Eva Santos

Hometown

Vienna, VA (James Madison High School)

Academic Interests

Physics, Hispanic Studies

Why W&M

When it came time for me to apply to colleges, William & Mary was not only a given but one high on the list. When I visited the college in my sophomore year, it quickly checked all my boxes: it was not too far from home, it had rigorous academics, and the picturesque campus was a nice bonus. But what made William & Mary so high on my list wasn’t its identifiable criteria; it was the elusive vibe that I felt on that campus. Walking around, I remember thinking that William & Mary just felt so inviting. Maybe it was the smaller size or the fact that people would stop and wave at our tour guide as we walked through the Sunken Gardens. I didn’t know what to make of it, but I knew it made me want to apply.

Needless to say, when I got an email saying I was a semi-finalist for William & Mary’s 1693 Scholars Program, I was more than excited. At this point, I had just buried myself in applications, and the memory of that first tour at William & Mary was slowly fading into the background. Finalist Weekend brought that memory back to me.

From the moment I stepped up to the Murray House, I was blown away. Through all the conversations and activities, passion emanated off every scholar. Each one was so eager to explain what they were working on or just share their experience, whether that meant telling me about their multiple study abroad trips or explaining the impacts of their research on frog cells. It was hard not to ask follow-up questions, and I was amazed how every student seemed to do something unique and meaningful with their opportunities at William & Mary.

The scholars’ passion and ambition were not the only things that blew me away, I was equally struck by how incredibly genuine, supportive, and fun they were. They joked around with each other, cheered each other on, and gave each other thoughtful advice. That whole weekend —whether we were playing games, throwing frisbees, or eating waffles together— reminded me of that feeling from my first tour.

When Professor Cristol offered me a spot in the program, I mean it when I say I was practically bouncing off the walls. Nevertheless, I settled myself down just in time for the logic alarms to go off in my head. I didn’t want to make a hasty decision, no matter how excited I was. For an hour, I ignored everything else and threw myself into a messy pros and cons list, trying to determine if William & Mary was THE school for me. However, staring at my list, I realized that my college decision had become more than just checking boxes. Many schools can be close to my home. Many schools have rigorous academics. But none had the community that William & Mary offered me. None had that inviting touch that made me come back to the college time and time again. As much as I wanted to be logical, in truth, finalist weekend confirmed everything that I wanted in a college and opened my mind to more than I thought it could offer: opportunities to work closely with faculty on research, the ability to study whatever I want and explore all my curiosities, and most importantly, a community of kind, genuine, and passionate people. I can’t wait to join them in the fall!

High School Activities

Virginia Governor’s Spanish World Language Academy
Bollywood Dance Instructor, Tech Assistant, and Dancer at Rhythmaya Dance
Editor-in-Chief and Designer for School Newspaper (the Hawk Talk)
President of high school’s creative writing club
Mentor and intern at non-profit Belong! Vienna
Lead Mentor in school-wide Mentoring Program (Madison Mentors)
Ultimate Frisbee
Observership at Children’s National Hospital
Travel Club Soccer

Awards / Distinctions

Harvard Prize Book Award
National Merit Commended Scholar
2025 VHSL Multimedia Contest Finalist For Inside Page Layout/Spread
TR Cook Youth Award of Excellence in the area of Academics
1st Place in school wide science fair for Behavioral & Social Science
1st Place in Virginia High School Ultimate Frisbee Championship 2025
AP Scholar with Distinction
La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica
National Honor Society
Quill & Scroll (Journalism Honor Society)
AP Statistics Award
Spanish 4 Award
Spanish 3 Award
Spanish 2 Award
Academic Honor Roll