Ben Clark-Eden: Finding Creativity and Community in Uncertainty

When I sat down with Ben Clark-Eden ’25 for our interview, I was excited to learn about his illustrious athletics career at Amherst. I had been gearing myself up to play number-one ranked NESCAC foe Tufts, and I thought that perhaps Clark-Eden could share some words of wisdom about adversity. Little did I know that not only would he provide such anecdotes, but they would be accompanied by stories of a range of hobbies, all articulated in a striking British accent. 

The Path Across the Pond

In 2020, across the pond in Littlehampton, England, 18-year-old Clark-Eden received the news that he had been released from his semi-pro soccer club. He somewhat saw it coming, but that still didn’t soften the blow of not knowing what his next steps would be in life.

As if this life altering moment didn’t cause enough turmoil for Clark-Eden, “one week after I was released, Covid hit.” With the shutdown, his entire college recruiting process was turned upside down. Clark-Eden admitted that the Covid recruiting madness got to him, prompting a sense of over-urgency. 

“I was really close to committing to the first school that spoke to me, which was in Florida. I’m a pale guy, and I would have died in that weather,” he said. 

However, in his final meeting with the Florida coach, with an offer to play Division I soccer on the line, Clark-Eden had a change of heart. He had decided that he needed more than just a few weeks to make his decision. Opting to take a gap year, he decided to research and really assess his college options.

For Amherst’s Head Coach of Men's Soccer Justin Serpone, this was one of his biggest blessings. “[Clark-Eden] had a bunch of DI interest and I remember a phone call where, because I liked him so much, I was helping him work through some of the schools he had offers from, not thinking Amherst was a real consideration.” 

But, as Clark-Eden narrowed his priorities and got a feel for the Amherst coaching staff, he “really liked the vibe.”

“I liked the [Division III] level and the NESCAC approach to education,” he said. Taking what he described as “a leap of faith,” he committed to joining Serpone’s program, despite having never set foot on the Western Massachusetts campus.

Respect the Mission

Clark-Eden’s arrival at Amherst was a blur — probably because he was thrown right into the intense summer soccer preseason. Luckily for him, however, the Amherst soccer team was an entirely different culture than Clark-Eden’s English club. 

“In England it was all about how you were competing with the people you were playing with to get these professional contracts. Here [at Amherst], it was all about the team,” he said. In the States, Clark-Eden regained his love and passion for the game. “I thought once I got released, I would put soccer on the back burner a little bit. But the love and the care and passion that the coaches and the rest of the guys showed … I would have done anything to play and to win with them.”

And win he did. After finishing as a runner-up in the Division III national championship game both his freshman and sophomore year, the Mammoths walked away as national champions this past 2024 season. Beating NESCAC rival Connecticut College in penalty kicks in Las Vegas, Nevada, the men’s team claimed their second title of all time. Clark-Eden leaves as a national champion, two-time runner-up, two-time NESCAC champion, and four-year starter, with more than 6,000 minutes played. Yet, while most people focus on the happy outcomes and shiny titles, Clark-Eden spent his time on the team honing in on the hard work necessary to build the winning mentality of the program.

For Clark-Eden, the championship culture he devoted himself to already existed when he arrived on campus. “The precedent the seniors set with not being okay with losing or the team’s standards dropping stayed with me [from the start] … I felt that if I was not doing my part, then I was letting them down as a first-year,” he said. 

This feeling of buy-in and commitment was integral to the success of the soccer team. “The most successful part of the team — which Coach says a lot — is how well you can get your first-years on board with what you’re trying to do,” he said. Clark-Eden added that “establishing relationships is at the heart of what Amherst Soccer is all about,” he said. 

To Serpone, it was clear that Clark-Eden lived the values of the team. “Any time we asked him to do something random — man mark another player, play center midfield, play right back against a specific player — Ben did it without question or judgement. That’s really, really hard to do and for other players to see that sets a standard that is really incredible,” he said.

