Putting Roots on Appian Way

Like many students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ruiz Clark’s journey to Appian Way is an impressive story of persistence. Of brilliance. Of a passion for education and learning and a desire to change the world.

It is also, if you ask him, a story about mangrove trees.

For much of his life, Clark — a soon-to-be graduate of the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) — would move every two to four years for work. He learned a lot from the experiences, which included stints at Teach For India, Malaysia, and Hawaii. But when he arrived at HGSE, Clark met with an executive coach through the Ed.L.D. Program and reflected on what his career had been missing.

“My network is wide but not deep. Some individuals stay put for years upon years upon years, and they have a really strong root system. I’d say I’m more like a mangrove. I’ve spread myself,” Clark says. “Which isn’t a bad thing! Mangroves are also strong in a different way. But when I came here, I told my executive coach ‘I’m craving community. I want to plant my roots more than I have in the past.’”

Though he initially wanted to pursue a career in international relations, he was recruited by Teach For America and went to work in Hawaii before pursuing a master’s degree from Teachers College at Columbia University.

It was Diane Robinson, Ed.L.D.’13, a member of the Ed.L.D. Program’s first cohort who served as executive director of Teach For Hawaii when Clark first began teaching with the program, who “planted a seed” and encouraged him to apply to Harvard. And while his was not accepted on his first application to the program, the experience set the course for what would come next.

“I walked away really inspired by the other candidates and professors that I met,” recalled Clark. Determined to apply again, he sent his resume to people “all around the world” looking for a one-year job because he intended to join the next Ed.L.D. cohort. That effort landed him in Yerevan, Armenia, with Teach For Armenia. Where, through a series of unexpected complications, one year became four.

First, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. His boss went on maternity leave and he ended up serving as CEO of the organization for a time. Complicating things further, war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, increasing the urgency and impact of his work across the region.

“At the height of the war we were reaching one out of every 13 kids who were displaced because of the war,” recalls Clark, describing the emergency response effort he helped mobilize. That work, along with the isolation of life abroad amid the pandemic and war, made him reflect on what he truly wanted to do with his life next.

“When I’m 80 years old, looking back at my life. What memories do I want to have?” Clark recalls asking himself. “And that is when I came to the conclusion that I want to have memories of being a student at Harvard. I want to have memories of reading a book by the river. I want to have memories of studying in its historic libraries. I want to have memories of being in class with professors who know way more than I do.”

Clark reapplied to the Ed.L.D. Program and, this time, he was accepted. Over the three years that followed, he’s proud to say he got his fair share of quintessential Harvard experiences.

He worked on an independent study project with assistant professor Ying Xu to develop Quento, an AI-powered data tool he prototyped through funding from HGSE’s Education Entrepreneurship Summer Fellowship. He helped develop an AI equity coach for public schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. And his capstone project focused on helping organizations prepare for digital transformations using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

The framework that emerged from that work — the Digital Leadership Convergence Model — is something he hopes to build on as he develops startup ideas after graduation. He’s also headed back to Armenia for contract work with the Armenian Education Initiative to design the country’s first AI-native school.

Clark says school districts are “desperate” for support in putting infrastructure in place to take advantage of the potential AI tools offer teachers and learners while addressing things like privacy concerns and the overall impact on the quality of education schools provide.

“It’s going to be important for schools to figure out what that balance is so that productive struggle is still treated as sacred in the learning process,” says Clark. “People who learn how to master these technologies in such a way where they bolster their work, but not offload their critical thinking. And how do schools actually make sure that students are still building a solid foundation so they’re not stunted in their ability to think for themselves?”

Clark has done his best to learn as much as he can about technology while at Harvard. That included taking the legendary Harvard class CS50, an Introduction to Computer Science course taught by David J. Malan. One of the essential Harvard experiences he wanted for himself, Clark said it left a lasting impact.

“That course kicked my butt. I think it was the hardest course I’ve ever taken,” Ruiz said. “But the final project is to build something that’s meaningful for the Harvard community or the world at large.”

The resulting project, Verivox, is a website designed to help other members of the Ed.L.D. community share contact information and resumes and keep up to date on the many projects Harvard alumni are working on after earning their degrees.

“So I thought why don’t I use my coding skills and create a platform where alumni and current students can showcase their work and can elevate their voices and be a place where you can publish ideas and then stay connected with the broader Ed.L.D. community,” said Clark.  

Clark says his roots aren’t as mangrove-like anymore, either.

“I think through this program I’ve been able to do that, with not just my cohort peers but other cohorts. I’ve been able to develop camaraderie with other Latinas in the cohorts, I’ve been able to create friendships across the network in general, the Ed.L.D. network, not just the current students, as well as with the professors,” said Clark. “So as I finish year three here in Cambridge, I feel like I’m not just walking away with a deeper understanding of my content area of expertise, but I’m walking away with a deeper sense of community."