W&M Chose Me

Oftentimes, at the end of my tours, families ask me why I picked William & Mary. After about three years of rattling off all the things I love about our school and looking back on my four years, I came to realize that I don’t think I picked William & Mary. It picked me. Before I was born. Tradition and legacy are two of the pillars on which William & Mary was founded. 1984 marks the year my legacy began, when my mom graduated from the school for which I would be groomed. I wore the onesie with the feathered logo, I made the cover of the Alumni Magazine with a feathered tattoo on my cheek, my first grade school picture is of me in my Tribe cheerleading uniform, I paced sidelines of football games with my best friend, I stuffed my face with fresh powdered donuts at basketball games, I went to Homecoming tailgates, I took AP exams in Millington Hall, and saw my mom’s, aunt’s, and uncle’s name on a brick of the Alumni House patio.

William & Mary is a part of me and has been since long before I got that big envelope. So did I pick William & Mary? I can tell myself I did because of the lifelong friendships I’ve made and the relationships I’ve forged with my professors. I can tell myself that it was the inspiring passion of the students in their organizations like Bone Marrow Drive or Earth Week. Or maybe it was the annual gatherings like Convocation, Yule Log or Charter Day that reminded me why I love calling Williamsburg my home. Sure, I could tell myself that I picked William & Mary for all of these reasons. But it picked me for seventeen years before knowing my test scores or extracurriculars. William & Mary picked me, and I didn’t even know it.

– Kelley Quinzio