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Jessica Moulite ’14 has always been interested in journalism. She’s drawn to the concept of using media as a platform to contact and connect a group of people. In the fall, Moulite is one step closer to her dream as she enrolls in the University of Southern California’s prestigious Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Felipe Garcia’s interest in animals took a more serious turn as he prepared to begin college.  Garcia has long been passionate about animals, spending his summers working at Jungle Island, an interactive zoo located in Miami, Fla. During the summers of his sophomore and junior years at Hamilton Garcia attended the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Medicine Program for undergraduates.

When Ben Anderson ’14 first set foot on the Hamilton campus four years ago he had no idea what he wanted to do after college. It’s one of the reasons he chose Hamilton. Hamilton’s open curriculum encouraged Anderson to explore many disciplines, providing insight along the way. Anderson explains, “The open curriculum helped me zero in on what I was interested in.” As a result, Anderson discovered his passion for government, eventually deciding to study at Georgetown University Law Center next year.

Six months ago, Samuel Matlick ’17 competed with more than 50 other current students and recent graduates in Hamilton’s fourth annual Pitch Competition. His win there encouraged him to forge ahead, hoping to bring his idea to fruition. A week ago, he presented his plan at a regional business plan competition hosted by SUNY Institute of Technology and he walked away a winner again.

Hamilton’s third annual Levitt Leadership Institute completed the second and final week of its program on March 21. The second week takes place in Washington, D.C., and focuses on four different events organized by the student groups.  The goals of the second week are to actively practice the leadership skills learned in week one (problem solving, interviewing, decision-making, and networking) while organizing and executing each event.

Since it started in 2011, the Community Outreach and Opportunity Project, or COOP, has been buzzing with activity. It’s a win-win relationship. Hamilton students want to help their neighbors and effect positive change; and their neighbors, in the greater Mohawk Valley, provide numerous opportunities for activities like tutoring, working in soup kitchens or building houses, to name a few. In fact, the number of interactions with local organizations has grown annually, requiring the COOP to increase the number of it senior fellows.

Many college students plan on spending their spring break soaking up the sun on a beach; however, 11 Hamilton students, accompanied by a faculty advisor, plan on volunteering on an organic coffee farm in Nicaragua. The trip is part of Hamilton’s Alternative Spring Break program, a student-run volunteer organization. The coffee farms they will visit—Finca Esperanza Verde or Green Hope Farm—play a large role in the community and economy of San Ramon, Nicaragua.

Student leaders arrived back on campus a day early in order to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Leadership Conference. Around 150 students attended the conference hosted by former U.S. Ambassador Prudence Bushnell.

Former U.S. Ambassador Prudence Bushnell dreamed of creating a leadership program for college-age students, but was not convinced it was possible. That is, until she came to the Hill as the visiting Linowitz professor and spent a semester with Hamilton students.

Members of the class of ’16 are settling in to life on the Hill, classes have begun and the new semester is off and running. One of the members of Hamilton’s newest group of students, Cassidy Dennison ’16, took time to reflect on the value of pre-orientation program Adirondack Adventure in helping students make the adjustment to college life. We started off college with a dangling participle. This may seem regressive to our high school and college education, but it actually furthered our knowledge of ourselves and our group. Our dangling participle was not a grammatical error; it consisted of a rope, two harnesses, two people and total trust. Though slightly intimidating, rock climbing at Chapel Pond in the Keene Valley was one of the best ways to begin college. Adirondack Adventure helps people make friends, try new things, and break free of the initial fears associated with college.