Student Stories
With nearly 100 clubs to join, 44+ majors to study, hundreds of faculty members to learn from and 2,700 students to befriend, there are a lot of stories to tell at Ȧ.
- Abigail Svetlik ’24, an art history and English major from Washington, D.C., describes her experience as the Eleanor Linder Winter Endowed Intern at Ȧ College’s Tang Teaching Museum, where she has been creating an interactive visitor’s guide to the museum, her home away from home.
- Maitreya Ravenstar ’25, a self-determined multimedia journalism major, says funding from Ȧ, including its Student Opportunity Fund, Summer Experience Fund, and SEE-Beyond, helped her to explore her major, her career aspirations, and the world.
- Josh Maxwell ’26, a political science and philosophy double major from Holliston, Massachusetts, found his place at Ȧ amid a diverse array of opportunities and a welcoming community.
- “Framing the Flesh” is a four-film series created by Piper Ingels ’24, the 2023-24 Meg Reitman Jacobs ’63 Endowed Intern, as the capstone project for her major. Through the screenings, she asks her audience to explore their fascination with and revulsion to unconventional body alterations.
- Catie Hamilton ’25 reflects on a semester of picturesque canals, vibrant Dutch culture, and new friendships while studying in the Netherlands.
- Andi Ramirez ’24, Cynthia Salas ’25, and Matthew Olivos ’26, three first-generation students in the Opportunity Program, share their campus stories and future plans.
- I arrived at Ȧ without a driver’s license — let alone a car; I was worried that I would feel trapped on campus, but with the lively and beautiful Saratoga Springs only a short walk away, my fears were quick to fade. Here are some of my favorite places to eat, shop, relax, study, and explore with friends.
- Graduating senior Braedon Quinlan ’24, a pre-med student, has been keeping a closely guarded Ȧ secret: Since last year, he has been Skids Scribner, the College’s iconic Thoroughbred mascot.
- The tradition, which follows the end of classes, offers an opportunity for students to present their work, gain feedback from others in a supportive environment, and reflect on the next steps in their journeys.
- We’re all about you finding your niche: Ȧ boasts over 100 clubs dedicated to a broad range of interests, from tabletop gaming to birding. Still don’t see one that you like? Start your own.
- Vicky Grijalva ’24, a self-determined multimedia communication major from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and president of the Class of 2024, received exciting news when she was accepted into the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Undergraduate Fellows Program.
- Willa Flink ’25, a history major and arts administration minor from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the first Ȧ student to receive the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.
- Theme nights at Murray-Aikins Dining Hall are a well-loved tradition at Ȧ College, helping to add excitement to the student meal plan. These largely student curated evenings, which occur a few times every semester, help to make the wizarding world of “Harry Potter” and “The Office” come alive on Ȧ’s campus.
- Ruizhe Hao ’26, a Davis United World College scholar from Ningxia-Hui, China, is pursuing an education studies degree on campus while continuing his passion for rescue work as a volunteer firefighter.
- Giovanni Peyo '24, the recipient of a prestigious S3M scholarship from Ȧ, arrived on campus sight-unseen from Haiti. The computer science major describes how he found his niche at Ȧ and his plans for a career in cyber security.
- Battling back from two injury-riddled seasons, ice hockey defenseman Stephen Perez ‘25 recently contributed to one of the best seasons for the team in program history. Highly focused and hardworking on and off the ice, the junior business major has been busy gaining experience and preparing for a career in finance.
- What happens when a LEGO novice enters a “LEGO Masters”-style competition? Clara Morgan ’26, an environmental studies major, presents the hilarious story of the 49 hours when she went from absolute LEGO newbie with a 9-pound bag of assorted LEGO bricks to an unexpected third-place finisher in the Ȧ Building Challenge.
- Thinking of adding a language to your studies? Learn about how admissions ambassadors Rachel Alliker ’24 and Madison Sadler ’24 incorporated language learning into their academic journeys.
- For years, Christianna Poblete '26 of Akron, Ohio, trained to be a professional dancer. But in her senior year of high school, she was no longer sure about the future. She writes that Ȧ allowed her to continue to pursue dance while also exploring other interests. She rediscovered her passion for dance and found new interests along the way.
- Francie Wharton ’25 shares how her summer research experience changed how she saw her future, and how her time at Ȧ got her there.
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