William and Mary…in June

That’s right, I just love William and Mary so much that I never leave.

Ever.

Even during the summers.

For two years now.

So what makes summers in the ‘Burg so appealing, you ask? Well readers, the answers, for me at least, are pretty clear:

1. Peace and Quiet…if you thought Williamsburg, the “city that always sleeps” as one former student Commencement speaker called it, was quiet with students, having most of them gone is even better if you’re looking to enjoy a peaceful summer day or night.
2. You get the opportunity to form closer relationships with people who stay here on campus during the summer who you might not normally get to see as much during the better part of the year due to being busy, etc. The past two summers have been amazing opportunities on campus to get to spend a lot of time getting closer to people I didn’t know what well.
3. Great access to faculty who are doing neat things and are hanging out on campus during the summer.
4. The Beach….2 of them….10 minutes away.
5. Empty rec center

Beyond these obvious reasons, though, I have my own reasons for being on campus for the second summer in a row.

On June 7th I took the LSAT at William and Mary and took advantage of the vast empty expanse of Swem library to study for the test.

Immediately following that, myself and Melody Porter from the Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship jetted off to Haiti for a week for a series of meetings with local NGOs in the area with delegations from four other universities and a national alternative breaks organization to assess how universities in the United States might most effectively address and help with issues that are important in Haitian society at the moment. We hope to take the lessons we’ve learned from all those meetings and transform them into something that William and Mary can do to effectively help Haiti.

The day after I got back from Haiti – I began research on my Honors Thesis and also began my work as a Development and Donor Relations intern and assistant for the Office of Development here. Throughout the course of the summer, I will be pursuing 10 weeks of research with my faculty advisor on my thesis involving linguistic theory and trademark law, and how foreign languages are treated in American markets. My Honors Fellowship provides a stipend and the crucial funding to make such a project possible, so I’m extremely grateful for that.

In Development, I’ll work to support communications, donor relations and event management services. One of my main tasks will be assisting with the implementation of new communication strategies and working with ongoing projects that further the College’s strategic plan and attempt to foster lifetime relationships between students, alumni, and William and Mary. I’ll also be assisting with the implementation of special events to engage students, staff and faculty.

When I’m not doing these all these exciting things, I’ve already found time to head down to North Carolina to Lake Gaston with some friends for weekends, as well as a bunch of other road trips that are made relatively easy due to Williamsburg’s location.

Tonight, in fact, four friends and myself when we’re all done with work plan to hop in the car and drive up to Charlottesville, Virginia with the sole purpose of getting pizza from the Mellow Mushroom there.

That’s why I love William and Mary during the summer.

Good friends, good food, and plenty of adventures. For me, it’s the perfect balance of participating in all sorts of awesome experiences while also getting the opportunity to relax – because we deserve it during the summer!

Hark Upon the Summer,

Brian