Alumni Profiles
Abby Clapp
Abby Clapp
Degree: BA’08, Member
At the Center of It All
Abby Clapp has a front row seat to the evolution of campus life.
When she first came to IU East, she had just graduated from high school. Back then, the student body was made up of nontraditional students. They wanted to capitalize on a great IU degree and find a second career.
Today, those same kinds of students are part of IU East, but there are also more traditional students, too. They are bringing a new energy to the Richmond campus, and the campus has responded by doing more to augment student life.
For example, there’s a new coffee shop in Springwood Hall and a new cafe in Whitewater Hall. The IU East Red Wolves are providing the kind of athletic thrills that make an alumna proud, and soon there will be a new gym for their fans to fill.
In addition, events like the Senior Shindig and the Nearly Naked Mile (both sponsored by IUAA) are adding to an atmosphere that’s simply more fun. And Abby thinks alumni shouldn’t be left out. “I tell alumni who aren’t IUAA members that life on campus is different than when we were students,” she notes. “As an IUAA member, I get to help shape that growth.”
For Abby, that’s particularly true because she happens to be the incoming IUAA board president at IU East. During her term, she and her fellow board members will continue to improve and update a strategic plan for the campus's alumni association. As president, she’ll also sit on the IU East Chancellor’s Board as the campus prepares to mark its 40th anniversary.
And through it all, Abby is connecting with her fellow alumni. “I’ve met so many people through IUAA events I wouldn’t have otherwise,” she says. “It’s been very helpful. And we all have a connection. We all went to IU.”
