Here Is Where Champions Play & Memories Are Made

October 28, 2014

Dum, dum, dum! Today was the day we met our professor, Drew Stelljes; great guy, that one. He gave us his spiel about who he was and what he was all about, which conveniently lasted as long as it took for us to finish our Panera Bread catering from the DC Office (thank you!). There was just something absolutely delightful about the way he opened up his life to us so easily and, when he spoke of teaching, it seemed to rate in the top ten best decisions of his life. Afterwards, Professor Stelljes led us outside to the Sunken Garden for some ambiguous group activity. The activity included numbered paper plates, string that formed a circle, and unique rules about only 1 person inside the circle and limitations on how many plates could be touched. During the strategizing phase, our natural group personalities were revealed with some people volunteering, others delegating, some chatting amongst each other, and others who stood back and observed. There were those who talked their way through the challenge and those who contemplated the action plan before voicing it. In the end, we beat the time record because we pulled together and worked it out. We were then split into groups of 5 to get to know our fellow students. In this intimate circle, I heard the overlapping heart of William & Mary: students who want to change the world for good. Reflecting on the day’s activities on the car ride home, I knew this was the first of many memories we were sure to have during our time together in DC.

~ Lynelle Haugabrook