Sunny Sunken Days

This spring is my first at William & Mary, and I had a lot of expectations. The best pictures of W&M seem to be with bright blue skies, perfectly trimmed grass, and blossoming pink tree buds and daffodils. Everyone seemed to talk about the spring—spring classes, spring weather, spring sports, and spring events. After a cold winter, many organizations welcome the warm days by creating campus-wide events. Campus Golf, an annual event hundreds of students participate in, was often discussed, and my anticipation for the spring grew.

Campus Golf is my social sorority’s philanthropic event that features golf courses on and around the Sunken Garden, played with golf clubs and tennis balls. All proceeds benefit Avalon, a domestic violence shelter in Williamsburg, and Prevent Child Abuse America. Over 500 teams signed up to participate this year, and nearly all students came in extravagant and hilarious costumes. This year’s Campus Golf saw a mariachi band, the Toy Story characters, lumberjacks, “the dress” in all its colors, and more. As students gathered together to try (and fail) to hit the tennis balls, music played, people danced, pictures were taken, and most importantly, important causes were supported in an amazingly fun way. In between my shifts as a caddy, the event lasted over 12 hours. Every minute was worth it, as I danced with my sisters, met new people, cheered for the best costumes, and raised over $30,000 dollars for worthy causes.

It goes to follow then that the Sunken Garden is my favorite place on campus, any season of the year. The first time I saw William & Mary was in the summer, and the Sunken Garden stands out in my mind. The Sunken Garden featured orientation—the beginning of the best time of my life—, sorority bid day, and sitting on the Garden while calling my parents and telling them about my first day of classes. The Sunken Garden featured midnight snowball fights and snow angels and late nights of laughter and memories. And from the Sunken Garden, I see the Wren Building—the epitome of what William & Mary is and aspires to be. The Sunken Garden holds some of the best memories I have on this campus, and more will surely be added to the list.

– Mary Kate Adgie