HHS Alum to Pursue Master’s at Columbia’s Paris Campus
Clare Tonks is headed to Europe where she will study for a master’s degree at Columbia University’s Paris campus. The 2010 Huntington High School graduate recently earned a BA in English and psychology at George Washington University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
“I had an absolutely wonderful time at GWU and I would highly recommend the school to all Huntington High School students,” Ms. Tonks said. “It was incredible to live for four years in such a vibrant and exciting city as our nation’s capital, which many people only have the chance to experience as a tourist. DC offers a huge variety of concerts, exhibitions and other public events that students are able to engage in beyond the events planned by the university.”
Mr. Tonks was one of the leading members of Huntington’s Class of 2010, earning top grades and a bevy of awards. She received quite an education at GWU, both in and out of the classroom.
“I made the decision to join Greek life at the beginning of my freshman year and being a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma was one of the best choices I made in college,” Ms. Tonks said. “I was introduced to a group of incredibly talented women who are interested in so many different and exciting fields and who really enriched my time at GWU. Contrary to the stereotypes about sororities, I found both a supportive family at college and now I am part of a nationwide network of successful women.”
Ms. Tonks spent last spring interning at Grosvenor Literary Agency in Bethesda, Maryland as an editorial assistant where she worked directly with the principal editor to help select which manuscripts should be considered for publication. “It was a demanding, but very exciting experience and gave me some insight into the challenges within the publishing world,” she said. “DC offers internships in every field a student could possibly be interested in, making it a very advantageous place to go to college.”
The Huntington alum enjoyed a semester abroad at St. Anne’s College, Oxford. “GWU offers a seemingly endless array of study abroad programs, which was a major draw to the school for me, allowing the students to become not just academically but culturally educated,” Mr. Tonks said. “It was my time abroad during the spring of my junior year that gave me the confidence to pursue this MA program at Columbia. Even though I was studying in Oxford I had the chance to live in Paris for a month and I fell in love with the city.”
When Ms. Tonks returned to GWU for her senior year and started making post-graduation plans, she surveyed various MA programs offered by universities in New York City and stumbled upon the history and literature program in Paris on Columbia’s website.
“This MA is perfect for me as it combines my love of literature and my passion for history, all within the incredible city of Paris,” Ms. Tonks said. “The program is one year long and my classes will be held at Columbia’s Global Center for Europe in the sixth arrondissement near the Luxembourg Gardens. The program culminates in the submission of my MA paper in August 2015.”
All of Ms. Tonks’ graduate program written work will be completed in English for the, “but some of my class discussions will take place in French and I will have practical training at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Archives nationales de France where I will need to use my French to interpret the texts and manuscripts,” she said.
Ms. Tonks hopes to be able to explore more of Europe during her free time. “While I was abroad I was not able to visit as many countries as I had hoped so I plan to see as many new places I can during my year in Paris,” she said.
The Huntington grad is already thinking about what will come after she finishes her graduate studies. “After the completion of my MA I hope to find a position in a historical preservation and conservation organization either in New York or possibly in Europe,” Ms. Tonks said. “I hope acquiring this MA will prepare me to do just that!”
Ms. Tonks studied ballet for more than a decade, performing in many productions along the way. She’s always been able to balance all of her activities with an assortment of academic commitments, maintaining a high level of performance across the board.
Two Huntington High School teachers will always be held in especially high regard by Ms. Tonks. She developed close relationships with AP Biology teacher Deborah Beck and AP World History teacher Camille Tedeschi, who she traveled to Peru with on an EF Tours trip in 2009. Ms. Beck taught Ms. Tonks various study skills that she has found invaluable throughout high school and college.
As she prepares to head off to the City of Light, Ms. Tonks is excited. Yet, no matter how far she goes from home, she will always maintain the connection to her alma mater.