Clark University junior Alexandra Katechis, of Bayside, spends summer researching reading benchmarks

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Alexandra S. Katechis of Clark University

WORCESTER, MA (08/23/2012)(readMedia)-- Clark University junior Alexandra S. Katechis, of Bayside, N.Y., spent her summer in Worcester, interning with the Worcester Education Collaborative (WEC), thanks to 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 nonprofit sector this summer.

WEC works to provide multiple opportunities to students in the Worcester Public Schools so that they can acquire the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Katechis helped with WEC's current research project on third grade reading benchmarks, and worked to build fulfilling out-of-school learning experiences for students in Worcester. She also assisted in the preparation of grants and helped support several "Pop-Up" literacy events (appearances by puppeteers and musicians) to draw children and parents to the Worcester Public Library's book mobile, Libby.

"My internship exceeded my expectations," said Katechis. "The director of the Worcester Education Collaborative, Ms. Carey, encouraged interns to work independently on demanding projects. I found much inspiration in working so closely with invested community and business members. The work that we did was so refreshingly grounded in the practical; especially since educational advocacy can often be very abstract."

Katechis said that, in the time she spent at WEC, she learned how to advocate for teachers, students, parents, and community members.

"As a future kindergarten teacher, I think the skills I gained here will prove truly invaluable," said Katechis.

Katechis is a member of the Class of 2014 at Clark, majoring in English and philosophy. On campus, she is a member of the Free Thought Society and she partakes in yoga. In 2010 she won second place in the English Department's Hoyt Poetry Contest. She is also the recipient of a Semple Scholarship.

Katechis graduated third in her class in 2010 from the Doctors Charter School. She is the daughter of Rebecca Katechis of Bayside, New York.

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.