Name: India Braver
Hometown: Warren, NJ
Class: Junior
Major: Government and Econ, pre-med track
Activities: Debate, Alpha Psi Omega (APO) Service Fraternity, AMP- Comedy Chair, one of the founders of Humans of William and Mary (HoWM)
Tell us about the HoWM installation piece that just got taken down: Our main goal has always been to showcase different perspectives on campus, because everyone around you is interesting! So Steph Faucher came up with an idea to create an interactive exhibit. It had audio submissions, pictures, white space– people could add their own stories and messages. There were a lot of really inspiring messages that members of our community shared and we’re hoping it will be a permanent piece in the future.
You’re in leadership positions in a lot of the things you do. What has that taught you about effective leadership? I think it’s really critical to keep everyone on the same page– you can be ambitious but you need to pay attention to the environment that you’re working in. When you’re working with a large team of people you need to be adaptable, willing to listen, and able to read the room. See what everyone wants to do and work from there.
I know you just added a pre-med track this year. How did you come to that decision and what advice would you have for people who want to add on pre-med later in their college career? I would say things aren’t irreversible; if you’re willing to work hard it’s possible to change your mind. The workload is really difficult, but I have no regrets about it. I’m learning more about myself, I’m interested in the material, and I don’t want to spend my time regretting that I didn’t take the chance. Being a college student is the only time you have a lot of opportunities to take all different kinds of classes. If something does present itself, you’re not always going to have a chance to re-define yourself. For example, I’ve always wanted to write for television, and so after college I’m planning to move to LA and try to write for a TV show. The fact that I’ve taken my life in so many different directions, and having such a range of experiences, gives you so much more to talk about and (hopefully) so much more to write!