Anna Clark

Senior Anna Clark grabs the bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar from her room before she runs to the dining hall. Despite the other salad dressing options available, she puts a unique spin on her food, similar to her unique set of talents. As a dorm proctor in McConnell Hall, co-captain of the Winter Track team and co-head of both Mock Trial and the Japanese American Society, Clark is well known on campus.

Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Clark decided to follow in the footsteps of her father and older siblings by applying to Exeter after witnessing the tremendous impact it had left on her family members. She was especially excited for the different opportunities that Exeter presented and a change of atmosphere from the school that she had studied at all her life.

 “Whether it’s academics, Mock Trial, cross country or her friends, if she cares about something, she will give her best to it. That’s really special,”

Even before Clark stepped foot on campus, people already noticed her potential. Walter Stahr, the spouse of a math instructor and founder of Exeter Mock Trial, reached out to Clark the summer before her prep year to personally invite her to join Mock Trial. Because of her interest in law and public speaking, she took the opportunity.

Despite her lack of experience with Mock Trial, Clark possessed a natural talent for the extracurricular and was immediately placed to serve as a witness on the A team. “I really enjoyed reading the case and taking it apart, analyzing different parts of it and twisting pieces of information to fit your argument,” she said. In the past four years, she has competed in both statewide and national levels, won the 2016 State Championship with her team, and became the current co-head of the club.

During her time at Exeter, Clark has taken advantage of the many opportunities available on campus. Aside from leading Exeter’s accomplished Mock Trial team, she is also a tri-varsity athlete and a captain of the Winter Track team. Clark attributes much of her growth and success both in and out of the classroom to her distance coaches, Gwynneth Coogan and Brandon Newbould. “They’ve taught me a lot about running and how to have a good work ethic. Despite not being the most talented runner, I’ve learned to work hard and find success through effort,” she said. Because of her determination, Clark was invited to give a speech at the opening ceremony of the William Boyce Thompson Field House, which took place on January 27. 

Through her many extracurricular and academic activities, she has met some of her closest friends, forming connections with teammates, classmates and other club members. Senior Cora Payne has been best friends with Clark since meeting her in a math class during their prep winter and is a fellow co-head of the Japanese American Society, as well as a cross country teammate.

Payne recalls many fun memories with Clark, including dancing with Clark in their hotel room during the Cross Country Interscholastic Competition and carrying multiple cups of espresso from McConnell Hall to her house in order to make giant pans of tiramisu. “She has indulged some of my most ridiculous plots,” Payne said. “Most people won’t do that.”

Clark grew closer to senior Jo de la Bruyere through Mock Trial and distance running. De la Bruyere mentioned one of her fondest memories of accompanying Clark on a run in the woods after a tiring, yet worthwhile win at the 2016 Mock Trial State Championships. “She is humble and unbelievably talented and caring but will never admit how wonderful she is or even acknowledge it,” she stated. “I look up to Anna so much. Without her, my Exeter experience would be so much less revolutionary.”

Although named “the most friendliest and softest friend” by de la Bruyere, Clark is a diligent hard worker who balances all aspects of her life. When upper Adrian Venzon thinks of a model exonian, he values someone with both goodness and knowledge, two traits that he admitted are not commonly found together. “Not everyone has that, but with Anna specifically, she exemplifies that,” he said.

Clark always makes time to brighten someone’s day, despite her multitude of extracurricular commitments. “Whether it’s academics, Mock Trial, cross country or her friends, if she cares about something, she will give her best to it. That’s really special,” said upper Hanna Pak. Referring to Clark as a role model, Pak continued to thank her for always being there for her when she has had a bad day.

After achieving many amazing accomplishments, Clark still gives her gratitude to her friends and mentors. When asked about her favorite part of Exeter, she immediately replied, “the people. I really don’t think I could have gone through Exeter and have had such a good experience without them.”

Clark’s responsible and bright personality also contributed to her appointment as a dormitory proctor of McConnell Hall. Senior Maria Lee, a fellow dorm resident, recounted how Clark was one of the first Exonians she ever met. “I remember walking into my dorm’s third floor hallway with my mom, and she was standing there with my advisor and another student. We’ve grown closer with each passing year,” she said. Lee continued to mention her admiration for Clark’s ability “to connect with and befriend anyone” and said that she “is loved by everyone who knows her.”

History instructor and McConnell Hall dorm faculty Michael Golay agreed. He recalled when Clark lived in the triple suite in McConnell, saying, “It was such a pleasure to check them in on Tuesday nights and see how they’d made a home out of the suite and how they got along,” referring to Clark and her roommates. He continued to commend her “lively personality” and her “collaborative” attitude in class.

After finding passion for law and environmental science at Exeter, Clark plans to pursue these interests at Stanford University where she hopes to combine the concepts of renewable energy, resource consumption and its implementations through political policies as a potential future career.

As she spends her last few months in the Exeter community, her peers wish her the best. “I’ll miss [her] a lot,” Pak said. “I really look up to [her], and I always will.”