Chase Clark grew up going on educational trips once a year with her family to explore new spaces and see new cultures. Even as a child, Clark gravitated toward shaping those experiences herself, taking her curiosity and love of history to new heights.
“I was always the sibling that chose where we went,” Clark said. “Almost all of [the trips] had to do with African American studies and studies of life, but I was completely unaware you could study it full-time and combine my passion for history, writing and reading. It was always an incredibly grounding experience.”
Clark, an African American Studies and Communication double major from High Point, N.C., is a Byrum Scholar and recipient of the Zachary T. Smith Leadership Scholarship. Clark also delivered the 2026 Senior Oration and was named the 2026 Outstanding Student Leader of the Year.
Clark was initially torn between enrolling at Wake Forest or at Spelman College, a historically Black women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta, Ga., but ultimately chose Wake Forest for both financial reasons as well as her familiarity with the university through her involvement in a virtual pre-college program.
“The combination of people, campus and opportunities created the perfect synergy for me to make my decision and choose Wake Forest,” Clark said.
Clark came into Wake Forest wanting to be an English and Spanish double major, but she later decided this wasn’t the right fit for her.
“I guess it was a phase,” Clark said. “I liked to read, and English meant reading, so I said ‘might as well!’”
When she got to Wake Forest, Clark fell in love with the communication and African American Studies majors and decided to follow her passions.
She said one of the most important influences on her love for African American studies is Corey D. B. Walker, who currently serves as the Dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Walker created the African American Studies major at Wake Forest and served as the department’s inaugural director.
“I took his introductory course and at that time I was still somewhat the high school version of myself, just trying to do the basics of class and not be noticed,” Clark said. “He, however, did not let me fly under the radar. He invited me to a campus discussion with Cornel West, and from then on, I saw that if he thought that much of me, I should think that much of myself and my abilities as a student.”
Clark’s interest in African American studies often extended to her activities outside of the classroom. As the president of the Black Student Alliance, a member of the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. and a residential advisor, she has held leadership roles that allow her to build community and create spaces for dialogue and connection across campus.
Clark hopes to take what she has learned from her studies into her work life.
“I have learned so much about my capacity for learning,” Clark said. “I laugh thinking back to the high school me, and the fact that you couldn’t pay me to consider going to any program after undergrad. Now, as a senior, I love school, and I can’t wait to learn every day.”
Following graduation, Clark will move to New York City to serve as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging summer intern at Tiffany & Co. She hopes to later pursue her Ph.D. in Black Studies.
“I just want to keep learning and growing as a person,” Clark said. “My parents always taught my siblings and me how to be good human beings, but I think African American Studies has taught me how to do the same. I would want myself to be remembered as being a solid individual, and I think my major has given me a lot of the tools and frameworks to think about how I want my life to be lived.”
