The WMSURE way: “Let the students lead you”

Sometimes retreat is necessary to spring forward with intention and impact.

Students, staff, and faculty involved in the William & Mary Research Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) began the program’s busiest year yet with its inaugural Retreat in Richmond — a collective moment of reflection, bonding, and visioning in Richmond, Virginia, Aug. 23-24.

Anthony "AJ" Joseph ‘21, WMSURE program coordinator, said the retreat had two goals: to deepen rapport among students, faculty, and staff, and to sharpen program priorities.

Joseph described his time-tested strategy for orchestrating successful group activities. “Let the students lead you,” he said, “and what you get is a beautiful experience.”

The two-day gathering held at the Richmond Omni Hotel began with a welcome and onboarding of program staff, faculty, and student fellows, an unlikely feat. “With how quickly WMSURE is growing, it’s hard to get all 28 of us in one room, and we practically achieved that,” Joseph said.

The weekend included professional development activities as well as bonding experiences, fostering a spirit of support and collaboration among faculty and student fellows, according to Joseph.

Professor of Psychological Sciences and WMSURE co-founder Cheryl Dickter joined several faculty at the event. “The biggest takeaway for me was the sense of community that this retreat allowed for students and faculty,” said Dickter.

The weekend’s program included an “escape room” activity, requiring groups of students and faculty to solve a puzzle to exit a room in which they were locked together. The goal was simple, Joseph said, “for us all to understand how we operate under a time crunch, under pressure.”

Student fellows Harrison Daley ’26, an economics major, and data science major Naziyah Turner ’27 agreed that the high-stakes bonding activity brought everyone closer together. “As a new fellow, the escape room provided a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and into trusting the other fellows to get out together,” Daley said.

Turner agreed. In having to communicate and collaborate quickly to solve the puzzle, “we all had the same mission,” she said.

Returning student fellow Allison Nkansah ‘26, an economics and public health major, said the retreat allowed her to meet new fellows and to maintain a “united front,” even as the community dramatically expands.

“Knowing that community and support are there for us is so important going into the school year because it's very challenging to go through these semesters alone,” Nkansah said.

WMSURE Co-Directors Iyabo Osiapem, teaching professor of Africana Studies and linguistics, and Katherine Barko-Alva, associate professor of ESL/Bilingual education, said that convening the program’s leaders before the start of the academic year was especially important this year, as the program serves more undergraduates than ever.

The retreat, Osiapem said, reaffirmed the program’s mission and clarified participants’ connections to it. “Commitment to the program was visible at every level,” she said.

“College is difficult," said Barko Alva. “Having a community that is going to cheer you on, hold you accountable, keep you safe, provide a sense of belonging, is significant and crucial as you move through your college years. As a new professional and a new academic, making those transitions is a lot easier when you have community.”

Morgan Nasir '25, a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling and WMSURE graduate assistant, said she left the retreat “feeling energized, reassured, and eager to continue supporting the fellows throughout all of their endeavors.”

According to Joseph, WMSURE is changing the way students and faculty work together on campus.

“The special sauce to WMSURE is simple: humanity,” he said. “By consistently bringing our community together, we create the respect and trust necessary for a community to gel and thrive.”