Appreciative, Grateful…Thankful

I am thankful for a great first impression. The first time I stepped onto the William & Mary campus, I knew it was the place for me. I visited a number of schools looking at graduate programs, and WM was the only place that truly stood out in my mind. The campus was beautiful, the faculty in the School of Education was wonderful, and the students were amazing.

Even on a rainy day, the beauty throughout this campus shines through. Every time I took another path, I discovered something that made me smile. I wandered around for quite some time before I finally made it to Jones Hall to meet with the faculty for my program. They met with me on a Saturday afternoon, which is incredible since faculty are certainly not obligated to be in their offices over the weekend.  They answered all of my questions about the program and assured me that W&M would provide me with great learning experiences in and out of the classroom. I met with other students in the program who were warm, friendly and truly passionate about their areas of interest.  I’m still friends with everyone I met that day.

Thanks to my W&M education and an assistantship in the Admission Office, I have returned to the College. I now have the opportunity to help high school students form their own impressions about the College.

I am thankful for that first impression and all of the great experiences that followed.

– Stacy Richardson