{"id":24874,"date":"2025-08-21T16:20:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T20:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&p=24874"},"modified":"2025-08-22T09:47:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T13:47:39","slug":"push-yourself-to-explore","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/08\/21\/push-yourself-to-explore\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Push yourself to explore\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Clark welcomes the Class of 2029<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Clark\u2019s Class of 2029 includes students who shine \u2014 on stage, on the court, and at the keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among 482 incoming students \u2014 438 first-year students and 44 transfer students \u2014 are athletes, creatives, and strategic thinkers. There\u2019s a professional tennis player, an aerial dancer, a voice actor, a blacksmith, and a published poet. One student represented the United States at the International Geography Championship while another performed with the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. If you play a lot of video games, you might come across artwork made by a new Clarkie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"university
President David Fithian \u201987<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

President David Fithian \u201987 greeted the newest Clarkies during a welcome event on Thursday afternoon in the Kneller Center and remarked that each new academic year brings fresh perspectives and energy to campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPush yourself to connect, to explore, to be curious,\u201d he urged. \u201cYou’ll meet people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. You’ll hear ideas that challenge your own. That’s not just the beauty of this place \u2014 it’s also the design. We believe the most powerful learning happens in environments in which you engage with others whose path here may be different from yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incoming students represent 25 countries and 34 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. In total, 20.7% of the new Clarkies are first-generation college students, which the University defines as students whose parents or guardians did not complete a bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fithian assured incoming students that there\u2019s no perfect formula for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUncertainty is normal, and learning to navigate it is a skill to be developed,\u201d he said. \u201cDon’t let the fear of a wrong choice keep you from choosing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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John Magee<\/a>, provost and vice president of academic affairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

John Magee<\/a>, provost and vice president of academic affairs, told the first-year students that college is about more than just turning in a perfect quiz or essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want our students to be excellent problem solvers,\u201d he said. \u201cThat means practicing taking on new and more challenging problems over and over again so that when you are faced with new problems in the future, it’s not something to panic about. It’s something that you’re prepared for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"woman
Danielle Morgan Acosta<\/a> \u201905, MAT \u201906, assistant provost of student success and dean of students<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Danielle Morgan Acosta<\/a> \u201905, MAT \u201906, assistant provost of student success and dean of students, told the newest Clarkies that their next four years hold much potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrientation is just the beginning of this incredible transition of what you’ll learn, how you’ll grow, and who you’ll become,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone here at Clark is here to support you along your journey and help you be successful in and out of the classroom to prepare you to truly change the world for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morgan Acosta introduced a welcome video recorded by Kelechi Akabuogu \u201926, president of the Undergraduate Student Council, adding that Akabuogu was finishing up her summer internship at State Street, where she has also been offered a full-time position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou’re probably feeling a lot of things right now: excitement, confusion, and probably a bit nervous,\u201d the data science<\/a> and economics<\/a> major said. \u201cFor some of you, this might be your first time moving away from home. You’re adjusting to a new city, new people, new routines, and new expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akabuogu said that if she could send a message back in time to herself as a first-year student, it would be that it\u2019s OK to not have all the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don’t have to have your college experience figured out within a week, a semester, or even a year,\u201d Akabuogu said. \u201cCollege is not about having everything mapped out from day one. It’s about learning, exploring, and discovering yourself along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clark welcomes the Class of 2029<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":24875,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"var(--clarku-color-deep-red)","story_headerImg":24875,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[223],"displayed_author":[237],"featured":[493],"topic":[121],"class_list":["post-24874","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clark-community","displayed_author-melissa-hanson","featured-primary","topic-undergraduate-students"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Push yourself to explore\u2019 | ClarkU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/08\/21\/push-yourself-to-explore\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Push yourself to 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