As a long line gathered in the Isenberg School of Management’s Atrium on Monday, April 29, they were met by an enthusiastic voice saying into a camera, “It’s Monday, it’s the biggest day of the week to get after it and we’re absolutely locked in.”

These words were courtesy of Davis Clarke, a motivational Instagram personality who graduated from Isenberg in 2019, who returned to his alma mater for a visit on April 29. He spent the day on campus taking the time to meet and greet fans, even recording personalized videos like the one above.

“I love it because it just means people really do care,” Clarke said. “I get fired up because we’re trying to make a change, make the world a better place, and it takes all of us. We truly are one team.”

Clarke was a guest speaker at multiple classes and clubs throughout the day, including Professor Nora Junaid’s Operations and Information Management class.

“As an Isenberg alumnus, [Clarke] serves as a proud example of success from our institution,” Junaid said. “His journey from a student to an accomplished professional is something we take pride in and having him share his experiences further strengthens the sense of connection and pride within our school community.”

Clarke appreciated the opportunity to return to the campus that helped shape him as a person.

“UMass is a special place for me because my two brothers and I went to school here at the same time, so we really have awesome memories here,” Clarke said. “We made great friends, and it really was just a true community that helped us grow and develop into adults.”

It has been a life changing year for Clarke. When he started posting motivational videos about his daily life to Instagram, he saw his social media presence skyrocket, and he now has just over 700,000 followers on Instagram.

“It’s been crazy because at the beginning of the year I only had 1,000 followers, and really only intended for social media to be for friends, family and people in the area,” Clarke said. “But now it’s grown in a way that I never would have imagined.”

His now famous Instagram account even has its roots in UMass, as Clarke created the account for a project in a marketing class when he was a student.

Clarke currently works as a risk management advisor for Citizens Bank, and whether he’s “locked in,” “hammering spreadsheets” or “getting fired up on the way to work,” his positivity surrounding his daily life is evident in his videos.

“I just stay positive and enjoy life,” Clarke said. “Even the train ride into the city, it’s the same train ride for everyone, but you can either be down and just not feeling good, or you can say ‘Hey, I’ve got my friends here, we’re going to do something meaningful, let’s have a day.’”

Clarke’s positive attitude has hit home with a lot of people and seems to be a key reason for his account’s growth. “I feel like it’s more relatable because everyone has to study for tests, everyone has to work, and hopefully they’ll get more fired up about it,” Clarke said.

When it comes to creating content, Clarke prioritizes being genuine. “I always try to keep the videos authentic as well, just quick 10 to 30 second clips from my life. I try to show the good side and the bad side.”

It doesn’t get more genuine than what Clarke posted after crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon. In a video that now has over 14 million views, Clarke revealed he soiled himself in an effort to finish the marathon in under three hours. He finished with a time of 2:56.

“My goal was sub three hours, because I knew it’s almost like that standard where if you’re over, people will be roasting you on social media,” Clarke shared. “And yeah, mile 20, I realized I had to go to the bathroom, and if I stopped to go to the bathroom, I was not going to finish in under three hours. So I hauled it, and went to the bathroom in my pants for those last six miles. But it was 100 percent worth it and I’d do it any day.”

Clarke’s running journey started at UMass, where he was a member of the Triathlon Club. Since then, he has competed in the last three Boston Marathons, Iron Man races and crossed off completing a 100-mile ultra-marathon from his bucket list. “I just go out there and give it everything that I have, and get a great life experience,” Clarke said about his running.

Clarke sees his Marathon story as another example of him trying to make authentic content.

“I basically said ‘Hey, I literally gave everything I had to get this goal, and I’ll show you the truth. I literally had to poop my pants in order to get it done.’ I’m just trying to make life seem real because we’re not all perfect.”

Clarke has also captured his struggles with passing the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) test. After passing Level 1, Clarke took three tries to pass Level 2, and recently failed Level 3 of the test.

“That’s been one of the stories we’ve captured because I’ve struggled with those tests,” Clarke said. “Now I have to regroup and decide if I’m going to go after it again, and when I will actually have the time to study for it. We’ll see how life plays out, because right now I’m having difficulty with some other conflicts, particularly social media, but hopefully this winter I’ll be able to take it.”

In his free time, Clarke helps out as a volunteer for the Winchester High School football team he once played for. “I do my best to give time whenever I can,” Clarke said. “I loved playing high school football, and just to go back and make sure the kids can have the same fun experiences with their friends and compete is awesome.”

It was the Winchester football players that motivated Clarke to continue attempting the CFA test after he failed.

“They were the ones who said, ‘Listen up coach, you have to take this test again.’ Otherwise I would’ve given up then. They get me fired up, and they’ve really just made a difference in my life.”

What’s next for Clarke? He’ll continue being himself, but there’s some social media related opportunities on the horizon.

“I can say generally, I’m planning to go to Los Angeles in a few weeks,” Clarke said. “After that I’m going to go down to New York City. So between those, it should be really awesome.”

Clarke offered some parting advice for UMass students.

“The biggest thing I have to say is just have fun. I know a lot of times people get stressed out about internships or jobs, but I say take it all in, because it’s such a great time. You’re just out here with your friends, really nothing else going on, you can just learn and take advantage of it. It truly is special.”

George Coulouras can be reached at [email protected].