‘It all comes full circle’: Helena Harte wins top honor in the Class of 2024

Now, the Norris Medal winner turns her eyes to Paris to continue a decorated academic career.

Life has a funny way of coming full circle. It certainly has for Helena Harte.

For example, when she walks around campus, she sees the same students she once guided on tours. She's graduating with one of the same degrees as her father, Chris Harte, did in 1991. They had one of the same history teachers in Alumni Professor Steven Marks. She'll be moving to Paris this summer to earn her master's in international affairs at a school she learned about during a study abroad program.

The first call she made after hearing she had received the prestigious Norris Medal was to Grant Wilkins - a best friend and the 2023 winner of the prize - who is now researching energy optimization at the University of Cambridge in England.

The last four years culminated in Harte, a political science and history double major, being recognized at the annual awards ceremony with the prize that has been awarded since 1908 and was established under the terms of the will of the Honorable D.K. Norris, a life trustee at Clemson.

I was shocked. There are so many deserving people that I can't even fathom that they chose me. It means a lot to my family. This brings my family back into the Clemson fold. It's less of an award for myself and more of a reflection of my parents' investment and belief in me. I would not be here if they had not cared.

HELENA HARTE, 2024 NORRIS MEDAL RECIPIENT

The Norris Medal is given each year to a graduating student who, based on exceptional scholastic achievement and leadership ability, is judged by the University Scholarships and Awards Committee to be the best all-around student. Recipients of the Norris Medal have their names affixed to a bronze plaque located in Hendrix Student Center.

Chris Harte implored his daughter to apply to Clemson while she was a high school senior in Fairfax, Virginia, partly because he never had the time to rejoin the college community after graduating. His career with technology companies as a business development manager took the Harte family to Denmark, India and Iceland for work.

Helena applied and was accepted to more than a dozen prestigious schools, including Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia. She applied to Clemson 35 minutes after visiting for Homecoming in 2019 in a hotel down the road from campus.

"I saw the energy here and knew I had to apply," Harte said. "I chose Clemson and it's the best decision I've ever made."

An experience she won't forget

As she prepares to leave Clemson, Harte takes a lifetime of memories with her.

She is a member of the 2020 National Scholars Program cohort and owns additional honors as a Dixon Global Policy Scholar, Fulbright semifinalist and Schwarzman Scholarship finalist. In 2022, she represented Clemson and the state of South Carolina at the World Affairs Council National Conference in Washington, D.C. Outside of the classroom, Harte has chaired the Honors Student Advisory Board, served as vice president of the Student Alumni Council and been a member of the Clemson University Tour Guide Association.

She studied abroad with the Dixon Global Policy Scholars Program in Paris and traveled to Spain with the Honors College. Harte served as University Historian Otis Pickett's research assistant last summer.

Memories abroad

But one memory will always stick out the most. It also happens to be a one-of-a-kind icebreaker for social settings. A baboon stole a classmate's backpack while studying abroad with the National Scholars Program in Cape Town, South Africa.

Harte said the group was assigned to look at different plants in Cape Town when the primate jumped in their van. A teacher negotiated with the baboon by forking over malva pudding. About 15 minutes later, a local asked them if they encountered Benji.

"You mean the baboon?" Harte recalled.

The local replied that it wasn't the first time Benji had acted out.

Harte has simple parting advice for new students looking for their college experience to be successful.

"Find mentors and be a mentor," she said. "There's no way I could've done anything at Clemson if the professors and older students weren't looking out for me."

Onward and upward

Harte is cherishing the few precious moments she has left in Tigertown. She will begin her studies later this year at the American University of Paris, a school started by the U.S. Department of State.

"It's like the stars aligned," Harte said of learning about the program while studying abroad. "It all comes full circle."

After obtaining her master's, Harte wants to pursue a Ph.D. in international affairs. She is also interested in political journalism and how it shapes the information cycle and policy.

Whatever path she takes, Harte is grateful for the education in the humanities she obtained. It's made her a more well-rounded student.

"My liberal arts degree is the most invaluable thing I'm going to get. I've learned how to write, be a critical thinker and form an argument. It's taught a framework for problem-solving that I will take with me for everything. All degrees are great, but the liberal arts education is incredible and provides a special community at Clemson."

Phillip Sikes contributed to this report.

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