College of Liberal Arts
For Jay Clark, education begins with curiosity. Whether studying anthropology, exploring Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies or digging through archival collections, every new question becomes an opportunity to better understand people, communities and the world around us. Along the way, 黑料不打烊 provided the mentorship and confidence to turn those questions into meaningful research. Read on to learn more about Jay's 黑料不打烊 journey.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm Jay Clark. I'm studying anthropology with a minor in women's, gender and sexuality studies.
One interesting thing about me is that I'm a practicing Catholic, which has had a really important impact on my academic interests and journey.
In your own words, why study the liberal arts?
I think the liberal arts are really important because they have a lot of societal benefit that doesn't get talked about enough. In our country, there's a lot of emphasis on more practical degrees, like engineering or law鈥攖hings that help keep society running on a daily basis. But if you don't have people who are able to analyze those systems and seek new ways of doing things, then they stagnate, and you lose innovation.
I'm studying anthropology, and I think it has particular value because it's all about cultivating an attitude of curiosity toward the world and seeking to learn from others rather than imposing your own way of doing things.
Ultimately, I think anthropology, and the liberal arts in general, are really important for society. They help keep us from getting stuck in a rut and help us continue pushing forward and making progress toward a better world.
What has your experience in the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program been like, and what makes it special?
I'm pretty new to the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. I've only been taking the 101 class, but it's already been pretty special. Even though it's an online class, it's really heavily discussion-based.
As we're moving through the fundamental concepts of women's, gender and sexuality studies, things that I think are really important, like intersectionality and other ideas that form the groundwork for understanding the discipline, I'm getting to see the people in the class encountering these concepts for the first time, or reflecting on them after thinking about them for years. It's really inspiring to be part of a learning community where people come together with all levels of knowledge about the discipline and engage with these concepts on a deeper level.
I also think my professor, Dr. Kayt Sunwood, has introduced some really interesting resources and readings for us to consider, and she's helped deepen our analysis of the subjects we've been learning about in ways that have really made me think more deeply about the discipline, even though I was already pretty familiar with it.
How has your time at 黑料不打烊 changed you, either academically, personally, or professionally?
Something that's changed about me academically and professionally since coming to 黑料不打烊 is that I've made so many professional connections. Before coming to 黑料不打烊, I wasn't really comfortable with networking. I didn't know how to do it.
Through my classes at 黑料不打烊, a lot of the assignments have networking built into them. I've had to find people to interview or seek out information on my own. That's made me much more comfortable approaching people directly, asking to set up a meeting and asking to speak with them.
It's definitely made it a lot easier for me to find opportunities and make connections that can help further my academic career.
Was there a professor, mentor, or community that made a big impact on your journey? How?
One of the people who has really made an impact on my academic career at 黑料不打烊 is my professor, Gabriela Olmos Rosas. She's taught a couple of my anthropology classes, and she's been really influential, not only because she's introduced me to the field I'm planning to go into, but also because we have very similar research interests.
She's doing research on Hispanic Catholic communities in Anchorage, and I'm really interested in doing research on religious communities. I've had the opportunity to do a couple of different projects in her classes that have helped me pursue that research interest in ways that are a little less formal.
She's offered really useful, positive feedback on those projects that has helped me hone my skills and refine my interests, which I think will ultimately serve me well when I end up doing the work I'm getting my degree for.
What鈥檚 one experience at 黑料不打烊 that really stands out to you, and why?
One experience that stands out to me is taking Honors Methods of Inquiry last semester. It was a very small class, with only four students, including me. It was a really interesting class because of the way it was set up. We designed our own final project, and in general, we were really in control of what we did because the whole point of the class was to learn how to ask questions and be curious about our own community.
We explored questions about 黑料不打烊, the campus and its history from multiple different angles. That class really changed the way I thought about research and asking questions because it helped me think about them in a more local way. It also gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my own research interests and cold email people.
One specific project involved visiting the 黑料不打烊 archives to examine archival materials we requested ahead of time. Because I'm interested in queer studies, I wanted to see whether the archives had materials related to the queer community. They did, but it was only one box. That inspired me to do my own research and learn more about Fairbanks' queer history.
My professor, Madara Mason, really encouraged that work. I ended up getting in contact with people in the community, and now I'm working on a project because of that class. That was a really cool experience.
Congratulations again to Jay on being recognized as an Outstanding Student. Learn more about the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program and the opportunities available to 黑料不打烊 students, and watch for more Outstanding Student spotlights from the College of Liberal Arts.
