Aliyana Koch-Manzur

Stamps 1693 Scholar

Hometown

Exeter, NH (Phillips Exeter Academy)

Academic Interests

Chemistry, International Relations, Pre-Law

Why W&M

Like many of my fellow 1693s, I went into finalist weekend cautiously, not sure what to expect and scared to get attached to a school that was, admittedly, not what I had envisioned for my college experience. I grew up in a cute town in New Hampshire, and was ready to live in the hustle and bustle of a proper metropolitan city. So while William & Mary’s website showed it to be a beautiful campus, it didn’t initially rank at the top of my college choices. 

But as soon as I stepped off the plane in Norfolk, those plans were completely upended. Back home we were still recovering from the last blizzard of the season. So, to step into the blooming flowers and soft winds of Virginia already half won me over.

Then, the first night of finalist weekend, I started to realize how special the people of William & Mary are. Everyone was friendly and talkative, but above all kind. And to hear current students talk about majoring in both physics and religion, or doing research in biology and public policy, made me feel more confident in my diverse academic interests.

It was the next morning, on my first tour through campus, that I realized I had already fallen in love with this school. Everything I saw proved that William & Mary isn’t a school that makes empty platitudes — when you hear an admissions pitch, reality follows through. Whether it was standing in ISC and seeing that 9 out of 10 names on a research paper were undergrads, or witnessing the comfortable camaraderie between the 1693 upperclassmen, everything and everyone felt genuine. I am so excited to spend the next four years of my life in this incredible community!

W&M Activities 

• Organic Chemistry research in Professor Hinkle's lab
• Campaign Fellow, 2024 Democratic Coordinated Campaign
• W&M Young Democrats 
• W&M Young Independents

High School Activities 

• Delegate to the Democratic National Convention 2024
• Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus of the New Hampshire Democratic Party
• New Hampshire Young Democrats
• Co-Head, Phillips Exeter Democratic Club
• Co-Head, Salaam
• Co-Head, Feminist Union
• Co-Head, German Club
• Day Student Representative, Phillips Exeter Student Council
• Volunteer and Project Leader, Racial Unity Team
• Teen Ambassador, New Hampshire Flume Teen Book Award Committee
• Panelist, 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
• Lab Intern, Boston College Chemistry Department
• Work: Staff, Las Olas Taqueria

Awards / Distinctions

• Cum Laude Honor Society
• Sherman Hoar Prize for Excellence in American History
• Candidate for 2024 US Presidential Scholar's Program
• National Merit Commended Scholar
• Multicultural Leadership Award