Traditions

William & Mary is rich with history. Walking through the campus can bring you back in time. This is also helped by seeing people in colonial garb walking around the campus from Colonial Williamsburg. With such a long history, good and bad, comes a long list of traditions also. The traditions at William & Mary are probably one of my favorite things about this campus. Some of our traditions are so unique to the university and go back years. It is exciting to be a part of it. I want to share some of my favorite traditions.

The first day of classes at William & Mary was totally overwhelming, but that is not the end of the day. In the evening on the first day of classes is Opening Convocation. This is when the new students walk through the Wren Building to be greeted by all the current students on the other side. It was crazy and overwhelming to have everyone cheering for me and giving me high fives. My dad came up when I did convocation and got a picture of me. Let’s just say I looked completely shocked, it matched how I felt. This past year I did Convocation on the other side. It brought me so much joy to be cheering on the new students.

My other favorite tradition is Yule log at the end of the fall semester around the time of finals. President Reveley reads to the students How the Grinch Stole Christmas while dressed as Santa. There is a lot of other entertainment. To conclude the ceremony we are all given holly and they light the Yule log on fire in the Great Hall of the Wren Building. We all file in and throw our holly into the fire. It is one of my favorite memories at W&M.

There are so many traditions at a school as old as William & Mary. There are more traditions I have yet to complete like Commencement. These traditions are important to me, they give the school character and they help to form the memories I will hold near my heart for years to come.

-Rebecca Hill ’17