Mattie Clark

On her path to building authentic connections as a leader, Mattie Clark begins by looking within.

Her nominator said, “Throughout the semester of Principles of Peer Leadership, Mattie continuously impressed me with her depth of reflection and willingness to challenge herself to be uncomfortable for the sake of growth.”

She pushed herself to write reflectively about experiences from her childhood and went further by critically analyzing her engagement and response. That depth of thought led Mattie to keen insight into why she had resisted reaching out for help in the past.

She also was exceptionally engaged in her assignment to foster empathy by spending four weeks engaging with a group of people she didn’t understand or don’t agree with.

Mattie chose to learn about difficult family structures and parental roles. She shared that at the end of the activity, she had what she called a “breakthrough with understanding the different meanings of love and how different people want to be loved,” saying, “I realize that I was not considering these perspectives.”

Mattie’s willingness to critically reflect on her perceptions and beliefs allows her to connect with diverse groups of people, strengthening her agricultural leadership upon graduation.

Mattie also shared openly with peers in her small group, which created a ripple effect of openness. In response to Mattie’s sharing, her cohorts from an array of majors and cultures grew more comfortable being vulnerable and gained deeper realizations from their participation.

Mattie’s self-reflection has also catalyzed her academic development. During her time at Virginia Tech, she has gone from being a quiet student to being engaged and vocal in her coursework, reflected in her campus involvement with the National Professional Honorary Agricultural Education Organization and her position on the Dean’s List last semester.

Mattie has chosen to spend her last year at Virginia Tech giving back to the next generation of students by serving as an undergraduate teaching assistant in leadership studies. Mattie's efforts to increase her self-understanding have translated into helping other students understand themselves. 

A senior majoring in agriculture sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Mattie shows her passion for agriculture by pursuing the community leadership and development option toward becoming an extension agent focusing on crops or horticulture.

“Self-understanding – knowing what I am good at and what I need to improve – is a huge part of recognizing if I am on the right track,” said Mattie. “I know that if I follow my values and my heart, I will end up in the right place with the right people and actions.”

“Doing work within the community and educating others always helps me reconnect to who I am,” Mattie said. “When I am feeling lost, helping or teaching others always sets me back on track to be who I want to be.”

For creating authentic connections from the inside out, I am pleased to present the Aspire! Award for PURSUE SELF-UNDERSTANDING and INTEGRITY to Mattie Clark.