Abram Clear, a native of Chilhowie and a 2019 initiate of the William & Mary Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, has been named the Society’s National Leader of the Year in Scholarship. This award is one of the Society’s highest collegiate honors, and it comes with a $1,000 prize.
The announcement of the selection was made by Tara S. Singer, president and chief executive officer of O∆K. Singer said, “Abram Clear is one of the finest young scholars in our Society. He graduated from William & Mary with an almost perfect GPA, conducted extensive linguistics research as an undergraduate, and assisted numerous other students and academics with making their scholarly presentations. I know he has a bright future ahead of him as he plans to attend graduate school and eventually join the faculty ranks.”
Clear received his Bachelor of Arts with majors in linguistics and anthropology in May 2021. While a student at William & Mary, he was named a Rhodes Scholar Finalist, Charles Center Honors Fellow, and the 2021 recipient of the university’s Carr Cup. This award recognizes a graduating senior based on character, leadership, and scholarship. Clear intends to enroll at the University of Toronto this fall to pursue a Master of Arts in linguistics.
While at W&M, Clear served as vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa, co-president and education chair for the Rainbow Coalition, president of the Linguistic Club, and as an aide in the Office of First Year Experience. He also presented at the 2021 Linguistic Society of America Conference. Clear was a research assistant for Discourse Analysis at W&M as well as for the W&M Phonetics and Phonology Lab. Clear also served as a research assistant for the W&M LGBTIQ Research Project. In addition, he helped curate three and design more than 20 exhibits on a range of topics during his undergraduate career.
About receiving the award, Clear said, “I came to know a passionate collective of campus leaders as a member of O∆K at W&M and am incredibly honored to have been selected for this award. O∆K was part of a large network of exceptional support I found during my undergraduate career that fostered my curiosity, affirmed my identity, and encouraged my growth into a better scholar, colleague, and friend. Honoring the network of communities that profoundly impacted me, I am committed to fostering sincere interpersonal connection and scholarly support for others. I look forward to continuing my studies of sound perception and language-internal variation at the graduate level.”
Omicron Delta Kappa Society, the National Leadership Honor Society, was founded in Lexington, Virginia, on December 3, 1914. A group of 15 students and faculty members established the Society to recognize and encourage leadership at the collegiate level. The founders established the O∆K Idea—the concept that individuals representing all phases of collegiate life should collaborate with faculty and others to support the campus and community. O∆K’s mission is to honor and develop leaders; encourage collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and alumni; and promote O∆K’s ideals of collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, scholarship, and service college and university campuses throughout North America. The Society’s national headquarters are located in Lexington, Virginia.
