Wendie is a political science major and mother of four who plans to transfer to UC Berkeley in her pursuit of becoming a family law attorney. She currently interns for a non-profit family law clinic that provides her with valuable experience for her future chosen career.

In addition to her career goals, Wendie makes room in her busy life to help others. She volunteers at her church to care for preschool children, supports her local community through Stop Hunger Now initiatives, and has traveled to India to help serve the workers and children of several orphanages.

It’s not easy to make the choice to go back to school like Wendie did. She has a strong calling and is following her dreams. I’m proud to support her, and I look forward to seeing the amazing things she will go on to do.

About the S.P.R.O.W.T. Scholarship for California Women

Helping women succeed is a passion of mine, and we founded the S.P.R.O.W.T. scholarship to support California women following a non-traditional educational course in their pursuit of higher education. As the 2017 award recipient, Wendie received a $5,000 scholarship award to be used toward her educational expenses.

The scholarship committee and I were humbled by the number of talented, driven and accomplished women who applied for the S.P.R.O.W.T Scholarship, and Wendie stood out among the crowd. We are all honored to help her in the pursuit of her academic goals.

Check back for news on the 2018 S.P.R.O.W.T. Scholarship

Are you a California resident pursuing a non-traditional educational path? If you’re also a woman, stay tuned. We plan to continue the S.P.R.O.W.T. Scholarship program for years to come.

The post Meet Our 2017 S.P.R.O.W.T Scholarship Winner! appeared first on Clark Plastic Surgery.

Can Paris be seen in three days? You bet! After arriving in the City of Love and unpacking, we were off to a Tasting Tour! We visited multiple chocolate shops and I kept sampling to the point of asking the salesperson to put it in a to-go bag! (Yes, you can eat too much chocolate.) We also visited this tiny—but very scrumptious—bread boutique with the most amazing bread. The artisans working there must train for a full year on the shop’s techniques before they’re allowed to mess with the dough!

After eating our way through our first half-day in Paris, we were ready for day two of walking to the Louvre and seeing the famous Mona Lisa (she’s really not that large) and Venus de Milo. We then saw Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle, both beautiful and fascinating cathedrals with colorful history. We finished up with a visit to the Marais district of Paris. My husband and I had a great time sitting outside in front of the cafés and people watching!

For our last day, which turned out to be our favorite, we started with a guided tour of the Palace of Versailles, then on to the Eiffel Tower (amazing views, but it was freezing!). To finish the day, we enjoyed dinner and a spectacular show at Moulin Rouge! Can’t wait to go back—there is so much more to see and discover.

The post Paris for the Weekend! appeared first on Clark Plastic Surgery.

I recently surprised my husband and planned a trip to Italy for his birthday. It was our first time to Italy, actually our first time anywhere in Europe. After a long flight binge watching some of my favorite shows (like Magic Mike XXL!) we finally arrived. Over the course of 11 days we traveled to Rome, Florence, the countryside in Tuscany, and Venice.

While in each location we took time to see important attractions, eat amazing food, drink wine that was out of this world, and of course do a little (OK – a LOT!) of shopping. Some of the highlights included the coliseum in Rome. To see if first hand was breathtaking and set our imagination on fire: to think of everything that happened there throughout the years was mind blowing. We saw priceless works of art like; the statue of David by Michelangelo that took almost three years to create between 1501 – 1504, at the Uffizi Gallery we saw the ‘Birth of Venus’ painting among others. We also spotted a version of ‘modern art’ in Tuscany while wine tasting; the winery we were at was the location of Dustin Hoffman’s new movie about the Medici Family.

Venice was a favorite with the canals, the humble people and the narrow streets that provided so much character. The city was originally a collection of lagoon communities that banded together for mutual defense against invaders – built out during the 7^th and 8^th century. Riding through the canals and walking the streets is definitely not something you see every day and will always be remembered (especially during my daily commute to work!)

I have to say as much as I enjoyed my trip – I was SO glad to be home. I certainly appreciate the culture and the history that Italy has to offer, but there truly is no place like home. I love my home, I love Northern California and I love being with my entire family once again.

The post Italy for a Birthday appeared first on Clark Plastic Surgery.

This summer I realized without even knowing it I have been stepping outside my box! I have had several experiences that were somewhat out of the norm for me – all of them planned – and all of them resulting in great experiences.

Health and wellness has been a lifelong interest of mine, but I fell out of the routine of making it happen for myself for almost a decade. Although eating healthy foods wasn’t too difficult, exercising has been an elusive goal and so this summer I decided to take it to a new level: I hired a personal trainer and joined a gym, set goals for myself and have been dedicated to the cause of getting it done on a daily basis. I make time for “ Meal Prep Sunday” and I find that pre-planning my week with the right balance of protein, carbs and veggies just makes sense for me.

Another thing I did was book a trip for the family to a Dude Ranch just outside of Santa Barbara at the start of summer. NOT something our family would typically do – and we had a FANTASTIC time. My little man loved the animals there, my little girl enjoyed the daily horseback rides, and I surprised myself by really enjoying the horsebacking riding too.  I even tried my hand at archery and hit a couple of bullseyes. The nice thing is that I got to get down and dirty all day on the farm with the critters, relax poolside in the afternoon, and then dress up fancy for dinner in the evening!

I have ventured onto a golf course a few times in life but would not classify myself as a ‘golfer’ nor can I say I appreciate the subtleties of golf. So when a close friend invited my husband and I on a group trip to South Lake Tahoe to watch the Celebrity Pro Am Golf Tournament on the EdgeWood golf course at first I thought: “Why?” and then I thought “Why NOT?” So we jumped in, and went for it. So glad we went. First, Lake Tahoe is just such a majestic, special place and sometimes we forget how lucky we are to be so close to it. Second, being around good friends in a festive atmosphere was a refreshing time and really allowed me to relax. Friends are always good for that aren’t they?! And finally the golf! Being around a mix of profressional athletes and famous people with a passion for this sport only reminded me that we all dare to have one thing in life that we are passionate about.  I am considering signing up for golf lessons when my kids start school this fall and include golf as a family activity as well.

Besides my family and travel, I would have to say that Plastic Surgery as a profession is a passion of mine. When I am in the Operating Room, that is my little “happy place”; it is a true privilege to perform surgery to help another person look and feel better about themselves. ‘Stepping out of my box’ a bit this past summer has helped me expand my list of passions and happy places!

Dr Christa Clark

The post Steppin’ out of my box this summer appeared first on Clark Plastic Surgery.