Scholars in the Arts
"I am fascinated by the breadth of Art History and by how painting teaches a culture about itself."
Scholars Around the World
Two JKCF Scholars organize a 15-day study tour to Bolivia to explore the country’s political economy, peoples and rural development
Nikia Rose Clarke
"I have spent the past four years preparing myself, both professionally and financially, for further academic endeavor; now I simply await the opportunity."
- Alumni of: 2007 Graduate Scholarship Program
- Resides: Reading, Berkshire
- Hometown: Santa Fe, NM
- Age: 31
- Community College: NA
- Four-year College or University: Loyola Marymount University
- Graduate School: University of Oxford
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Education / Academia, Government, International Economic Development, International NGO/Relations, Languages, Nonprofits, Politics and Diplomacy, Public Policy, International development
- Other Interests: Foreign Languages / International Study, Honor Society, Liberal Arts, Literature, Outdoor / Mountaineering / Camping, Volunteer Work, Dance, martial arts, languages
Biography
Serving in the Peace Corps after finishing her bachelor's degree, Nikia Clarke found the focus that she needed to plan a concentrated and demanding graduate experience. She facilitated school and community development and HIV/AIDS education in a rural South African village. "This introduction to development work brought the realization that, as an area of study, international development encompasses my academic interests-sociology, history, politics, and language-and channels them into an exciting career with real-world applications and visible results."
Nikia majored in the humanities in the honors program at Loyola Marymount University and graduated magna cum laude. She also studied choreography, modern and jazz dance, and martial arts. She spent her junior year in China, and is proficient in three languages in addition to English. Employed as a research assistant to a theology professor during her time at LMU, she engaged in projects with union workers in Los Angeles and Native American groups nationwide. After a stint in the Peace Corps, Nikia worked as a program specialist and trainer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in New Mexico.
Nikia depended on multiple four-year scholarship awards and employment to fund her undergraduate degree. With this scholarship, Nikia can enter a graduate program that satisfies her intellectual curiosity, varied interests, and desire to contribute to the world in a practical and lasting manner. She will study at a leading research-oriented British university to enhance her global awareness.
"Encouraging one's passions to inform and direct one's study transforms a person into a perpetual student, and allows one to build an interconnected body of knowledge that can be intensely personal."
Read the kob.com article featuring Nikia: N.M. Woman Wins $300,000 Scholarship
Other Scholars Like Nikia
Luckson Hove
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Eric Stroud
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Kristina Cooper
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Alexandra Swidergal
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Cornell University