Make It Work

I mentioned on my homepage that I am involved with the College’s activities board called UCAB (University Centers Activities Board). We are the main programming organization that works with a pretty big budget to bring events to campus ranging from huge music productions to smaller grassroots events.

I first became involved with UCAB at the end of my freshman year. I applied, interviewed, and was picked to be on the Contemporary & Cultural Issues Committee within the organization. This particular committee appealed to me the most, because I liked their mission of bringing diverse events to campus that focus on different issues going on in the world today.

At one meeting at the end of my freshman year when we were planning events for the following fall, someone in my committee mentioned Tim Gunn from Project Runway. I thought it would be AMAZING if Tim Gunn came to campus, so I did some researching, found his email address, and asked if he’d want to come speak. He responded saying that he would be happy to do it, and this one email led to probably the best event that I was ever a part of.

In November of my sophomore year, Tim Gunn did in fact come to William & Mary. A line had formed to the University Center (now the Sadler Center) Commonwealth Auditorium many hours before the event started. The event was free to students, and the auditorium quickly filled to maximum capacity. I was the emcee of the event and was in contact with Tim leading up to the event.

I did a quick introduction, and Tim walked on stage to deafening applause from the audience. He spoke about his background in fashion, his career at Parson’s, and (of course) Project Runway. Then student designers put on a mini fashion show after which Tim critiqued their work. Following the event, Tim stayed until every person had either an autograph or a picture and was absolutely the kindest person that I have ever met.

I’m pretty sure that night was the biggest highlight of my College experience.