Decker Clark (Fin, Mgmt’23)
Nearly two years into his Peace Corps service in Uganda, life has changed dramatically for (Fin, Mgmt’23). A Colorado native who had never traveled outside the U.S., he now speaks Leb-Lango and is teaching business and life skills to out-of-school youth in the Lango subregion. He shared some experiences that have shaped his perspective.
Decker Clark says “Wot jobi!’ (’Sko Buffs in Lango).
He goes by a new name. “It’s spelled E-B-O-N-G. It really is a name that I use now—like a whole other identity.”
He originally thought he would work in sports. “I thought I’d get a sports-management type of job. I worked with 鶹ѰAthletics handling equipment, and I had a couple connections with the Broncos. While I enjoyed my work with 鶹Ѱfootball, I realized I didn’t want to do that forever.”
His mom planted the seed for the Peace Corps. “In my senior year, I was trying to figure out what to do next. It’s a big decision. Looking back, at the time, it was a huge deal. I thought, ‘I could spend time somewhere else in the world and get to experience another culture.’ On my application, I wrote: ‘I would love to go anywhere in Africa.’”
It all started with an African dance class at 鶹ѰBoulder. “I had an extra three credits to take. I’m not a big dancer—I’ve never been out there like that—so I told myself, ‘I’m gonna do it. I know I might try to back out, but I’m going to this class.’”
His dance teacher, Nii Armah Sowah, was the coolest guy he’d ever met. “I made myself go that first day, and listening to the teacher, I thought, ‘Whoa … he knows a lot about life. He told me, ‘You could use your business degree for anything. How you apply it is up to you.’ That inspired me.”
He uses his Leeds foundation every day. “Things like being in the Leeds Residential Academic Program (RAP), public speaking, lessons from courses, using Excel—I use all of that today, and it really makes an impact. Being here has given me greater appreciation of my time at Leeds, because people here are eager to learn, even without opportunities. They’re doing everything they can to study.”
A class on bargaining turned out to be surprisingly useful. “I use bargaining and negotiating all the time at the market. They try to give me a bad price and I remember my ‘BATNA’ [Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement].”
The adjustment was easier than expected. “The Peace Corps does a really good job easing you in. We spent about a month in the capital doing all-day training. They’d send us to the market or drop us in the city and say, ‘You have to find your way back.’”
But living without running water was an early challenge. “Our first homestay had no running water. I was bucket-bathing, and we had an outdoor latrine. After that month, my actual site and house are very, very nice.”
Working with youth has been especially rewarding. “I’m an agribusiness and economic development (AED) volunteer. During training, we learned about nutrition, climate-friendly farming, and working with community savings groups. You can just see the excitement and passion in the youth here. I work with an NGO serving out-of-school youth—ages 15–30, which surprised me at first.”
He helped fundraise for a new program. “In January 2026, I was in the U.S. raising funds for a grant to put youth through a four-month technical training. We reached our goal and started on February 1. We have about 50 students in information and communication technology, hairdressing, sweater making, tailoring and welding.”
He now has both a birth family and an adopted one. “People have accepted me here. Now, if you ask anyone, they’d say I’m a Lango man. My parents visited; it was cool to share my experience with them and for them to meet my host family. It gave them comfort to know I am in good hands.”
His view of family has changed. “The style of living in Uganda is very communal. We’re together all the time, cooking meals. Everyone is doing things to uplift the house. No one is in their room, sitting on their phone. That was a big, big shift.”
The future, reimagined. “Before, I pictured myself in entrepreneurship, but now I see myself working with youth—especially youth with disabilities in sports. Learning a language and a new culture has pushed me to want to stay international.”
“I came from a completely different background, but there are so many ways we can connect. At the end of the day, we’re all just people going through life. We’re all in this together."
(Ebong) Decker Clark (Fin, Mgmt’23)
Decker Clark (Fin, Mgmt’23) shared his inspiration in aclass note, with a photo of his parents visiting his new family in Uganda. He ended with the message: Apwoyo wun ducu, dong aber (thank you all, stay well)!