Stories

Laura Clark ’24 aspires to help the immigrant community by combining her studies of philosophy and religion.

By Shantala Jennings ’27

Senior Laura Clark, a Philosophy and Religious Studies double major, has always been curious about the world around her and how human functioning, value, and interaction collide. Before attending Santa Clara, she was unsure of what she wanted to study. She had the opportunity to take her core requirements in Ethics as well as Religion, Theology, and Culture during fall quarter her first year, and fell in love with the humanities. The support she received from the faculty solidified her decision to major in both disciplines. She believes that her majors allow her to delve deeper into social issues such as poverty and technology ethics and everything in between. Having the opportunity to study humanities allowed her to develop as an individual and open various paths in the future.

Laura has been very involved with the campus community. Her sophomore year she joined the Activities Programming Board (APB), in which she served as sophomore events manager, arts events manager, and this year as director. “Event planning has always been a passion of mine and I love getting to bring people together and see the smiles on students' faces when they are engaging in a fun activity both on and off campus”, she says. “My goal for APB this year was to improve campus culture by sponsoring events that are accessible and interesting to a wide variety of students.”

In addition, she participated in the Jean Donovan Fellowship sponsored by the Ignatian Center where she worked with the International Rescue Committee, and was a Hackworth Fellow with the Markkula Ethics Center where she focused on the ethics of AI. She is the president of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, which allowed her to connect with various departments on campus and recognize students for their commitment to scholarship, loyalty, and service. Her interest in human flourishing led her to also become an SCU Ambassador, the education and mentoring program coordinator for SCCAP, and a mentor for the Bronco Academy of Mentorship where she assisted underclassmen in their transition to College.

After graduating, Laura plans to spend a year in Portland, Maine with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps working as a legal support assistant for the Immigration Legal Advocacy Project which provides direct legal services, community education, and advocacy for immigrants in Maine. After that, she plans to pursue graduate school in Philosophy and Theology.

Learn more about her senior thesis, favorite classes, advice for incoming freshmen!

What is your senior thesis and why did you choose that topic? What impacts do you want your project to have on the SCU community and others?

My senior thesis is titled “Philosophical and Religious Considerations: The Concept of Human Dignity Applied to the Ecological Crisis and AI.” In both philosophy and religious studies there is a lot of consideration about what it means to be human. While examining this question alongside contemporary ethical issues whether that be immigration, poverty, human trafficking, incarceration, etc., I continued coming back to the idea of human dignity. While human dignity is so important to maintaining humanitarian efforts as well as upholding our human rights framework, I noticed that many of my peers do not have a strong understanding of what dignity itself means. Through my Hackworth Fellowship as well as courses I’ve taken on technology ethics, I recognized the fear that many people have been voicing about how AI will impact human dignity through its perceived rational capacities and potential to take over human jobs.

Further, I have a newfound curiosity about the ecological crisis through recent classes and events on campus that made me consider the tension between human dignity and our responsibilities to the earth and animals. I aimed to consider the history of the concept of human dignity to get a sense of how we got to our current understanding. My goal was to include perspectives from both a Western and Eastern religious tradition so I added a Buddhist and Catholic lens to the discussion.

I hope that my project prompts the SCU community to think deeply about the importance of human dignity but also prompts them to examine for themselves what grounds or justifies our human dignity and ask themselves whether their conception informs a response to the ecological crisis and AI.

Which course do you believe had the most impact on you and your perspective on different topics?

One of the most impactful courses I’ve taken at SCU was Human Trafficking and Christian Ethics taught by Dr. Peterson-Iyer in Religious Studies. I consider this to be one of the inflection points in my college career in understanding my interests and prompting a stronger desire to bring about social justice. Since trafficking is a less well-known and studied issue and we had the opportunity to hear from a survivor as well as work collaboratively on a presentation of our choice, I got so much out of the class. It challenged me to consider different perspectives as we were looking at both labor and sex trafficking both internationally and domestically. We debunked many perceptions about who is trafficked and how it occurs.

What advice do you have for incoming first years?

For incoming first year students, I recommend that you find some sort of on-campus involvement or group that excites you. Don’t just get involved because people tell you that that’s what you are supposed to do but find something that you are genuinely interested in or passionate about which will enable you to meet other students who you can connect with and create a sense of groundedness on campus. Also, go to office hours and make connections with your professors. Santa Clara faculty are AMAZING and can be so helpful in assisting you academically, personally, and professionally. Do not be afraid to ask them questions and to get to know your professors because they want to get to know you!