Bailey Thomson '10: For Bailey Thomson '10 (left), who is majoring in government and Middle Eastern studies, the William & Mary experience is about what happens in the classroom and how those lessons are applied across the globe.
Photo by: Elaine Odell
Students Acquire Skills to Make Their Dreams Come True
Senior Bailey Thomson
William & Mary students come to the College wanting to change the world and they leave with the skills to do it. For senior Bailey Thomson, her William & Mary journey has allowed her to undertake research in Morocco, serve the impoverished in Honduras, work as a teaching fellow with the Sharpe Community Scholars Program, and act as an elected justice to the Honor Council.
Bailey's experiences are the manifestation of a top liberal arts experience on a global scale. "Academics aren't just in the classroom," she explains. "We are learning about relationships, how to interact with others and better serve them; how to grow and be part of the world." Her work with William & Mary's Students Helping Honduras (SHH) has been particularly impressive in creating connections between local and global communities. SHH has more than 13 chapters on the East Coast and in the Midwest. As a founding chapter, William & Mary is one of the largest and most involved.
Annual gifts to the College supplement the experiences on campus by opening up the rest of the world. Bailey provided a glimpse of her new found perspective during her 2009 Charter Day Dinner speech: "It is clear that the Tribe is bigger than I ever could have imagined at first glance. We are truly a school whose connections are global, whose students, faculty, alumni, and staff seek to diversify their experiences. And I am absolutely grateful to be part of our incredible community."
