Student Spotlight
JAVARI CARLTON Leading For Reach, Not Recognition
Written by Pia Forbes Photography by Curtis McDowell
Javari Carlton came to Clark Atlanta University reluctantly, but deciding to stay, he says, helped him discover his destiny. He says his mother, whose dream had been to attend school in the Atlanta University Center, was thrilled when he got his acceptance notice—and when he got to campus, he understood why. “I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere! I had never seen so much Black in my life.” But it was not simply seeing so many students, staff, and faculty who looked like him; he was impressed by the excellence they represented. He adds, still in awe, “I never knew about doctors of philosophy and juris doctors until I got here to Clark.” Following new student orientation, where the idea of student leadership was sown into Javari, he stood in front of Wright-Young Hall and proclaimed to his mother that he would become the student government president. His proclamation came to fruition, and he says, “Three years later, sitting in my office, I realize why I was waitlisted at what I thought was my dream school.” A senior, president of the Undergraduate Student Association (UGSA), and university trustee, he believes being in student leadership has influenced the way he approaches challenges both in the classroom and in life. For example, he started as a business marketing major but realized after a semester that most business majors were marketing or management. He asked a professor, “If numbers make the world go round, then why are students afraid of the numbers?”
20 Clark Atlanta Magazine
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