Clinton Student Graduates from Clark University

Information provided by Clark University.

Ashley P. Hames, of Clinton, received a degree from Clark University on Sunday, May 19.

Hames graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in music. Hames is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and is the recipient of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts' Robert P. Manero Memorial Music Award.

During the 109th Commencement exercises, Clark awarded 523 baccalaureate, 541 master's, and 32 doctoral degrees. Carolyn Mugar, executive director of Farm Aid, and founder of the Armenia Tree Project, delivered the Commencement address and imparted lessons from the early days of both organizations.

Mugar was married to the late John T. O'Connor, who served as a Clark Trustee from 1997 to 2001. O'Connor died at the age of 46.

"Don't wait for your life to begin," she urged the graduates. "When you see what's wrong, there is ALWAYS something you can do, no matter what your age."

Mugar told the story of Farm Aid, and how musician Willie Nelson, whose original plan was to host just one concert to raise money and awareness for family farmers, sparked a movement and earned himself a reputation as the most committed visible supporter of family farmers.

"Yes it's good to think ahead, to plan, but often the best thing is to simply act,"said Mugar. "Don't spend any time standing still in fear about which road to take. Just get moving. Life happens when you make choices, when you take action."

Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a small, liberal arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Nationally renowned as a college that changes lives, Clark is emerging as a transformative force in higher education today. LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark's pioneering model of education that combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences.

Clark's faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to contemporary challenges in the areas of psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. The Clark educational experience embodies the University's motto: Challenge convention. Change our world. www.clarku.edu