CLARA SOMERVILLE OZARK

Clara Somerville
Clara Somerville

Clara Somerville admits to being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to academics. It’s hard to argue with her results.

“I went to take the ACT and when I walked into the room, there were a couple of people who recognized me,” Somerville said. “They said, ‘Clara, you’ve already made a 34 on this test. What are you doing here?’ ”

At a glance

CLARA SOMERVILLE

SCHOOL Ozark

GRADE-POINT AVERAGE 4.51

CLASS RANK 1 of 120

SPORTS Cross country

COLLEGE Arkansas

MAJOR Biology/Pre-Med

NOTEWORTHY Born Sept. 24, 1996. … Daughter of Gary and Sherri Somerville. … Received the University of Arkansas Honors College Fellowship, the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship, the Franklin County Teen Court Scholarship and the Ozark Academic Booster Club Scholarship. … Member of the Beta Club, Library Club, History Club and Spanish Club.

Somerville, who earned co-valedictorian honors at Ozark High School, was there to improve upon her previous score, which she did with a 35.

Somerville’s educational pursuit will continue at the University of Arkansas, majoring in biomedical engineering. She said she became interested in the field while watching Nova on PBS.

“They had a special show a couple of years ago where this scientist took all the blood cells out of a rabbit’s heart, replaced them with other cells and caused the heart to start beating again,” Somerville said. “It was fascinating, and it’s a field I thought would be interesting to pursue.”

Not only was Somerville a top-notch student, but she was also a worthy competitor on the cross country course. She finished 16th in the 2014 state cross country meet and helped the Lady Hillbillies capture the Class 4A state title.

“I love cross country and I loved my team,” Somerville said. “We banded together and it was like having another family. It was very rewarding.”

Each year Somerville ran cross country, her team improved its state ranking. As a freshman, the team finished fifth, improved to fourth in her sophomore season and finished as the state runner-up in her junior year.

“It was work running cross country, but it was a rewarding kind of work,” Somerville said.

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