A Worcester first-year student whose work has already included human rights advocacy, genocide research and a gubernatorial proclamation is among three members of the Clark University community being recognized for efforts tied to equity and inclusion.
Clark University announced this week that Worcester resident and Presidential Scholar Anahit Marutyan, along with staff members Laura Burgess and Naomi Ashley, received the university’s 2026 President’s Achievement Awards for Inclusive Excellence.
The annual awards recognize members of the Clark community whose work advances diversity, inclusion and access both on campus and beyond. This year’s honorees reflect a broad cross-section of that work — from mentoring first-generation college students to researching institutional accountability and helping shape local public policy discussions.
Marutyan, a member of the Class of 2029 majoring in political science and international development and social change, also received Clark’s Distinguished Award for Inclusive Excellence, which includes an additional $1,000 award designated for the recipient. Marutyan serves on the Worcester Human Rights Commission and has contributed research through Clark’s Strassler Center, including work published in the “American Historical Review” focused on genocide and institutional accountability.
While still in high school, she successfully advocated for Gov. Maura Healey to issue a proclamation recognizing April as Armenian-American Heritage Month in both 2025 and 2026.
In the announcement, Marutyan said Clark helped her explore “the intersection of law, human rights, and how institutions actually function.”
“A lot of my work has focused on looking closely at systems: how decisions are made, who they impact, and whether they are truly fair in practice,” she said in the university’s release.
This summer, Marutyan is slated to intern for U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman, a Clark graduate, in the District of Massachusetts.
The university also honored Laura Burgess, assistant dean of academic and student services in Clark’s School of Business, and Naomi Ashley, assistant director of programming and first-generation student support.
Burgess, who has worked at Clark for 19 years, oversees student and academic services within the School of Business and helped develop programs tied to mentoring, leadership training and career readiness. According to the release, she also created the school’s Social Innovation Certificate Program, which connects students to projects aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Ashley’s work centers on supporting first-generation and historically underrepresented students through mentoring, programming and community-building efforts on campus.
In the release, Ashley said her perspective on inclusion has been shaped by her own experiences as “an international student, a woman of color, and a student-athlete.”
“What made a meaningful difference were the mentors who saw me, encouraged me, and created space for me to grow into myself,” Ashley said.
Award recipients direct a $1,500 institutional gift toward programs or departments of their choosing as part of the recognition.
