worked as an evaluation and data analyst for a nonprofit affordable housing provider in Grand Rapids before taking her current position as Refugee Policy and Data Analyst with the Office of Global Michigan. She says her studies at Clark were instrumental in the development of her skills and confidence.

“What students bring to the table in the learning process matters at Clark. The professors are very good at drawing out and encouraging everyone to contribute to the discussion and to one another. It’s not just a back and forth between professors and students.”