While Clark-Eden always tried to let his actions speak louder than words, he felt that the team’s mantras helped them stay motivated and remember their goals. This year, the team’s guiding mantra was to “Respect the mission. Discipline yourself so that you can hold others accountable.” While the saying may not have been taken seriously at first, “It became real because everyone understood what the mission was. After we lost [the championship] our junior year, this year ‘respect the mission’ became very serious, especially for the seniors.” The mantra served as a way to again show up every single day committed to the process while acknowledging the loftier season-long goals.

To Clark-Eden, the culture on the Amherst team breeds championship-caliber play and a family network that will last far beyond his four years at Amherst. “You truly can’t understand it unless you’ve been in it,” he said. 

Off the Field

While his athletic career at Amherst has been illustrious, the impact Clark-Eden has had on Amherst extends beyond just the soccer team.

Since his first year, he has worked alongside Director of Social and New Media Stephanie Ramirez in the Office of Communications. His main motivation was to gain experience and explore creative opportunities at the college. 

“Ben is a tremendously diligent, creative, collaborative, and dedicated team member,” Ramirez raved. “Beyond his usual responsibilities, I've also often leaned on him for advice on projects, and he's always proven himself to be incredibly reliable and trustworthy.”

Clark-Eden has done significant work for the media department: video profiling famous actor Jeffrey Wright ’87 for LitFest 2025, and — with the help of the other 2025 interns — publishing more than 150 videos in the last four years, which received over 2 million video views on Instagram alone. Ramirez summed up his achievements by explaining that “Ben has helped uniquely shape the work we do, tell the college’s story and showcase student life on campus.”

Clark-Eden’s other job — working as a docent at Beneski — has also helped him form lasting relationships with Museum Educator Alfred Venne. Clark-Eden initially started out as a summer intern, where he worked to digitize their collections on YouTube and help establish their social media presence.

“QR codes were created, linked to the videos, and displayed around the museum for museum visitors to access at their leisure,” Venne explained. “In Ben’s short time, we have witnessed a YouTube channel that went from zero to over 30,000 views and growing. This is sustainability at its best.”

As Clark-Eden’s responsibilities grew, he got to enjoy more creative license. As he gained experience, he was allowed to create a series of videos exploring Beneski’s dinosaur tracks. “Those videos are my voice … a mark I can make external to athletics and academics.”

Through his many roles on campus, Clark-Eden said he found a truly phenomenal network of individuals who inspired and allowed him to be creative and grow into a confident, strong individual.

 “I’ve been really fortunate that I have had some incredible mentors, people in leadership positions at the school who have basically treated me as a peer or a friend. I’ve lost count of the things that I’ve learned that don’t at all relate to anything with school,” he said. 

However, the relationships have also been symbiotic. Everyone I spoke to re-emphasized what a remarkable individual Clark-Eden is. Serpone explained that the line “What Would BCE Do?" became a way of measuring good decisions and exemplifying exceptional leadership on the soccer team. Ramirez also said she has altered her perspective on student internships entirely, thanks to Clark-Eden. “Working with Ben has also made me realize that trusting students, affording them creative freedom, and believing in their vision for the college’s social media is essential to my work,” she said.

Venne, too, added,“Ben has helped me better understand how incredibly capable Amherst College students are. He has helped me to expect excellence in what an Amherst College student can achieve given access to the right resources.” 

Home Away From Home

The community and culture Clark-Eden found at Amherst will make for a bittersweet goodbye. Looking forward to his new role doing digital marketing in Boston, he realizes that each part of Amherst he was involved in has contributed to his outlook on the professional world. As a film and media studies and psychology double major, he said he is well prepared for his work creating content for brands, which is about “trying to understand why people do the things they do, and how they think.” As a teammate, he has also learned “how to navigate people’s different perspectives about how a team should operate” and how to get everyone on board.

 “I think there's some kind of combination of these things that has rubbed off on me in some way in terms of what I want to do [after college],” he said. 

As he leaves Amherst, there is no doubt that, while Clark-Eden is better off because of the people and the culture here, Amherst is as well. Perhaps Venne explained it best when he said, in a truly heartfelt sentiment, that he hopes Clark-Eden never changes. “Ben helps me realize that I am limited only by my imagination,” he said. “He brings to the table the mindset and ability to attempt anything and succeed.”