‘Clark made me who I am’

Erron “Ronnie” Cushnie ’24 wasn’t familiar with Clark University when he was a senior in high school. But his uncle was. And that uncle convinced his nephew he would thrive at a smaller university where he could pursue the STEM studies he desired in an intimate setting that would allow him to wring all he could from a world-class education.

He has. Cushnie was recently accepted into Columbia University, where he will pursue a bachelor of science degree in engineering as part of the 3-2 Program in Engineering that Clark offers in conjunction with the New York City school. Through the program, an undergraduate earns their bachelor’s degree at Clark and, if they earn acceptance, can move on to study for a B.S. at Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.

“I was flying back from a Young Men of Color Conference at Clemson University in April, and I was in a Detroit airport when I found out I’d been accepted,” Cushnie recalls. “I was speechless.”

The physics major says he was initially unsure about applying to Columbia. “My mother said, ‘If you don’t take the chance now, you’ll regret it one day.’ ”

Cushnie has maximized his time at Clark, working on renewable energy projects with Physics Professor Chuck Agosta, and being active in a series of student organizations like the Men of Color Alliance, Black Student Union, and Caribbean African Student Association. Cushnie also played on the Clark men’s basketball team his first year and was a team manager his sophomore year, but he eventually stepped away to focus on his studies. “That’s what I came to Clark to do,” he says.

He’s a familiar presence at ClarkFEST, the biannual showcase of Clark student research and creative work, where he deftly explains complicated physics principles for non-scientists. “I always want people to come to my poster and have a conversation,” he says. “They’re here to learn, and I’m here to learn.”

The son of a mechanical engineer and the grandson of a civil engineer, Cushnie plans to study mechanical engineering at Columbia, but is looking forward to diving into other areas, including finance. He’ll take advantage of his post-commencement time off to visit family in Florida and San Francisco before heading to Columbia in August.

Asked to summarize his time at Clark, Cushnie doesn’t equivocate.

“Clark made me who I am; it allowed me to grow up,” he says. “I wouldn’t have developed the way I have if I’d gone to a larger school.”