My name is Annie Beth Clark, and I’m thrilled to serve as the 2025 LPA intern! I was born and raised just outside of Dallas, Texas, and spent my childhood and adolescence creatively writing, performing in musicals, and forming lasting relationships (my middle school friend group is still going strong).
I attended college at Sewanee: The University of the South, where I studied psychology and earned minors in Religious studies and Classical languages. During my time at Sewanee, I was privileged to work in and help create the Civic Action Lab as the lead research assistant through the psychology department. Under the guidance of the lab’s fantastic head researcher, I honed my skills in participatory action research.
As a part of the lab, I was introduced to the awesome work of the young people in Nashville, TN, who were a part of the Nashville Youth Design Team (NYDT). My work involved mixed-methods research on the youth-participatory action civics curriculum in Nashville middle schools, from which all teen members of the NYDT had to graduate. Through this experience, I learned firsthand the power of young people to make real positive change in their neighborhoods and the world.
This led me to attend American University for a Master's in Ethics, Peace, and Human Rights, where I’ve just finished my first year. My studies have taught me to translate my learnings from psychology into ethical policy interventions with youth and other populations. Crucial to this is my certificate in Social Innovation for Global Impact, which emphasizes cutting-edge, bottom-up innovation through various sectors and business practices. Through this certificate, I will develop my master’s capstone around building a product that helps young voices be amplified in social justice movements. This product will help build a toolkit for young people to engage with social justice and make long-lasting change. After graduation, I hope to continue my education and research by pursuing a Clinical/Community Psychology Ph.D. program focused on youth empowerment and trauma.
I chose to accept this internship at LPA because I have a deep passion for youth empowerment, development, and engagement in positive social change. With my background and interest in youth action civics, I see the high stakes ahead for amplifying youth narratives through storytelling and artivism to nurture positive social change. I am also passionate about leveraging young people’s stories that can positively impact their generational legacy. I am thrilled to start chatting with teens about their work in advocacy and how they choose to incorporate their stories in their work.
A little bit about me personally is that I live in D.C. with my boyfriend, Patrick, and our princess cat, Luna. I love most genres of music, but always come back to showtunes and choral pieces when I need to feel connected. I was a fitness instructor at Sewanee, and now I am attending classes at Pure Barre (ballet-informed stretch and strength exercise chain) to learn new movements and meet new friends. I have celiac disease, which means I can’t eat gluten, but I have learned how to bake gluten-free goodies that even my gluten-eating boyfriend loves. I have a love for travel and all forms of storytelling, art, and performance. You’ll see me every weekend in D.C. at Eastern Market sipping on a frozen limeade and browsing local vendors!
If you’re interested to learn more about me, my time with Living Proof Advocacy, current Broadway obsessions, or information about my education or the Nashville Youth Design Team, please feel free to reach out!
Email: AnnieBeth@livingproofadvocacy.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annie-beth-clark-80a123291
Programs: https://www.instagram.com/civic_action_lab/ & https://www.american.edu/cas/philrel/ephr/