Live Your Life

Yes, I got the title for this blog from the new T.I. and Rihanna song, which has quickly become my new theme song du jour. I was making a flier for an event – Gideon Yago from MTV News was coming to William and Mary—and my friend stopped me and said: “Clara, you’ve got to listen to this song.” Since that fateful day, the crazy lyrics and beats have been stuck in my head. It’s more than a theme song to me – it’s an anthem, really! OK, let’s not get too carried away. But it is interesting how at the very least, the simple title of the song really says so much about life here at William and Mary.

Think that’s a stretch? I did too at first. When I was a high school senior, I applied to eleven different schools and William and Mary was the last one on my list. After being encouraged (forced) to attend the College by my parents, I would definitely say that I was not “living my own life.” But maybe listening to my parents that one time was actually a blessing in disguise. Being here at William and Mary has created so many opportunities and opened the door to a lot of experiences that I would not have had anywhere else. I have learned so much through my classes, I’ve been able to get involved in a wide range of activities, I’ve met really cool people from Tim Gunn to slam poets and everything in between, I’ve been able to travel to Greece and learn different languages, I’ve figured out what I want to be when I grow up, and most of all I’ve created some AMAZING relationships and have basically had a great college experience. So… it might not have been my intention when I walked in Williamsburg as a freshman in August 2005, but yes, I am living my life, but what’s more – I am loving it. And I know it’s because I am here at William and Mary with some great people around me.

Clara Ngomba
Class of 2009
Happy Halloween!