Ronald Preston Clark is an education rebel. After attending Hampton University and earning his degree in Journalism, Clark found his way to education. Not because he adored the education system, but the opposite. He knew it could be done better and wanted to operate from within the system in order to make a difference. He has worked at the Charter School of San Diego, Mt. Erie Christian Academy, Gompers Preparatory Academy, Hoover High School, Morse High School, Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men and Vista La Mesa Academy, and at each stop, he found a way to build strong and unique relationships with students, particularly those who seemed to be falling through the cracks. 

 

It was during his time at Urban Prep, an all-Black male public charter high school in Southside Chicago, that Clark turned into the educator he always wanted to be. Being placed in a school of 220 Black male students and under the leadership of Joseph Mason, Roy Curry and Aric Brown, Clark learned all the nuances of teaching, mentoring and honoring this niche demographic. Upon his return to San Diego in August 2022, Clark knew he would eventually land where God had always wanted him to be – as a mentor to young Black men in his hometown.

 

After a year as Dean of Students at Vista La Mesa Academy, Clark was at a crossroads as an educator. But mentors, friends and fate led him to create Club FBS (Fitteds, Books & Sneakers), a book club & mentorship program for 6th-12th grade Black male students in San Diego. He tapped into his passion for literacy and his understanding of the power of sneaker culture to craft a curriculum and mentoring strategy that is currently impacting over 50 students across the city. 

 

Clark loves his students and due to his own upbringing under the tutelage of brilliant Black men like Agin Shaheed, Dr. Kasimu Harley, Dr. Zachary Green, Tony Young and the late Rev. George Stevens, he only seeks to be part of the village that surrounds his Young Brothers. While running Club FBS, Clark is also the Lead Teacher/Facilitator for the Black InGenius Initiative (BiGI) at the University of San Diego, which serves a cohort of 60 sixth grade Black and Latinx students, a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and the award-winning author of the novel, ‘Vinnie: a love letter’, an exploration of masculinity through the lens of a 14-year-old Black boy which earned Clark an Honorable Mention in the 28th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.

 

Energetic, curious, transparent, accountable and passionate, Clark’s charge is to lead others through literacy, empathy, education and self-consciousness, and Club FBS is the embodiment of all he is.