Making a Tribe Choice: The William and Mary in Washington Program

To be honest, the decision to apply to the DC program was a hard one for me.  Looking back I must have been out of my mind, but as a junior about to become a senior I thought it just wasn’t a possibility.  After listening to my various Art History professors and program people plugging the program to all three Art History classes I thought to myself, “Wow that sounds like an amazing opportunity, but I’ve taken on too many leadership roles that I can’t and won’t back out of.  Too bad.”

It was the third time I’d heard the “William and Mary in Washington wants you Art History majors!” spiel when it really hit me. I’m not sure if it was my advisor and favorite professor, Susan Verdi Webster plugging the program or that my sorority sister Caitlin Fairchild, a W&M in Washington alum, was gushing about her semester in DC, but something clicked.  Maybe this opportunity was worth giving up my “all important” position as President of the club water polo team, maybe someone else could step up to be VP Recruitment of my social sorority.

Feeling a little overwhelmed and very excited I applied to the program hoping I would get in while at the same time hoping I might not so I wouldn’t have to make the tough decision.  When I was accepted into the program I was so excited- who wouldn’t want to live in DC, have an internship that any Art History student would die for, and have class in a different art museum every Friday?  Of course I accepted immediately.

Then about a week later it hit me. I wasn’t going to be in Williamsburg for the fall of my senior year.  I was going to miss all of my favorite things about William and Mary – Convocation, recruitment, water polo tournaments, date parties, friends, formals, Grand Illumination, and Yule Log. I had to step down from my leadership positions, and I thought I was letting everyone down.   But the amazing people at the W&M in Washington office assured me that they could make it work so I could still keep my commitment to my sorority sisters, who wanted me to stay on as a co-recruitment chair.

I’m happy to report that with my first week into the W&M in Washington program I can safely say that I would have been a fool to turn this opportunity down.  With the help of the wonderful people at the W&M in Washington office I secured an internship with an esteemed art institution and am living the life in Crystal City. I couldn’t be happier.