Clay grew up in both Fort Lauderdale and Raleigh before moving to Northfield, Minnesota to attend Carleton College. At Carleton he received his BA in History with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. Clay’s first interaction with QuestBridge was as a high school junior, when he was encouraged to apply for the College Prep Scholars Program. After applying for the National College Match, Clay would matriculate at Carleton as a QuestBridge scholar. Clay developed his passion for higher education equity and inclusion work through working for Carleton’s Admission Office as an Access Fellow and volunteering with the QuestBridge Scholars Network.