It’s Good to be a Little Quirky

I always knew I was a little quirky so I needed to find a school that would celebrate what made me different. When I walked around William & Mary for the first time, I was able to feel the quirkiness oozing out of every student and immediately I felt at home! Like most students, I was pretty afraid to start my freshman year at college because I had no way of knowing who I would meet, what organizations I would join, what classes I would take, and most importantly, how I would feel! During the summer prior to my freshman year I ended up applying for the Sharpe Community Scholars program, which is a living and learning service and research community for incoming freshmen. Looking back now at my freshman year, I cannot even begin to imagine how different my experience at William & Mary would have been if I had not joined the Sharpe program. It was truly one of the best decisions I ever made as a student here! My Sharpe experience has most definitely shaped how I plan on spending my remaining time at William & Mary.

The Sharpe program was obviously filled with students interested in civic engagement, but we were all so different. Some people were interested in combining service with medicine via public health, whereas others were interested in enlightening the college community about organic foods. But disregarding everyone’s commitment to community service, I found that everyone in the program was just as quirky and individualistic as I was. The people in the Sharpe program (or Sharpies as we liked to refer to ourselves) became some of my best friends and are still my closest friends here at William & Mary. I came to William & Mary with the hope of meeting some people who were diverse, interesting, interested, knowledgeable and, of course, quirky! That’s who I met in the Sharpe program. The people I met in the program were so very different from one another, but I loved getting to know each and every one of them. They’re why I truly love being a member of the Tribe!

-Grace