Through Setbacks and Comebacks Alumna Finds Her Magnum Opus
From the time Bishop Montgomery alumna Rachel Clark ’10 began playing volleyball, she had a plan– to someday play professionally overseas. While at BMHS, Clark did everything she could to make her dreams come true. She studied hard in school and worked hard on the court to improve her skills. As a 4-year varsity starter for the Lady Knights, Clark solidified her place in the program’s storied history. She was a 4-time All-League performer; Del Rey League MVP as a senior; two-time Daily Breeze All-Area 1st team selection; and 1st Team All-CIF pick as a senior.
Following graduation, she headed to the University of Virginia on a full athletic scholarship; her plan was taking shape. She looked forward to playing Division I volleyball at one of the top academic institutions in the country, and her future was bright. A few years after arriving on the UVa campus, however, Clark was forced to change her path. During a difficult time, seemingly beyond her control, Clark found her Magnum Opus in something beyond volleyball. And, as fate would have it, that diversion was the best thing to ever happen for her.
In her first two seasons at Virginia, Clark showed great promise. As a freshman, she played in 17 matches and had a season-high seven kills against Clemson. In her sophomore year, Clark appeared in 22 matches and recorded 99 kills and 150 digs. As her third year approached, a back injury she suffered in high school re-surfaced. It not only forced her to miss the 2012 season, but it eventually ended her playing career. “It was one of the most devastating things to ever happen to me,” explains Clark. “So much of who I was as a person was tied to volleyball.” After hearing the news that her playing days were over, Clark responded much like any athlete would—struggling to come to grips with her situation. “I wanted to transfer [out of UVa],” recalls Clark. “I wanted to come home.”
Unsure of what to do, Clark sought help from both her family and psychology professionals within the UVa athletic department. Two of her biggest advocates were her mother, Marcia, the director of Manhattan Academy in Manhattan Beach, and her brother, Nate, BMHS Class of 2004 and graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Instead of sulking and feeling sorry for herself any longer, Clark realized that the best thing to do was determine what to do next, to explore what truly made her happy and build from there. “I was determined to figure out who [I] was going to be off the court,” she remembers.
Clark admits that her happiest times playing volleyball were at Bishop Montgomery. For her, and most Division I athletes, playing college sports is more like a job with required workouts, practices, games, team meals, and study halls. After signing the medical hardship form and permanently forgoing her eligibility as a college athlete, Clark was free to explore new opportunities.
Even before she realized she would never play competitively again, Clark had enrolled in a “Leadership Across Disciplines” program at UVa. She still wanted to stay involved in athletics, so she continued to attend every volleyball practice and game to support her teammates any way she could. “Interestingly, during the time I signed my medical hardship was around the same time I heard of my acceptance into the McIntire Leadership minor [in UVa’s prestigious McIntire School of Commerce],” Clark explains. “This was honestly the first time I felt accomplished outside of my sport.” A new plan was emerging.
A large part of the Leadership minor required UVa students to complete a field project. At one point, Clark sat with her academic advisor (through the athletic department) and lamented the fact that she had seen many of her fellow athletes graduate from UVa without a post-graduate career. Disillusioned with the stereotypes student-athletes faced, she also wanted to show that student-athletes are more than just a jersey number. “I wanted to change the perception people have by altering the course of student-athletes’ lives after graduation,” explains Clark. By expanding upon that idea, Clark found her project. When their playing days were over, the student-athletes at UVa needed guidance, and Clark was going to help them acquire the necessary tools.
Despite a program within the university’s athletic department dedicated to career development already in place, Clark quickly learned that many athletes were unaware of its existence. Clark’s project, called “I Am More,” would consist of a series of four workshops designed specifically to teach student-athletes self-marketing skills including how to write cover letters and resumes, how to interview for a job, and how to perform in all aspects of the business world. Knowing that she would probably be stepping on the toes of those already in the athletic department’s career development office, Clark had to tread lightly. After her project idea was initially refused, Clark grabbed a media studies major and began interviewing student-athletes on campus, asking whether or not they knew that career development resources were available to them. With proof in hand (and on film), Clark re-pitched her idea. Once “the interviews were edited… I took them back to the Athletic Director, along with an added proposal that I invite [the Director of the Career Development Office] into the work group, so that he and his office were included,” Clark explains. “The project was approved.”
With three of the four workshops already complete, Clark has been pleased with her project’s progress. Even more satisfying for Clark is the fact that she has been able to successfully handle innumerable obstacles, from difficulty finding funding to securing venues and workshop presenters. The first three workshops have gone so well, in fact, that the athletic department offered funds, up front, for Clark to use for the fourth and final workshop in a few weeks.
When asked her greatest source of pride about the project, Clark explains that the University of Virginia’s athletic department has decided to implement her project going forward even after she graduates in May with her sociology degree. She is also pleased that the project is now a part of UVa’s athletic department budget and there are plans to help it grow over the next few years. In the fall, Clark will head to law school at George Washington University, but plans to remain a part of the program.
During a time when she felt stripped of her true identity, Clark was given an opportunity to discover more of herself through her acceptance into the leadership program at UVa. And, despite giving everything she has into her leadership project, the return has been far more than she ever could have imagined. “[My project] proved to me that I am more than just a jersey number, that I have purpose, and that I can set out to do something and accomplish it,” shares Clark. “This project has shown me that a setback is just a set-up for a comeback. This project has shown me… that this is only the beginning of the change and the impact I want to make.”