Nona Alumni: Alexis Clarke

In this recurring monthly special, Nonahood News will be featuring those who’ve graduated from Lake Nona High School and will recognize the achievements they’ve made since. Some will have been a part of the first graduating class. Others might have graduated a few years later. Few have stayed in the Lake Nona area, and many have explored the world or are still doing so. Let’s see where life’s journey has taken them so far!

Age: 24

Year Graduated: 2013

Occupation: Market Manager/Fitness Industry

Current Location: Orlando, FL

Alexis Clarke and her family moved to the Lake Nona area when she was just 10 years old.

“My parents were looking for a better area for me and my brother to grow up in and have more opportunity. My parents are still in the area, and I have just recently moved back.” Clarke just returned home from a year living and working abroad in Sydney, Australia.

While a student at Lake Nona High, Clarke knew exactly where she wanted to go for higher education.

“My dream growing up was always to go to the University of Florida, born and raised a Gator! So, during high school, I put a lot of focus into my studies and extracurriculars to achieve that dream. So, post-high school goals for me were studying at UF and graduating with a degree in business and going on to start out in a career in business right away.”

Reflecting on the time after she graduated, Clarke discussed the goals she had set and achieved.

“I learned and achieved so much more than I could have imagined. I graduated HS with my two-year degree from Valencia, which was such an accomplishment and went on to complete four years at the University of Florida. However, while I was there, I learned so much about life and myself, getting through obstacles, of course, but coming out of it all better,” Clarke detailed. “I graduated after those four years with a degree in sociology, learning that I loved studying society and people and why we are the way we are and trends in society and how that relates to business, as I have a minor in business. So, it wasn’t the direction I had originally seen for myself … however, I am so happy with where I ended up going with my college career.”

Although she didn’t jump straight into a career after college as she had envisioned, the journey she did go on was worth it and left her with plenty of memories to share and stories to tell.

“When we are young, the way I was raised, I was told you go to school then get into a good college, work hard, graduate with a good degree, and then start a career. However, along my journey, I discovered that I needed to take a different path than what I had planned for myself since as far back as I can remember,” Clarke continued. “I think growing up, we all have different ideas of who we want to be or what we want to be when we grow up, and we think that by the time we graduate college we will have it all figured out. But, I think it is important for teenagers and young adults to realize that everyone is still figuring themselves [out] and what they want out of life every day! When I graduated from the University of Florida, I was very proud of where I had gotten and how hard I had worked to get there. However, I was very confused on what I wanted next out of life. College had been my focus for so long that I never really took the time to ask myself what I really wanted out of life. So, I decided that right after I graduated, I would take a trip to Greece to clear my head [and] enjoy my accomplishments. It was in Greece that I really saw a different side of myself, and I wanted to embrace that side. Travel was what I felt I needed to better myself for my future. So, I made a crazy decision to move across continents and spend the next year living and working in Sydney, Australia. During that year, I grew so much and learned so much about myself and what I wanted out of life. I found passions of mine and built up dreams for my future.”

Speaking of her future … in the next five years, she hopes to have traveled even more and to have made progress toward her career goals.

“I also realize that we can make plans all we want, however a quote I love is, ‘Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.’ So, I try not to worry too much about where I will be in my future and instead focus on the here and now.”

Some of Clarke’s current goals consist of learning as much as possible about all of her passions for her future, including the events and fitness industries, as well as people.

“One day, I would like to use my experience and knowledge of both industries and my love for connecting and motivating people to create a business that helps people connect through their common interests and inspires them to better themselves. Running a business that turns fitness events into networking communities for people to share, motivate and inspire. But that’s just a dream … it’ll take a lot of hard work and patience to get there!”

Clarke’s milestones in life so far have been rich in travel and discovery, and that must be one of the purest accomplishments of all.

“I have been able to travel to many great places, and I look forward to doing more. I have had many successes in my academic career and have been proud to work many jobs. However, probably the milestone I am most proud of is that I have been able to really discover myself and become confident in that and through sharing my journey and all my experiences and wisdom that has come along with those experiences. I have been able to really help people grow, which is bigger than any other accomplishment in my book. I strive for success; however, success is relevant to who you are, what one person may deem successful may be totally different than another. So, rather than comparing my life goals and successes to others, I aim to be successful on my terms and help others feel that same way!”