August 4, 2005
Sharon Resident and Clark University Student Travels to Namibia on Anton Fellowship
WORCESTER, Mass. - Evan A. Wilson of Sharon, Mass., is one of ten Clark University undergraduates who will pursue independent scholarly and creative activities this summer and during the upcoming academic year with support from the Anton Fellowship Program.
Wilson spent his summer in the black-township of Windhoek, Namibia, doing volunteer work and interning with the Child Hope Initiative Project (CHIP) in squatter settlements with high rates of unemployment, crime, and HIV/AIDS. His primary mission was to assist CHIP with its school readiness program, a program intended to take out-of-school youth and prepare them, socially and academically, to re-enter formal schooling. In addition to his service with the school readiness program, he assisted the organization with its other outreach activities including a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS, a feeding program for orphans and vulnerable children, and youth activities.
“I always saw the Anton Fellowship as a great experience to get support for doing something you are passionate about,” said Wilson, who decided that after his study abroad experience this spring, he wanted to stay in Namibia and work within community development.
“The Anton Fellowship allowed me to gain real-life experience for my upcoming honors thesis in international development,” he said. “Going out into the world and ‘learning by doing’ has been a great way for me to apply what I have learned in the classroom and gain more motivation and inspiration to continue my studies.”
Beverly Grier, associate professor of government and international relations at Clark, said "Evan has a remarkable combination of qualities which make him a role model for Clark students.” Grier believes Wilson’s Anton project will provide him with a great deal to share with his fellow students, in terms of what he learns about the impact of the pandemic on youth in Namibia, what he was able to contribute to changing the situation there, and how he grew from the experience.
For more information about Wilson’s Anton project, photos and emails from Namibia, visit www.clarku.edu/research/access/anton/2005/wilsondiary.shtml.
Wilson majors in international development and social change and minors in government and international relations. He is a member of Clark’s Class of 2006. He has served as a mentor through the Clark University Brothers and Sisters (CUBS) Program, and has served on the Student Affairs Committee and the University Judicial Board. He also works as a Resident Advisor, a Clark Trek Leader and has participated in the Alternative Spring Break to Nicaragua.
Wilson recently worked with a geography graduate student and three other undergraduate students in the Urban Development and Social Change Summer Fellowship Program to help the city of Worcester breathe new life into a faded neighborhood. Learn more about his involvement in this project by visiting www.clarku.edu/alumni/clarknews/fall04/summer.shtml.
Wilson is the son of Peter and Cindy Wilson. He is a 2002 graduate of Sharon High School.
This is the fifth year of the Anton Fellowship Program, which was created by a gift from Barbara ’56 and Thomas ’56 Anton to give undergraduates more opportunities to explore their intellectual interests. The fellowships range from $500 to $2,500. Recipients also become members of the Society of Anton Fellows, which meets with faculty mentors at special gatherings throughout the year to share their research experiences. The Anton Fellowship Program is directed by Professor Sharon Krefetz.
Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research university with 2,000 undergraduate and 600 graduate students. Since its founding in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in New England, Clark has challenged convention with innovative programs such as the International Studies Stream, the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the five-year BA/MA programs with the fifth year tuition-free for eligible students.
Angela M. Bazydlo
Associate Director of Media Relations
Clark University
Worcester, Mass.
phone: 508-793-7635
cell: 508-314-6140
www.clarku.edu
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