Scott Forster, of Barrington, a Making a Difference Scholar at Clark University

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Scott Forster is a Making A Difference Scholar at Clark University

WORCESTER, MA (11/06/2013)(readMedia)-- Scott Forster, of Barrington, Ill., enrolled at Clark University this fall as a Making a Difference Scholar, one of five entering students to be awarded a scholarship for outstanding commitment and leadership in community service activities.

As a high school student, Forster was the founder and president of Hands of Hope Teens Club, whose mission was to educate U.S. students about issues facing families in Africa. Over the years, this group raised $50,000, which was used to build wells in Uganda, support sustainable economic development, and build a high school in Zambia. He also participated in a photography-based charity called Pictures Influencing Change (PIC) that raised money donated to Hands of Hope Teens Club.

Forster was a Boy Scout and achieved the organization's highest rank – Eagle Scout. His Eagle project involved raising $2,500 and completing a project to map walking paths and mark nature trails for a local Hospice Center.

Forster said he was drawn to Clark University's familial atmosphere, adding that the school is like "one big family."

Forster is a 2013 graduate of Barrington High School.

The Making a Difference Scholarship is a four-year scholarship which includes a taxable stipend and housing allowance to support an optional summer project that students may undertake in Worcester during the summer following their sophomore or junior year.

Clark has a long-standing commitment to making significant contributions to the solution of societal problems. Faculty members conduct research and influence policies that improve social and economic conditions of people all over the world. A large percentage of Clark students help better the lives of hundreds of local residents through their involvement in a wide variety of service projects.

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 complex challenges in the natural sciences, 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.