Joining an elite group of Worcester college students, Nia Slater-Bookhart ’19 was awarded a 2019  Collegiate Apprentice Award at the Mechanics Hall Celebration of Excellence in October. The award recognizes a student from each college and university in the Worcester area for their demonstrated leadership, creativity and innovation, excellence in academics, and community involvement.

Slater-Bookhart, a double major in history and community, youth, and education studies, served as both a peer adviser and resident adviser as an undergraduate at Clark, supporting more than 600 students during their own college experiences. In addition, she was a leader in All Kinds of Girls, a female youth empowerment program that aims to cultivate pride, self-love, leadership, activism, and community involvement among girls aged 9-16 in Worcester.

She currently is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching through Clark’s Accelerated B.A./Master’s Degree Program. After graduation, she hopes to work in secondary education, and is currently completing a practicum in a 9th-grade history classroom.

The Mechanics Hall Collegiate Apprentice Award “shines a light on a younger generation of rising leaders emerging from the vision and achievements of our higher education community,” according to the Worcester County Mechanics Association (WCMA). The WCMA was founded in 1842 to provide a cultural and educational forum that would influence aspirations of excellence within the growing community; Mechanics Hall was dedicated in 1857.