Scholarship Spotlight: Enaiya Clark

An Interview with a 2022 – 2023 Recipient of a Murrow College Scholarship Excellence Fund: Enaiya Clark, Advertising, Class of 2023

Why did you choose to pursue your major(s) in communication?
Growing up, my dream career was to be a lawyer. Growing up and still to this day, I have had an extreme love for sneakers, fashion and all things Nike. However, I could never think of a career in that area, so I just stuck with law. When I got to my junior year of high school, I decided that I did not want to be a lawyer, but I instead wanted to work at Nike in some capacity, and own a sneaker boutique, later in life. With my change in career choice, I attended community college first to really develop what I wanted to study. I started off as a business major, but I decided that it would not provide me with the necessary communication skills that I would need for what I wanted to do. After researching jobs at Nike that I found interesting (advertising and strategic planning), along with their requirements, I decided that a strategic communication degree would be the most beneficial. By the time that my experience at community college was coming to an end I had fully concluded that I want to create commercials and advertisements for Nike and Jordan. I decided that it would be best to pursue a major in advertising to gain the necessary knowledge and background and I knew that Washington State University would provide me with the best education.

What do you hope to achieve after graduation?
After graduation I plan to first go straight into graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in either marketing or advertising. After earning my graduate degree, I would like to get a job at Nike in their advertising or strategic planning department. That is the main goal that I hope to achieve in my 20’s. Eventually, I would like to open my own sneaker boutique that sells both retail and resale shoes. I hope to also one day to have a collaborative shoe with Nike, so I plan on creating and achieving highly followed and popular social media content pages. Overall, I would say that my goals are to continue the path of higher education, while also becoming extremely successful in the sneaker and fashion industries.

How has or how will the scholarship(s) you’ve been awarded for the 2022 -2023 academic year support you in your college experience?
My scholarship has been an extreme help to me. I have been able to focus on school without the burden of having to worry about finances. I was also able to get an internship at WSU’s International Center. This internship helps me with building my portfolio, learning more leadership skills, learning how to plan and manage events, and the knowledge of running a center. Although this is an unpaid internship, it is still beneficial because of the knowledge, experience, and expertise that I gain from it. Being able to work an unpaid internship would not have been possible without this scholarship. It has allowed me to pursue opportunities that will help me in the future. Also, this scholarship helps me to not stress about paying for classes, or books or anything else school related.

What is your favorite Murrow communication course you’ve taken so far? Why?
I really enjoyed taking Communication in Global Contexts (Com 105) with Gabriella Bedoyan. I enjoyed this class because it gave a lot of insight on how different corporations work and operate. As someone who wants to work for a large corporation, the class taught me how they work, along with how they communicate with the world in full. Professor Bedoyan was also extremely knowledgeable and great overall.

What communication class/internship/practical learning opportunity are you looking forward to during the 2022 — 2023 academic year and why?
I am looking forward to my marketing internship at WSU’S International Center because it will provide me with critical experience.

What clubs, student organizations or community organizations are you part of? Do you hold any leadership positions? What do you enjoy and value about the experience?
I am a part of the Black Student Union and the Marketing Club. I do not hold any leadership positions at the moment, however in both clubs I enjoy collaborating and sharing ideas and experiences with my peers.