More than a decade in the making: ASU grad found success through online degree
Nathanial Clary is graduating as a Dean's Medalist with a degree in philosophy. Courtesy photo
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2024 graduates.
Nathanial Clary first enrolled in college in 2013 at a school in New York, entering a music program with a performance scholarship for the school’s symphony orchestra, chamber ensemble and recording ensemble.
A musician most of his life, starting with guitar at age nine, he thought the natural next step was a degree in music industry. Clary, however, quickly discovered his passion didn’t translate to academic interest and decided to pivot his degree to pursue philosophy. No longer majoring in music, he lost his scholarship and was unable to continue his education at that time.
Clary left school and began working full time to support his living situation and now-fiancée as she pursued a career in music.
“Many years later,” he said, “in 2022, I decided I was in a better mental state and financially stable enough to give college another try.
“I knew I had it in me to succeed, I just needed to put all my effort into actually finishing my degree.”
Now, Clary is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (morality, politics and law) and is the Dean’s Medalist for the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.
Clary participated in an Undergraduate Research Experience in fall 2024 with Nathan Ballantyne, associate professor of philosophy, cognition and culture. He was tasked with helping Ballantyne's team launch a new project focused on understanding how common ground is found in conflicts.
"We assigned Nathanial a challenging task," Ballantyne said, explaining that Clary examined what techniques mediators and lawyers use to help people resolve conflicts and lower the temperature to help parties continue their conversations.
"Even though he had no previous familiarity with mediation practices, Nathanial was an exemplary researcher," Ballantyne said. "He was highly organized, reported on his progress with clarity, and brought insight and curiosity to discussion of the materials he found. He made some terrific discoveries during the semester."
Looking forward, Clary will continue his education at ASU, pursuing a master’s degree in social data science from the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
We spoke with Clary to learn more about his ASU experience.
Question: What was your "aha" moment when you realized what you wanted to study?
Answer: When I entered college for the first time, right out of high school, I pursued a degree in music industry. I spent most of my life practicing, playing and performing an array of instruments. I found that my passion for music was not the same as my academic interests. I took an introductory philosophy course as an elective and for the first time found a field of study that made me want to learn as much as I could. I had a conversation with the president of our philosophy club at my previous school and she helped me fully realize my interest in philosophy and my potential as a student.
Q: What's something you learned while at ASU (in the classroom or otherwise) that surprised you or changed your perspective?
A: The biggest thing that surprised me is that by simply having professors deeply interested in the material they taught, it renewed my interest in learning. I spent about six years away from school never thinking I would actually obtain a degree, but as soon as I started at ASU the atmosphere, engaging curriculum and support from professors, advisors and fellow students motivated me to see it through to the finish line.
Q: Why did you choose ASU?
A: As a student with a full-time career, a mortgage and most importantly a second half to support and consider, pursuing and completing a degree meant that I had to carefully consider the options available to me. After looking into the curriculum, the cost and the opportunities available (like research experiences, the GlobalTech Experience), the choice was clear.
Q: Which professor taught you one of the most important lessons you've learned at ASU? What was the lesson?
A: Jeff Watson met with me to discuss my final essay topic for a course in metaphysics, and outside of the ideas we exchanged and the advice that he offered for the paper, he took a moment to say that he appreciated my effort in sticking with the course's accelerated speed (as it was a summer course, condensing the material into just six weeks). It may seem like a small gesture, but having conversations like these mean a lot, especially considering everything that I was juggling at the time between work, school and my personal life. It is one-on-one connections like these that helped me to recognize all of the work that it takes to succeed, and that it doesn't go unnoticed.
Q: What's the best piece of advice you'd give to other students?
A: For all students, find balance. Life can be difficult for everyone and it manifests in different ways. Give yourself the intentional breaks you need. I tried to follow the traditional high school-to-college route that is suggested to us, and it didn't work. For some, it takes stepping away to reorient yourself and find the path that you want to be on. For others, their passion and drive can push them through right away. Whatever the case for you, take the time to really consider what it is you want out of your college experience and do everything you can to align your actions with those goals.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: I would use the money to allow those without the financial capability to pursue something they are passionate about. It is a broad and vague initiative, sure, but allowing someone to try something they weren't previously able to can help those individuals to potentially find a new interest to pursue in a more meaningful and fulfilling way. For me, the best thing that any of us can do is to find something we love and pour ourselves into it.
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