Leaving W&M in Good Hands with #wm2020

Last week marked William & Mary Admission Office’s last day of interviews for the Class of 2020. Our team of 14 interviewers met with over 2,700 high school seniors between the summer and fall. Along with interviewing you, these interviewers have supported our admission team and enriched our office environment. Many thanks to our interviewers. We are so proud of all of you and excited to see where the future takes you as we move closer to graduation. Remember, the deans are always down for another kickball game and breakfast scone party.

Likewise, we are grateful to all of you who joined us this year for an optional on-campus interview. We hoped you enjoyed your visit to campus as much as we have had reading your engaging, funny, and inspirational interview evaluations. In appreciation, our interviewers have shared some reflections below. Enjoy!

“The culmination of this life changing experience of interviewing is bitter sweet to say the least. Thank you to all of the interviewees who, through sharing their passions, have excited me, inspired me, and made me feel a full spectrum of emotions over the past 6 months. I am confident that you all will go on to carry on the tradition of excellence at the college that has become my home. Interviewing has allowed me to get to know 150 young adults who I greatly admire, create lifelong friendships with my coworkers, and reflect on three and half of the most meaningful years of my life. I wish all of my interviewees the best of luck in their future ventures. It was an honor to learn about you. Cheers to the William & Mary Class of 2020! Go Tribe!”
-Mark Bland ’16

“I had wanted to be a senior interviewer since I interviewed at W&M during the fall of my senior year in high school. Even as I began college and I experienced life changing moments at W&M, I never forgot about how influential that initial conversation had been. Now at the end of my own senior interviewer experience (which I truly believe will be one of the best job experiences of my life), I am so thankful to have been able to meet many incredible students- both prospective students as well as my fellow interviewers. Each day was filled with laughter in the office at our ridiculousness and amazement at how genuinely hilarious, brilliant and inspiring the students who are looking to become a member of the Tribe are. I have gained incredible new friendships with those I worked with, both students and Deans alike. I will never be able to express just how much this experience has meant to me.”
-Emilyann Key ’16

“When I interviewed at William & Mary as a high school student, I felt nervous and excited for my future. As an admission interviewer, I also felt nervous and excited for the future of W&M. After a summer full of speaking with potential students that inspired me, I am no longer nervous for W&M. I cannot wait to see what the class of 2020 does for this amazing school.”
-Catie Pinkerton ’16

“In the time that I’ve spent interviewing, I’ve gotten to meet some truly spectacular students. Prospective students came from all over the globe to interview with us at the Admission Office and that was an extremely humbling feeling. It reminded me of how lucky I am to be able to learn at an institution as strong as William & Mary. The students I met calmed any anxiety I might’ve had about leaving; I know that W&M will be in good hands.”
– Sydney Battle ’16

“Throughout my interviews I had the opportunity to meet some of the most intelligent, successful, and thought-provoking high school seniors. I interviewed a wide variety of students: a national-level skier, a nanochemistry researcher, a forensics team superstar, a Special Olympics tennis coach, and many, many more. Though each of these students came from very different backgrounds with a range of interests, I enjoyed that they all shared a common interest in William & Mary. Knowing that I had an impact on these incredible students was such a humbling experience and has helped me appreciate the value of my education at W&M.”
-Yousif Al-Amin ’16

“I would say my favorite memory from interviewing was the day that Obergefell v. Hodges same-sex marriage case was decided. Even though William & Mary had always been welcoming, seeing all my coworkers and interviewees celebrate with me and with us really solidified the fact that this is a place that ANYONE can call their home. To all the incredible, awe-inspiring seniors I interviewed this summer and fall, good luck! And don’t forget, I’m already incredibly proud of you.”
-Ross Anderson ’16

“Going into this summer one of my favorite deans, and an alumnus of the interviewer program, advised me, ‘The William & Mary summer heat and humidity will always bring me nostalgia to my summer of interviewing.’ After finishing my last interview, I can strongly relate. From this summer I’ll remember the students – the one who danced, the student who solved a Rubik’s cube, the students who made me laugh, and all of the students who made me confident and excited for William & Mary’s future. Thank you to the students who shared themselves and their passions with us, thank you to the Admission Office for letting us run your Twitter, cooking the best challah french toast I’ve ever had, and for welcoming us onto your team. Interviewing every day reminded me why William & Mary is my home, and the Williamsburg heat will always spark that sense of pride.”
-Brendan McNamara ’16

“There are very few things I love more than William & Mary. While that may sound like an exaggeration, this amazing school has challenged me academically, opened my mind socially and surrounded me with inspirational, humbling peers. My freshman year I decided to become as involved with the campus community as possible in what I like to describe the W&M Spectrum, life before, during and after W&M. The first part of the spectrum is found in none other than the Office of Undergraduate Admission i.e. the dream makers of W&M. It is amazing this office is able to admit such a caring, quirky, passionate, intellectual group of students by only reading a paper application. The beautiful part of W&M is that the students are not two dimensional and can never be contained by just words on a paper, so this interviewing program not only gives prospective students opportunities to shine in person, but helped students like myself break outside of the pages of an application, a handful of years ago.

There were so many times this summer where I was simply blown away by the displayed passion for historical jazz music, traditional Mexican dance, colonial reenacting, whiffle ball practice, historical European martial arts, calculus YouTube videos, Kendrick Lamar or AP US History. While I fail to believe graduation is on the horizon and there will be a time where I need to leave W&M, after spending my summer interviewing high school seniors, I have no doubt I, along with my fellow interviewers, are leaving our alma mater in good hands with the Class of 2020.”
-Amanda Gordon ’16