A 2011 alumna who now serves as Assoc. Director in W&M Civic & Community Engagement
Read about my undergraduate memories and lessons learned; recaps of programs and adventures with Civic & Community Engagement; reflections on life as an alumna and staff member and my deep love and commitment to William & Mary.
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Vocation, Capacity, Community Part One
When I talk about vocation with students, I often describe it as the overlap between what you want and are equipped to do and what your communities need. After all, active citizenship, the guiding model of our office, is about prioritizing community in your values and life choices. It is through this lens of vocation…
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Anne
Wherever Anne Davis ’16 was, those around her were sure to feel a burst of energy. That’s one of the reasons I selected her to serve as the Fellow for Hunger and Nutrition in the Office of Community Engagement and why I was so looking forward to working with her. I wasn’t sure exactly where…
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Sounds of the Semester
A few weeks ago, I asked the first year students in Aim 4 to tell me about the most memorable smells on-campus so far, and there were some interesting answers. But today I want to share with you some of my favorite sounds of this semester. Now a month into their William & Mary experience,…
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Who I Am Is Here
I just logged into my blog dashboard to upload an end of semester post and for the first time noticed that I have a Draft folder with something in it. Below is the entry I discovered which I wrote in December 2012, the first winter after I graduated. It seems appropriate to finally post this…
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To All the Incoming Students Who Are Petrified
To all the incoming students who are petrified, unbelieving you’re ready for this, and just trying to make it through Orientation without crying in public—I know how you feel. Eight years ago, as my family checked into the hotel on the night before move-in, I was in a state of shock, wondering what foolish college…
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A Turn About The Garden
Today, I took a turn about the Sunken Garden, the large beautiful lawn in the middle of William & Mary’s old campus. It’s a habit I developed for when the rhythm of my day seems to be precariously tilting toward overwhelm. In those moments, I pull myself away from the inbox and take a lap.…
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What’s to Come in the Spring Timey Wimey
My freshman RA explained to us that Fall Semester winds down while Spring Semester winds up, with time seeming to speed up the closer to Graduation we are. Moving at regular speed, I’ve had the time to think about some of the things I am excited for this semester. MLK Social Justice and Service Program…
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Editing My Leadership
The last assignment we gave to our Women in Leadership course was to write a leadership manifesto which expressed students’ commitments to themselves and others. While being a co-instructor of the course meant the assignment wasn’t for me, I drafted my own as well. I wrote those 100 or so words, and then, because I…
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Words from an Active Citizen
From these experiences with Branch Out I learned that service is a continuous process rather than a single act, one that must be approached with care and intention.
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Because We Care
On Friday, February 7th, 2014, William & Mary celebrated Charter Day, including honoring Laura Godwin ’14 with the James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership. Laura serves on the executive board of Project Phoenix and is a fixture in the Office of Community Engagement, bringing her joy and commitment to our office and the tutor/mentor program.…
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The Two William & Marys
To the newest William & Mary alumni: Close your eyes and picture this campus. The William & Mary you see is the one you’ve built over the last however many years it has taken you to get to this point. You’ve certainly had help along the way. This place is filled with people who worked…
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Giving Of One’s Hands and Heart
My last post was from a speech I gave about service, but this time I’m doing one better. Below Emma Merrill ’13 speaks to the audience at Celebration of Service on the need to give one’s hands and heart to service. Emma’s commitment to social justice, active citizenship and community is an inspiration to many…
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A Kind of Dangerous Unselfishness
Yours will be the story of dangerous unselfishness unleashed
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That Time a W&M Professor Lied To Me
It was one of my favorite stories to tell on an admission tour as we paused in the lobby of Blair Hall. I recounted the day I walked into my history course, “The Global Color Line” with Professor Vinson, and he stared us all down. “Today, you are going to teach class,” he said, while…
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Fan Girl
“Justin!” I yelped, jumping out my seat and making my way across the room. While my love of Justin Bieber has already been recorded in this blog, this time I was actually pulling off a fan girl moment for the one and only Justin Reid. Justin is one of the first upperclassmen I met at…
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