A fourth-generation Spider maintains her family’s longstanding connection to UR
Student Experience
Four years ago, when senior Sarah Grace “SG” Clarke was evaluating her college choices, the University of Richmond was at the bottom of her list.
She grew up 15 minutes from campus, attended high school just down the road, and frequented campus regularly. Her father, John Clarke, a member of the Class of 1980, took her to UR basketball and football games and brought her to the dining hall for meals. Her grandmother, Barbara Cawthorne Clarke, a Westhampton graduate from the Class of 1952, and her great-grandmother, Dorothy Lindsey Cawthorne also attended the University.
When it was time for her own college experience, Clarke wanted to move away from what she already knew and try something new. But with each campus tour, she found she couldn’t stop comparing the other universities to Richmond.
“I wanted community, to be able to live on campus all four years, and have classes with amazing professors who genuinely want to help students succeed,” she said. All checkmarks for UR.
Clarke quickly settled into life at Richmond. She joined the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team and got a job in the financial aid office her first year. The next year, she became a member of the Delta Gamma sorority and CCO campus ministry. Last summer, Clarke joined the ranks as a campus tour guide.
“Thankfully, my dad didn’t pressure me to go here just because he did. He left the choice up to me.”
And the bonus: She was still able to travel beyond her hometown. During her junior year, she spent the fall semester at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, which she now considers a second home. “The setting and the people were amazing. I joined the Ultimate Frisbee team there and traveled with them to tournaments around Scotland,” she said. “I went back after exams last May.”
Clarke, a biology major, is primarily interested in the effects of food, chemicals, and medications on biological processes and systems. With fellowship funding from the Richmond Guarantee, she spent a summer working in chemistry professor Jonathan Dattelbaum’s research lab, where she studied soil bacteria in search of non-resistant antibiotic properties. Additionally, she worked one summer with Sheltering Arms Institute, a local rehabilitation hospital.
These experiences are top of mind as she considers her next steps after graduation. She has applied for internships and jobs in the biology and biomedical fields. Clarke hopes a few years of work experience will help her narrow her focus before applying to graduate school.
“I want to find a job where I can collaborate on projects and be part of a community, while still having the ability to work independently,” she said.
Clarke has largely created her own path apart from her family’s history with the University until an unexpected full circle moment occurred. She submitted an application for the Westhampton College Class of 1952 Memorial Scholarship. “I applied for it, and when I told my parents about it, they let me know my grandmother’s class sponsored it.”
She has since established a relationship with her grandmother’s classmate, Sarah Barlow Wright, who serves as the class representative for the scholarship.
Clarke and her father regularly compare notes about their campus experiences. While Sarah Grace took a STEM path, John focused on arts and humanities. He majored in English and was a member of the student programming board and the University Players student theatre group. But Clarke especially loves to trade stories about how the campus has changed over the decades.
“There’s a lot of history here for our family, which is really cool. It’s interesting to compare and see Richmond through different generations.”