Another busy week in the life of a Clark student!
I’m taking a graphic design class, which has turned out to be really challenging but also so rewarding. As an international development major, I’m not used to taking classes which have studio hours and lots of independent, creative visual work, so it is a welcome change! The goal of the course, since it is intro-level, its to get students to begin thinking like designers; in small ways, I see this shift starting to occur within me. This week, we’re working on our biggest project yet – an image-making focused piece that will culminate in an artist’s book. Below is a photo of my tablemates in the class this past Tuesday, adding pages to what will become their final books.
On Wednesday, we had a guest yoga instructor come to Clark to teach a yoga class specifically for staff, faculty and alumni. This class was funded by a grant I wrote to Student Council to bring some guest instructors to Clark to enhance our yoga program, and to get Clark Yoga T-shirts. Since I founded and run the entire group, it has grown to serve about 200 students every week – but, we want to reach out to include those outside the student body. Professors, staff, alumni and Worcester community members are welcome at all yoga sessions at Clark, and we wanted to let them know we value their contributions to our community. The class on Wednesday sought to show gratitude for these members of our Clark family, and was really well attended. The instructor who visited was Lauren Carlotto, a registered yoga teacher and the owner of Sunbird Yoga Studio, located very close to Clark in Worcester. Www.sunbirdyoga.com — check it out!
Of course, the highlight of the week was Halloween. Everyone looks forward to Halloween at Clark, and with such a creative and diverse student body, it’s no surprise the costumes seen around the neighborhood run the gamut from funny, creative, gorgeous and scrappy to downright weird! This is compounded by the fact that because Halloween fell on a weekend this year, everyone had 2 costumes: one for Friday, and another for Saturday. On Friday, I dressed as the iconic artist Frida Kahlo and on Saturday, my roommates and I dressed as a certain British ‘90s pop group — I’ll let you figure the rest out from the photo below. It was a blast!
However, one of the best parts of this Halloween weekend had nothing to do with our costumes or roommate fun. It had to do with a dinner at a cute little pizzeria/café called the Corner Grille – http://www.cornergrille.com. Aside from the amazing food and adorable atmosphere, this restaurant is located in a quaint residential neighborhood off of Pleasant Street. There were neighborhood kids trick-or-treating everywhere, wearing great costumes, accompanied by parents and friends. Sometimes, in the bubble of college, it’s easy to forget that Worcester is not just Clark, that people are not just college kids, and that neighborhoods exist outside of dorm communities. It was really sweet and refreshing to see young families popping in and out of this local café, collecting candy and chatting with neighbors. That’s the part of Worcester I need to remind myself of more.
posts by Jesse
- Photo Essay for the Week - November 21st, 2009
- More Sierra Leone Prep, 2 Fun Reunions & a Night in Boston - November 15th, 2009
- Tons of Work, Student Summer Showcase & Shenanigans - November 8th, 2009
- Midterms, Sierra Leone Meeting & PA Reunion - October 25th, 2009
