Angela Della Porta, of Newport, spends summer buildings homes for Hurricane Katrina victims

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Clark University senior Angela Della Porta rebuilds homes for families affected by Hurricane Katrina.

WORCESTER, MA (08/23/2012)(readMedia)-- Clark University senior Angela R. Della Porta, of Newport, Maine, spent the summer rebuilding homes in New Orleans, La., with support from Larry Franks '73, Ellen Berelson and the Theodore H. Barth Foundation. Seven other Clark University undergraduates also received stipends to conduct internships in the non-profit sector this summer.

Della Porta worked with Project Homecoming. The organization's mission is to put low-income families affected by Katrina back into safe, affordable homes. Her role was two-fold: she worked in the office, managing communications with those on the site and keeping records, and on the work sites, helping to build the homes that will go to families upon their completion. Della Porta worked alongside AmeriCorps workers and student volunteers.

"I've met so many New Orleans residents who have hope for the future of this city just from seeing us volunteers at work, and that gives everyone else hope, too. It's difficult knowing that the U.S. no longer prioritizes relief efforts in New Orleans," said Della Porta.

Della Porta is a member of the Class of 2013 at Clark; she is a women's studies and political science major. On campus, she is involved with the Student Global AIDS Campaign. She came to Clark as a Making a Difference Scholar, recognized for having demonstrated an outstanding commitment to, and leadership in, community engagement and social change at the High School level.

Della Porta is a 2009 graduate of Nokomis Regional High School and is the daughter of Vera Ellen Daley and Louis Della Porta of Newport.

Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a small, liberal arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Nationally renowned as a college that changes lives, Clark is emerging as a transformative force in higher education today. LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark's pioneering model of education that combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences. Clark's faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to contemporary challenges in the areas of psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. The Clark educational experience embodies the University's motto: Challenge convention. Change our world.