Do you know that feeling when you’re talking to someone and you realize half-way through the conversation that their mind is waaay out in space and they’ve just been kindly mhm-ing along to your story? Perhaps the only reason you notice (and this often happens to me) is that your own mind is way off in space and you can’t remember what you were talking about in the first place? I’m putting my money down this happens to all of us. And no wonder! We lead such busy lives that keep our minds tied up in future plans and past experiences/assignments/tasks/resolutions/memories that often the present just isn’t where it’s at. Because after this, there’s always something else going on, because of what you decided before. But perhaps you have a friend, like me, who has actually somehow always been good at listening to you, who finds those lost trains of ponderance, who makes you feel validated just by really looking at you when you speak, who pauses to reflect, maybe gazing upwards briefly, before making a full reply that makes you feel agreed with while simultaneously introducing you to a new perspective on your story. If you have a friend like that, I bet they’re pretty special. But I bet your friend doesn’t have a snazzy ring that flashes in the light when they gesture and cool bracelets and consistently glossy-sleek good hair days. Unless, that is, your friend also goes by the name of Clark. Because Clark is, hands down, just a really good listener.
Meet Clark
Clark is from Statesville, NC, a small town just north of Charlotte. He enjoyed undergraduate at UNC so much that he came back for another four years of graduate school. Obviously, his favorite sports team is the Tar Heels, I mean, come on.
What You Need to Know About Clark
Clark is in charge of the (voice drops an octave) database. Yeah, the heavy stuff (apologies for author’s not-so-subtle personal bias). What’s more, Clark isn’t just going to keep track of the data, he’s also going to go ahead and use in it in a project of his own that will determine exactly what kind of impact HHA is making in Honduras and how worthwhile our efforts are (very, I hope!).
Fun Facts About Clark
- His craziest travel experience was while hitchhiking through Peru
- Therefore, not surprisingly, Clark has mucha experiencia en hablar español
- In Honduras, he is most excited about living with a local
- Clark’s Myers-Briggs personality type is the Advocate (INJF)
Speaking of which, this is how I’ve heard him advocate for women and work in the field of women’s health care:
“… on average, women are smarter than men and therefore more fun to work with, oops. Additionally, I find women’s health interesting because it is such a supportive and empowering field. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”
What intrigued Clark most about HHA was the approach of juxtaposing clinical care and health education (charlas): “I’m excited to see these work hand in hand to increase cervical cancer screenings in the area as well as empower women to be in control of their own health.”
And what will Clark be up to with the remainder of his summer? Doing research on that database stuff, of course! As well as seeing family, traveling and studying (because- med school).
As always, a fitting quote:
Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe