WORCESTER—Two members of the Clark University community have been recognized for their dedication to Worcester with the 2025 John W. Lund Community Achievement Award.
Ryan Saboia ’26 and Geography Professor Rinku Roy Chowdhury were honored by Clark President David Fithian and Joseph Corazzini, vice president for government and community affairs, for their contributions to the city and their work supporting marginalized and underserved populations.
The annual award, first presented in 1994, celebrates faculty, students, and staff whose leadership positively impacts Worcester. The award is made possible through a gift to the Greater Worcester Community Foundation from the late Jack Lund, a retired Worcester business executive who supported Clark for decades.
Roy Chowdhury, who earned her doctorate from Clark in 2003, was recognized for her efforts to celebrate and protect Worcester’s urban green spaces. In presenting the award, President Fithian gave a nod to her partnerships with Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, the Greater Worcester Land Trust, and Worcester Native Plant Initiative, which work to preserve natural lands, including in underserved environmental justice neighborhoods.
“Your work epitomizes Jack Lund’s affection for Worcester and his appreciation for Clark’s significant level of community involvement,” Fithian said in the announcement.
Professor James Murphy, director of the Graduate School of Geography, nominated Roy Chowdhury, highlighting her ability to “multiply her impact by additionally fostering and channeling the skills and passion of her students in team-based projects to benefit the community while mobilizing service- and project-based learning.”
Roy Chowdhury said in a statement, “Clark and Worcester are my home, twice over — I was a doctoral student here many years ago, and returned here as a faculty member. Ours is a truly remarkable, resilient city, rich in cultural diversity as well as natural beauty. Nature — trees, water, wildlife — is all around us and in our urban spaces, and we need it, depend on it for our own individual health as well as that of our community and city… I am grateful to be able to collaborate with our community partners, and deeply honored by this recognition from the university.”
Saboia, a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology and Spanish, was honored for his volunteer work across Worcester. He advocated for injection drug users with AIDS Project Worcester, designing the organization’s first outreach presentation on xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer increasingly found in illicit drugs and a leading cause of overdose.
He also participated in APW’s Internship Pathway to Employment Program, providing care for non-English-speaking elderly residents at Christopher House of Worcester, organizing performances by Clark musical groups, and translating Christopher House forms and materials into Spanish with Professor María Acosta Cruz’s Translation Workshop class.
Since May 2024, Saboia has volunteered as a medical interpreter with the Worcester Free Care Collaborative, providing Portuguese- and Spanish-to-English services for patients at the free clinic held at St. Peter’s Church, while also training incoming interpreters and advocating for the immigrant population.
“Since my freshman year, I have committed to the Latino community by advocating for immigrants’ access to public health through linguistic accessibility and outreach, bridging cultural and communication gaps,” Saboia said. “I also have strived to extend Clark’s impact within the Worcester community.”
President Fithian praised Saboia’s “leadership and commitment” in supporting AIDS Project Worcester, Christopher House, and the Worcester Free Care Collaborative, adding, “Your passion and advocacy have exemplified the best of the Clarkie spirit.”
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