Anna Clark — Humble & Hardworking
Charger Swimming | Class of 2022 | Jackson, MI
Words by Calli Townsend | Photo Anna Clark (Courtesy)
Inspired by her grandma, sophomore swimmer Anna Clark works incredibly hard and stays exceptionally humble. She grew up with her grandma only 15 minutes away, so she spent a lot of time with her learning about her college years and gleaning important life lessons that Anna still lives by today.
"She passed away in 2014, but was the strongest person I've ever known," Anna said. "She was one of the first three women to graduate from MSU vet school. Then she set up her own veterinary clinic."
From the beginning Anna's grandma had to be a pioneer for women in the veterinary field, and it wasn't easy. At one point she had a bad reaction to a rabies shot, which led to having diabetes and many other health complications. Anna said that she had a lot of replacement operations as well.
"She never gave up, even though all these things were thrown her way. She was always there for my family, my dad, his sisters, and all the grandkids," Anna said. "She's such an inspiration. I look to her still today, she's still influencing me."
One of those influences was her decision to come to Hillsdale. Being here gives Anna a connection to her grandma and she works hard to follow her example.
"It's kind of crazy, she was a huge fan of Hillsdale and back at the time I never considered going here, but now that I'm here I know she's so happy," she said. "I know she's wearing a Hillsdale Grandma sweatshirt in Heaven."
Swimming at the college level is something her grandma wanted to do but never got the chance, and it's something Anna doesn't take for granted.
"Her brothers swam, but she didn't because they didn't allow it for women at the time," she said. "They only had synchronized swimming, which she didn't consider real swimming."
Anna earned the team's Most Dedicated Swimmer award last year and was a member of the All-Conference team, but you'd never know how successful she really is because she lives so humbly. She said her mom always told her to just let her swimming speak for itself.
"Be humble. It's tempting to brag about your times or say 'I should be in this event' or 'I'm faster than this person' and sometimes you're put in events you don't want to swim, but you just have to work hard," she said. "You don't have to tell people you want to swim in college, just go out there and work hard. It's about being humble and not seeking recognition. Just pour that energy into your swim."
Similarly, Anna wouldn't tell you about her success in the classroom or the ambitious dreams she wants to chase after college. As a history major, she wants to be a lawyer or a history professor, two noble pursuits on their own. But Anna has even more goals than that.
"In my future career I might write novels on the side. I just have all these ideas for stories in my head and I type them on a Google Doc. I have like 19 different stories I've started."
She'll tell you this is just a side hobby, but there's no doubt she has the talent and determination to turn those 19 story ideas into something big.
"When I hear about an era, I like to think about what what it would be like to be a person during this war or this revolution or this time," she said. "When I read for pleasure it's always historical fiction. I love learning how people lived and just imagining what it would be like."
"History is so interesting because human nature itself doesn't change. It's the same motivations whether it's love or envy or kindness or jealous. Humans haven't changed, the circumstances have."
While she says human nature doesn't change, Anna has certainly changed since the beginning of her freshman year, which is something she's proud of. She was always used to having her younger sister as a teammate and friend, so Anna had to branch out, which she did by joining the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
"It's pushed me outside my comfort zone to be more social and talk to more people," she said. "Having that other group outside the swim team to talk to and for support and meeting people with different interests has been interesting. It's been a really great way to meet people."
She said she's glad she had that first year to adapt and become more independent, because now she can help her younger sister, Sarah, who is now freshman on the Hillsdale swim team.
"Last year I was the freshman and I was new and I was looking to the upperclassman for advice. Now I've been the one the giving advice and helping her," Anna said. "She's been doing great."
With Anna as an example and encourager, Sarah will continue to have a great semester. Anna's kind and friendly personality speak to her genuine heart, just as her mom always told her to do.
"Just let who you are as a person speak for yourself. You don't need to tell other people those things. Your actions should speak for themselves."