Convocation Welcomes New Students

Campus leaders welcome the Class of 2028 and recognize the achievements of returning students.

Members of the Class of 2028 leave Fall Convocation as older students clap and cheer for them.

New students from 20 states and 13 other countries gathered in Decker Theatre on Thursday for Fall Convocation, the tradition that opens the academic year and sets a tone for students’ time at Washington College. 

They heard from student, faculty and administration leaders as well as President Sosulski who welcomed them into the community and exhorted them to make the most of all of the opportunities they will find here. 

“It is a great honor to welcome you, the Class of 2028, as well as those of you who have transferred. You’ve started out on the right foot, and that’s because you have made that very important first decision in your college career: to come to Washington College,” said Sarah Feyerherm, vice president for student affairs. “We look forward to joining you on this wonderful journey.” 

President Mike Sosulski offered a welcome that spoke of the culture of Washington with the incoming students, encouraging them to embrace growth and making connections. He shared that everyone’s contributions are valued and that we celebrate the ideas we find fascinating and challenge those we find objectionable with reasoned argument. 

“Take seriously the responsibility to seize the opportunities before you. Being part of this wonderful learning community does require showing up, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, and being open to exploring the sometimes very different ideas of others and sharing your own new ideas,” he said. “The world is changing, and tomorrow’s leaders will be those who possess the ability to listen carefully, think deeply, and act boldly to inspire those around them. [T]here is no better training ground for success than our liberal arts environment, and you are exactly where you are supposed to be.” 

Emily Steinmetz, chair of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, touched on similar themes in her keynote speech, which she delivered as the recipient of the 2024 Alumni Association’s Award for Distinguished Teaching.  

For more than a decade, Steinmetz has taught college courses in prisons, including through a popular course at Washington, in which on-campus students travel to join incarcerated students each week to learn together. She shared a story from earlier work in which a group of inmates she advised in starting a prison newspaper were censored by prison officials.  The restrictions the women running the paper faced and the way they responded provided an example of hope and the value in alternate ways of expression and creating dialogue. 

“It is a story about power and expressive freedom,” Steinmetz said. “As we start this academic year, we continue the hard work of figuring out what free expression means at Washington College, and how it articulates with the inclusive, compassionate campus we aspire to be. All of us are part of this project.” 

Steinmetz closed her remarks connecting her field of anthropology (“the study of the wide array of human experiences”), hope, and the liberal arts. (Her full speech is available on YouTube.) 

“When we engage thoughtfully with diverse worldviews, lifeways, and modes of inquiry, it does two things. First, it allows us to better relate across difference—with humility, with open minds and open hearts. And second, it can help us loosen our grip on what we think is natural, true, or right,” she said. "It is liberating to see the range of possibilities. It helps us imagine a world otherwise. Anthropology is not alone in this—it is just one piece of what an expansive liberal arts education offers us. Each in their own way, fields of study inspire curiosity, get us out into the world in new ways, and, if we’re open to it, destabilize what we think we know. We can trade false certainty for broader horizons of possibility.” 

In addition to welcomes, advice, and congratulations to the newly arrived students, Fall Convocation also serves to recognize the accomplishments of returning students and outstanding young alumni. This year, Latoya Gatewood-Young ’11 was honored for all she has done since graduating as an international studies major, including 12 years of service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, her current role as assistant vice president of financial crimes execution oversight with Barclays, and the contributions she has made to the College through work on the alumni board and as a liaison for her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi. 

“The Washington College Alumni Association awards The Alumni Horizon Ribbon to recognize outstanding recent alumni of the past 15 years who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship, leadership, or service. LaToya meets all three,” said Arian Ravanbakhsh, former chair of the Washington College Alumni Board who presented Gatewood-Young her award. “LaToya not only served her country, she has served our College. Her alumni board service overlapped with me when I served as Alumni Board Chair, and I can echo the valuable role she played during that time.” 

Gatewood-Young said she was surprised and honored by the award, noting that she still feels at home on campus and visits often, whether to show support at events or volunteer. 

“Washington College is obviously very close to my heart,” she said. “I’ve always tried to keep a connection. I love my alma mater.” 

Provost Kiho Kim presented returning students with the highest academic averages and/or leadership achievements with their awards, saying they were “models of exemplary academic performance—and I know they would be delighted to share with our first-year students how they have learned to effectively balance their studies with campus life and social activities.”  

   

ALUMNI MEDAL  

The Alumni Medal is awarded to the members of the Sophomore Class who achieves the highest academic average for the year. 

Marycatherine Anson  
Zoe Brookbank  
Maura Collins   
Michael Daniello  
Michael Hudak   
Morgan Link   
Brooke Thomas  

VISITORS AND GOVERNORS MEDAL  

The Visitors and Governors Medal is awarded to the members of the Junior Class who achieves the highest academic average for the year.  

Rachel Beall  
Kami Lentzsch   
Reagan Longridge  
Rachel Morgen  
Halina Saydam    

PANHELLENIC COUNCIL AWARDS   

The Inter-fraternity – Panhellenic Council Award is held annually by the sorority and fraternity achieving the highest scholastic average for the preceding year.   

The fraternity with the highest average is Kappa Sigma.  
The sorority with the highest average is Zeta Tau Alpha.   

MIDDENDORF SCHOLARS  

The Middendorf Scholars Award is given annually by the Middendorf Foundation to rising seniors for academic excellence and leadership qualities.  

 Zac Affeldt  
Morgan Carlson  
Heather Fabritze  
Hunter Frederick  
Claire Garretson  
Stephen Hook 
Marcelina Lewis  
Miranda Parrish  
Precieux Tshibangu 
Justus Williams  

— Mark Jolly-Van Bodegraven