New William & Mary students officially begin school year with convocation

Looking out over a sea of students, both new and returning, William & Mary President Katherine Rowe threw down a gauntlet: “We’ll see how loud you can get as the evening goes on,” she said as the school’s convocation ceremony got underway.

Uniformed in strappy dresses and summer pastels, the students gathered on the lawn of the Wren Building Wednesday night for William & Mary’s long-held and much-beloved tradition. As it turned out, they could get pretty loud.

Every year, the ceremony ends with the new students parading through the Wren Building and into a crowd of returning students, faculty, staff and other members of the community lined up on the other side to greet them, cheering and slapping hands as they walk by. Down in the Sunken Garden area of campus, students then gather for a dance party on the lawn.

One new student, Megan McFall, said that the ceremony and the subsequent revelry were among the many new experiences she’s been having since coming to campus, and she’s been enjoying it all.

For junior Leo Murphy, this year’s ceremony brought back memories of his own convocation ceremony in 2021, when both the freshman and sophomore classes got to experience it for the first time.

“It was one of the first events I experienced at college,” he said. “It was like, ‘Wow, this feels like a community.’”

The ceremony kicked off around 7 p.m., with Provost Peggy Agouris welcoming the new students and thanking returning students in advance for the help they’ll provide their new classmates over the coming weeks.

“Congratulations, you made it,” Agouris said to the assembled crowd, encouraging them to take it all in.

William & Mary, which celebrates its 330th year as a college this school year, received a record number of applications for fall 2022, with more than 18,000. Approximately 1,650 students make up the Class of 2026.

Former student — he holds four degrees — and Colonial Williamsburg CEO Cliff Fleet was this year’s speaker.

Fleet described first coming to William & Mary more than three decades ago, when his parents moved him from the family’s home in Albemarle County to his new digs in Yates Hall, earning a rousing cheer of approval from Yates’ current residents.

During his speech, Fleet advised the students to do three things: 1) learn as much as you can about as many things as you can; 2) find your superpower, or the thing you’re both passionate about and good at; and 3) learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Fleet also urged students to ensure that William & Mary, considered the alma mater of the nation, stays the alma mater of the future as well.

During the ceremony, Rowe awarded junior Ashley Huang and assistant professor of school psychology Janise Parker with the 2022 President’s Award for Service to the Community. The service awards are presented every year to the student and faculty or staff member who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to service and made a significant and measurable impact on the community.

At the end of the evening, Rowe officially declared the opening of the academic year as, behind her, the Wren Building lit up with green and gold lights in homage to the school.

“This,” Rowe said, “is your moment.”

And then, as the new students began to file through the building, it got even louder.

Sian Wilkerson, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com, 757-342-6616