Standout staff member, student and now author: Megan Clark

“Last spring, in my second Chinese class with Dr. Kaishan Kong, I wrote and illustrated a short children’s book that I would later read aloud as my final presentation,” Clark says. “Kaishan encouraged me to enter the story in an online language competition, and I decided to go for it.”

Clark’s book was subsequently selected for the final round of judging in the 2024 National Chinese Expo of Student Works, a competition welcoming language projects of all types, not only books, according to Kong, associate professor of Chinese.

“Megan is one of my two students whose works made it to the final,” Kong says. “Megan has been an excellent student, demonstrating her dedication and accomplishments in learning the Chinese language and culture. Her success tells us that language learning is fun, meaningful and rewarding.” 

Clark, who has a degree in interior design from UW-Stout, also has pursued efforts in learning Spanish, Japanese and Korean over the years, and she calls language learning a passion at this point. She says she is grateful for the UW-Eau Claire reimbursement program that has helped her chase her multilingual dreams in a concrete and meaningful way.

“I chose to complete the full certificate in Chinese language as something to hold up when I was done and be able to say, ‘I took these steps to better myself, and I did it,’” Clark says. 

Clark is a “proud lifelong learner,” and we asked her a few questions to find out more about her Blugold staff story and the ways she contributes to better the work and student journeys of the Blugolds around her.

Can you describe what it is about learning languages that is so rewarding for you?  

Learning a language is the beginning of an adventure into another part of the world and their culture. I’ve always been drawn to the Chinese cultural sphere, and for me, understanding places like China, Japan or Korea starts with language. It opens the possibility to read more of their history from their perspective as well as find topics of my own interest. There is something rewarding about not having to rely on something like Google Translate when you are able to connect on a personal level. The book project allowed me to take my learning to another level. I’ve always enjoyed writing for pleasure, so I decided to combine two of my passions in an original story; now there can be one more written piece for others to practice with and hopefully enjoy.

What led you to your current role in the College of Arts and Sciences? Tell us the nature of your work and briefly describe your career path for us.

I majored in interior design with a minor in English writing. After I graduated, I had a bit of time to do some self-exploration. My mother, a 40-year staff emerita of UWEC, recommended I submit my resume to the LTE pool here. I was hired in the art & design department by Christos Theo, who was eager to hire someone with an art background. I still remember his first interview question for me: “Would you like a coffee?” I had a wonderful eight years in that department but took the opportunity to bump up to a 100% FTE position in the college. The role then was mainly assisting with curricular matters and supporting the college behind the scenes. As an introvert with a writing background, this job felt like a perfect fit for my skill set.

What is something that you want campus to know about the functions of the office of the college and how you and other staff serve student, faculty and campus goals?

My role in the college is as an administrative assistant for Associate Dean Margaret Cassidy. I mainly work with her to process curricular changes and prepare content for the campus catalogs. I can serve as the first point of contact for students and faculty to ask simple curricular questions, including providing older curricular materials to previous students and assisting faculty and instructional staff with navigating our systems. A secondary role I serve is also to provide support for all the academic department assistants. My experience gives me some familiarity with their positions, and I can help newer department associates connect with the resources they need to perform their jobs.

In your various roles on campus, has there been a project or initiative you’ve been especially passionate about or proud of accomplishing? Please describe.

I have enjoyed being part of various groups on campus including University Staff Council, the Council’s Professional Development Committee and Bylaws Committee, the Administrative Professionals Collaboration Group (APCG), an Interfaith Group, and many more. I was especially interested in being part of the APCG when it was just getting started. I worked with the other leaders in creating a more developed community that, to this day, provides support to administrative staff who are often doing the same type of work, though we are physically not in the same campus space. The group shares professional development opportunities, hosts various meaningful workshops and connects one another with answers when a question arises.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the campus and Eau Claire community?

Being around people who are equally as passionate about education as myself. It’s a bit cliché, but I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner — my thirst for knowledge is simply never quenched. Those who know me on campus and in the community know that I love researching topics of interest, and I enjoy a good mystery or puzzle to be solved.

Do you have any specific goals for your College of Arts and Sciences position that you’d care to share, something you’d like to be a leader in bringing about?  

A current project that I’ve been working on is building a centralized resource of procedures for department assistants on campus. The beauty of education is that things are constantly changing and evolving to adapt to our world. However, something I noticed from the start of my career at UW-Eau Claire is that there were no central repositories of institutional knowledge. Often, when people moved on to different roles or retired, that knowledge left with them. Because of my love for writing, I have always found it is important to document all procedures of my work so the person who follows me isn’t left stumbling. With the support of my supervisors in the college, I’m now bringing this idea to a broader audience by creating an official procedures handbook as a reference for all current and future department assistants.

When you are not on campus, where in Eau Claire is your favorite spot to be?

I prefer quiet places, so walking the various trails around Eau Claire is a favorite pastime where I’m taking in the solitude and serenity of being in the woods, listening to birds and the wind whispering through the trees. It’s nice to get away from manmade noises and revel in nature.

What was the last great book you read that you would recommend to fellow Blugolds?

It’s been a while since I last sat down with a physical book, though I’m trying to make a habit of getting back into reading. The last book I read was one called “But You Don’t Look Sick,” a wonderful anthology by Indie Blu(e) Publishing that showcases a variety of personal stories, poetry and art addressing what it’s like to live with a chronic (often invisible) illness. I have fibromyalgia, but because the overall pain I experience every day doesn’t need an assistive device like a cane, I often present as someone who is not sick at all. This book was refreshing and provided an important perspective to others that there are many inequalities that persist in our world.