KINGSTON, R.I. -- May 14, 2002 -- Emily Clapham’s leadership skills are no secret at the University of Rhode Island. Whether she is helping teammates on the tennis team or working with students as a resident’s assistant, Clapham has shown dedication and leadership in many activities at URI.

Clapham of Westerly will graduate on May 19 from the College of Human Sciences and Services with a degree in physical education. During her last semester, she was a student teacher at Underwood Elementary School in Newport and Deering Middle School in West Warwick.

"I was so nervous when I started student teaching. I was afraid I wouldn’t like teaching physical education and health," said Clapham. "Now I love it, and I’m so glad I chose the right career."

Clapham has been involved with many activities during her four years at URI, including participating on the URI Surf Club, working as a resident’s assistant for two years, and serving as team captain of the URI tennis team. She also spent a semester during her junior year studying abroad in Australia.

"Playing on the tennis team is what I’ll miss most at URI," said Clapham. "It was a great experience to meet all of the girls on the team and to play tennis at the college level."

This year, Clapham was one of two students recognized with the Outstanding Future Professional Award. The award was presented by the Eastern District Association for Physical Education at a national conference in Baltimore.

"It was a real honor to receive this award. There were a lot of people in the physical education profession from around the country at that conference."

URI will not be losing Clapham for long. She has just been awarded a tuition-paid assistantship in the URI physical education department for graduate school next fall.

"I found out about it the other day. I had no idea I was even nominated for this. It came as such a huge surprise."

For Information: Todd McLeish 874-7892, Sarah Emmett 874-2116