A Bittersweet Semester

As I start my senior spring and think about what it is like on a day-to-day basis to be an undergraduate student at William & Mary, I think about the impact the community has had on my experience. Being around some of the most intelligent students in the nation, surrounded by wonderful faculty, staff, and administrators challenges your thinking and pushes you to be the best you can be.

I transferred to William & Mary as a junior, and not knowing many people and trying to figure out how/what to be involved in was initially frightening.  I decided to jump right in and join as many things as I possibly could (do not recommend).  I made the cheerleading team at William & Mary and joined a sorority within a few weeks of each other.  Cheerleading is a varsity sport at W&M, so many hours were spent at William & Mary Hall practicing for football games, and men and women’s basketball games. In a matter of weeks, I met many wonderful people and always had friends to hang out with which was great! I continued to get involved and joined Dance Team, College Partnership for Kids (CPK) and started volunteering at Eastern State Hospital.  These organizations made my experience at William & Mary amazing and I have met really awesome faculty and staff who have helped me narrow down my passions and figure out career paths for my future.

Currently I am a site leader for CPK and a volunteer at Eastern State Hospital, I was a new member assistant of my sorority in Fall 2015, and I am a spring intern for undergraduate admission! A day in my life is a little hectic as I believe every William & Mary student would say about theirs. The joy of being a student is that you can choose what to get involved in and what not to! Try out different clubs and organizations and do things outside of the box, the next four years are the best time to do so!

I am having mixed emotions about graduating because I feel like my two years have flown by, and I could have never prepared myself for the awesome experiences William & Mary has provided me.  As students we tend to get so wrapped up in our academics and have campus as our own secure bubble, but I encourage you to get involved in the community outside of campus, talk to people about your passions and what you’re interested in so that you can take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities William & Mary has to offer.

-Grace Covello ’16