Programmer/Analyst
School of Education
January 1, 2013
“My Classics education contributed to my professional functions by providing a foundation for structured thought.”
Spenser Clark is starting his second year as a full-time staff member in Technical Services at the UCI School of Education. He is a UC Irvine Alumnus who spent his four years as an undergraduate working in Technical Services for the then UCI Department of Education.
While Spenser used his technical skills in his employment, he let his personal interests drive his education, ultimately graduating with his bachelor’s degree in Classics, with an emphasis on Latin.
“I believe that my Classics education contributed to my professional functions by providing a foundation for structured thought, teaching me to break down and analyze problems methodically.”
Spenser’s professional background has been exclusively in public sector education. Following his graduation from UCI, Spenser worked at two K-12 school districts, the Redondo Beach Unified School District first and then the Las Virgenes Unified School District. During his time at Redondo Union High School he had the opportunity to work with, and eventually manage, BeachNet, then a local Internet Service Provider as well as the provider for all technical services for the entire Redondo Beach Unified School District, save for local desktop support away from the high school campus.
This experience taught me some extremely valuable, hands-on skills, far ahead of when most people in the technical field would have an opportunity to learn them. Plus, my experience with technology in education from kindergarten through higher education has given me perspective and understanding with respect to the technology needs of both faculty and teaching students here in the School of Education.
Since coming back to UCI in the capacity of full-time staff, Spenser has assisted in major changes for Technical Services as well as for the School, such as the adoption of a number of more modern systems to manage information and address faculty needs and implementation of the technical changes required when the Department transitioned to School of Education.
My personal goals for the near future of Technical Services at the School of Education are to see an increase in organization, documentation, and efficiency in all the day-to-day functions of the Technical Services staff.
Outside of work, Spenser spends much of his time with his wife, Chelsea, and their four rats, Babbage, Turing, Ritchie, and Boole. He has continued his pursuits in his interests in history and the humanities through historical reenactment, particularly through Clan MacColin, portraying a 16th century Highland clansman, most notably at the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire.