Its no surprise that WNC student government president Gabrielle Clark envisions helping others when she completes her college education.
After all, Clark has been doing that since becoming a member of the colleges student government group, the Associated Students of Western Nevada.
Those awe-inspiring plans to selflessly look out for others didnt initially mesh with what was expected of her at ASWN.
I came in with the mindset that I wanted to solve world hunger really big-picture thinking, she said.
Instead, she found herself creating posters to promote campus events.
I felt like there was something more important than that. (Adviser) Heather Rikalo spoke up on that: There is. There is. There is more to student government. You will solve world hunger.
With Rikalo, Clark has started her mission to solve world hunger by focusing on students in need at WNC. They were working on rolling out a food and hygiene pantry last spring right when COVID hit. She was inspired to create the pantry after seeing a student survey that indicated that many of her classmates werent eating enough or eating hardly at all.
Initially, I was thinking about free transportation for students, but the student survey results were shockingly alarming, she said. It shapes the ideology of ASWN today and it gets students thinking that, Oh, there is a need here for this school and I as a student have the power to change that or break the stigma that we all need help sometimes break that stigma that students eat Top Ramen all the time. Thats what Im hoping to change with this food pantry. Students can help one another.
Clark didnt begin her college education at WNC. She started at Western Washington but decided early on that smaller colleges offered more amenities than the large institutions.
When you are at a bigger school, its harder to find your niche and you are paying a lot of money, Clark said. Universities have hidden fees that are so hidden, that you need the I Spy book. I really feel that this school has looked out for me entirely as a student. This school really treats me with respect.
When I came here it was a smaller vibe, everything was in one space as far as getting it done there is counseling, financial aid all in one space, which was really easy for me starting off as a student. My very first college class Psychology 101 at Western Washington had 300 students in it. I have 10-18 students in my classes here.
Once acclimated at WNC, attending a Student Leadership Summit early on a cold and snowy Saturday morning changed Clarks perspective and focus as a student.
It was so beautiful seeing all of the faculty and speakers lighting a fire under you and motivating you to not only become a better student but a better person and how you grow from being a student, she said. They challenged us: Is getting your diploma all that you want to achieve as a student? If you want another challenge, what would it be? Why dont you go find that?
I remember thinking that there has to be a challenge for me here at WNC; let me find it, and I did.
Student government has become that calling for Clark. She quickly transitioned from her start as a senator to serving as ASWN vice president last fall. By the beginning of the 2020 spring semester, however, she became the No. 1 student voice on campus.
Because of the transitions I was able to see myself in an executive position such as the president, she said.
But her development as a campus leader hasnt come without some challenges.
Not one person can do it alone, and that was my struggle with ASWN, she said. Here I am making posters and I want to solve world hunger; how can I make this happen? It was really hard for me to focus on one thing at a time and realize that that one thing is the difference in the work Im doing here. The posters matter they lead to a bigger picture.
She said the best part about working with ASWN is knowing that there is a need in the community, helping the school identify that need, as well as doing something about it and putting it into place. Walking the talk and leaving this place better than when I found it.
Besides the food and hygiene pantry project, she is pleased that ASWN has provided more support for the colleges variety of student clubs. That continued support will be one of her goals for the 2020-21 school year.
If you need support from ASWN, thats what were here for. I hope to see a lot more of that, Clark said. We arent here to govern clubs; were here to support clubs. If there is a conference, a potluck or an outreach program that the Social Work Club wants to get behind, I want ASWN to fund it because students passions and their career pursuits and their happiness, thats what matters. We are not here to deter anybody because everybody is welcome and everybody is equal at WNC.
Rikalo said that Clark has a number of qualities that separate her as a student leader.
I am thrilled to work with such an outgoing, caring and inclusive student leader, Rikalo said. Gabby is definitely a champion of the student and works tirelessly to advocate for her peers. Her leadership journey is inspiring and she will be sorely missed when she transitions to UNR full time next fall.
Prior to Christmas last year, Clark was thrust into the role as a holiday spokesperson for the college. In an interview on KOLO 8 in Reno, she heartfeltly reported about the colleges generosity and community mindedness through Toys for Tots, Angel Tree and a food drive. She joked afterward that none of her college friends noticed her on TV, only the older demographic.
Clark graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in June and is pursuing a bachelors degree in Human Development and Family studies with a minor in Business Administration. You can reach her at gabrielle.clark@wnc.edu.