Tribe Generations

The other night, I had the privilege of attending a dinner hosted at a William and Mary alumna’s house, right here in Williamsburg. My co-chair for Senior Class Gift, Michael Tsidulko, and I both attended the informal get-together, and we both had a wonderful time mingling with different generations of Tribe alumni.

Though we are generations apart (some of the guests graduated from the class of 1960), we could all share the common experience of having an incredible experience at the College. Beyond that, we all have a deeply profound love for the school, which has given us so much. For each of us at the table, our love for William and Mary has inspired us all to give back to the College in some way – it’s our way of showing that we believe in our school and that we want it to succeed in the coming years. At the Senior Class Gift kick-off, President Reveley mentioned that giving back to our school is like giving our school a vote of confidence. I know that all of us very much feel that way, which is what led each of us at the dinner table to serve on our own Class Gift committees.

I think it’s sometimes hard to see in the hustle and bustle of the semester – especially as we are in the midst of midterms, but being at the dinner table with these W&M alumni made me realize that I am a part of a family that is so much bigger than just the student body. I can’t put it into words how I felt a huge connection to each of the alumni there that evening. Two of the alumnae at the table were even in the same sorority that I’m currently in – small world! Beyond that though, it was entertaining to hear stories about William and Mary before our time. I mean, who knew that they used to have laundry service here where they picked up your laundry bags outside of your dorm room each week?!

That Sunday night dinner has definitely put a lot of things in perspective for me. It made me realize that the William and Mary experience is so much more than the 4 years on campus. That’s just the beginning. I know that wherever I end up after graduation, I will always be a part of this Tribe family, and for that, I am grateful.

Wesley Ng ’11