What is your graduating year?
2015
What is your Major?
Peace and Conflict Studies (self-designed), minoring in Public Health
What are you involved in on campus?
Student Assembly, Center for Student Diversity, Student Organization for Medical Outreach and Sustainability (SOMOS), International Relations Club, Orientation
What do you love most about being so involved?
It’s given me so many opportunities to learn from my peers– this place is full of some of the most deeply thoughtful, conscientious, and caring people I have ever met. It’s incredibly humbling to be surrounded by others who are working every day to do their part to make this world a little better, kinder, and closer together. I am grateful to my peers and mentors for their guidance, love, and optimism, and for teaching me about their experiences and perspectives in this world so that together we can build a community here and when we go out into the world. I think that’s why I stay so involved on campus– it keeps me building relationships, meeting new people, and learning about all the different ways that we can engage with each other to facilitate positive change– there are so many ways.
What do you love most about W&M?
I love how it smells when the seasons change. There’s something about it, particularly on this campus, that makes everyone happy and energized. It reminds me how beautiful this world is, even when it seems like there are tough things going on all over the place, and that change is something we can rely on, and that’s a good thing, and that there’s always some ounce of beauty in change even when we feel like the ground is moving from under our feet faster than we can find our footing. I just wish I could bottle it up and take it out whenever I need that reminder, but I think I’ll always be thankful to this place for teaching me that.
If you could share one message with the whole campus, what would it be?
Let yourself sit in some discomfort every so often. It’s important to take a step back from yourself, from your perspective, and out of your comfort zone. That’s how we grow. Even if it means going to an event that you don’t really know much about, or having a tough conversation, or hearing someone’s view of the world that is different from your own. Honestly, those moments are the ones that have taught me the most.