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Managing Editor of FRONTLINE Andrew Metz ’91 recently returned to Hamilton for a screening of Exodus, a documentary about the stories of refugees and migrants fleeing challenges like war and persecution, told from their personal perspectives.

We know him only as “John.” She cannot tell us his real name, nor his country of origin. As she tells John’s story of torture and imprisonment, she uses her finger to draw a line in the air every time his country is mentioned. John’s tale was one of attempted escapes, repeated imprisonment, and torture so brutal that he did not want it published; he didn’t want his children to know the worst details of what he had gone through.

The Chapel is filled to the brim. Students and administrators fill the two floors; two students run up and down aisles to hand students microphones, and the line that had formed outside slowly disappears as people trickle into the crevices of the room, eager to stand and watch: everyone is here to take part in Hamilton’s first Town Hall.

After pondering different job opportunities for which his long, skinny fingers would be useful – pianist? No, how could he sit in a chair with no lumbar support, no hand rests? Hand model? Free washes, free hand cream, but how could he indulge in the model lifestyle? Finally, he considered becoming a surgeon... but then he heard how long operations were, so that was out – Colson Whitehead realized he had no choice but to become a writer.

Speakers Laura Engelhardt ’95, Vasant Dhar, and Juvencio Maeztu P’20 shared personal experiences that show the positive impacts of stepping outside your comfort zone and challenging your natural inclinations.

Research shows that girls drop out of sports at rates six times higher than boys, according to Youth Sports Psychology. A program at Hamilton College is attempting to fight this statistic. Strong Girls is an after-school program for girls in third to fifth grade to empower them through athletics. It was brought to Hamilton by Katherine Kreider ’18, whose high school basketball coach originally created the program and its curriculum to motivate and inspire girls to engage in athletics. Kreider and Eleni Neyland ’18 started the club their sophomore year and are the co-presidents.

Mike Dubke ’92 P ’19, veteran communications operative and former assistant in the Trump White House, and Marc Elias ’90, a partner with Perkins Coie who served as general counsel for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, met for a live Facebook chat on Dec. 2. The two discussed America’s increasingly polarizing political divide and what created this division, a conversation inspired by Hamilton’s Common Ground event.

ESPN Deputy Content Editor Lauren Reynolds ’02 and Emmy Award-winning ESPN producer Bryan Jaroch’97 returned to the Hill on Nov. 9 to speak about their experiences as sports journalists.

As a part of the F.I.L.M. series, Hamilton welcomed Raoul Peck to campus for a screening and discussion of his his Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro.

After working as a correspondent for the White House, Time magazine, and writing two books, Hamilton College Trustee Barrett Seaman ‘67 returned to the Hill to share his perspective on the controversy of journalism. He presented a lecture and facilitated a discussion on Oct. 19.