Student Delivers Inspirational Charter Day Speech

It began simply: Six professors, 100 students (more or less) and a college of “good arts and sciences” in Virginia. Now look what it’s become: This internationally known university of great stature — but more importantly, it’s the community we all know and love, and a tradition that we have all learned to call home.

Our first days at William & Mary, we cross through the Wren, wide-eyed freshmen, unsure what lies ahead, but the College makes sure we know what lies behind us.

Not many other institutions advertise their strong colonial heritage over their football programs. But after a week at William & Mary, not only do we know the legend of every 18th-century ghost, but we also receive a crash course in centuries of tradition. And we take it to heart.

Because here at William & Mary, our unofficial motto, “One Tribe, One Family,” is more than a corny catch- phrase — it’s a lifestyle.

When I first came to the College, I was lucky enough to find my “family.” This group of about 20 guys and girls, affectionately known as “The Barrett Fam,” has been the backbone of my College experience.

As we’ve grown older, our interests and passions naturally diversified, leading us to additional friend groups and activities. Some of us discovered the unbelievable love in a sorority house, the magic of a campus newspaper or the camaraderie of a community service organization. At William & Mary you find many families.

Like any true family, the Barrett Fam sometimes argues and disagrees (the current drama is all about spring break plans). But together, always together, we’ve cheered at Wren Tens, signed up for classes, coordinated costumes for Campus Golf, pulled those all-nighters in Swem and danced at King & Queens.

What’s most amazing is that there is nothing unique about our experience. Our William & Mary is a part of a 321-year chain. Each year, the College adds new links to the chain — with new students, new families, that continue the College’s traditions every day.

And it’s more than the traditions of throwing holly on the Yule Log or a crazy midnight run through the Sunken Garden. Ours is a tradition of community.

We endure because of that community, and thank goodness the charter created that.

This year the phrase “One Tribe, One Family” took on a new meaning when my little sister, Alison ’17, joined the freshman class. Watching her go through her first year, experiencing many of the same highs and lows as I did, made me realize how lucky I am here at William & Mary, and how lucky we all are.

Lucky to grow in a friendly community that that picks you up when you fall down (and trust me, you will fall down! Quite literally), but also pushes you past where you thought you could be. Lucky to be in a place where long days at the library are encouraged … and rewarded with laughs at Senior Mug night.

This May, I will reverse my freshman path through the Wren to graduate, but Alison will carry the tradition onward. And after her, others will do the same. Just like the founders promised in the charter, “a perpetual College … to be supported and maintained, in all time coming.”

This is a promise that we will not break.

As we continue to create and hold on to our “families” and communities, the tradition of the charter will carry on as we find our “home” at the College. Because life at William & Mary is about more than the stressful lectures or pop quizzes. It’s about the people.

You may be thinking about your own families you’ve found here at the College. These relationships are just as valuable as any degree, so hold to them fast.

So, no matter where you are in the world, whatever stage of life, we can always look to our foundation, our family, our Tribe for support.

So, hark on home. Hark upon the gale. That’s what it’s all about.