My kind of weather
It’s sunny and beautiful today, and the forecast looks like the week will just get better and better.
Our ’24s got their edition of Letters So Dear yesterday. And while Letters So Dear is meant specifically for first-year students, there was a letter from an anonymous upperclass student that is really worth reading by students of any year. It has a lot to do with students’ desires to “fit in” and how being true to yourself is really the only way to be. Here’s a taste:
I realized that I was mirroring my friends at the time and not focusing on myself. I did so much to change who I was to be like them, but they never encouraged me to be me. At this point, I understood that if I wanted to make the most out of my time at Wake and have the career of my dreams, I would have to be who I truly was and surround myself with friends who wanted to succeed with me.
There are important developmental milestones that college students should go through: developing autonomy, establishing identity, and becoming the author of their own lives. This Letters So Dear is a great example of how a student began to define themselves on their terms and find friends they could be themselves with. When you are 18-22, it can feel scary to stand out from the crowd or not do something everyone else is doing, but being true to yourself is an incredible gift. Read the full message here.
A few other program notes:
Wake N Shake is coming! WNS is a 12-hour dance marathon that raises money for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund. I am told this year’s event will be held in a hybrid format March 22-27 with various in-person and virtual events. This is a GREAT event and students can/should get involved – whether that is registering a group of friends from your hall, joining a team as part of a student organization, or just dancing with yourself. Students can register here. BTW, there are lots of other service/volunteer opportunities, so students can check out the Office of Civic and Community Engagement website to get involved.
The School of Business shared information about its Financial Transaction Services (FTS) learning track in the MS in Accountancy program. Their FTS experience provides students with analytical skills to make value-maximizing decisions and develop an in-depth understanding of financial markets and transactions. FTS helps graduates explore a wide range of careers and is perfect for students interested in finance, investment banking, accounting, and Fintech careers. See more in this video and visit the MSA curriculum page to learn more.
I got my Student Union e-newsletter and it has many options and opportunities for students in the coming weeks.
There is an upcoming virtual happy hour event with the Library of Congress that looks really cool. They will be doing a discussion on Friday, March 19th with Ryan Ramsey (’03), Chief of Staff for the Library of Congress, on the Library’s collections and the ways the Library recognizes and highlights major cultural figures and works. It’s open to alumni, parents and families, and friends. You can learn more and register here.
I have not been on campus in a while, so I have been extra happy to see pictures of Wake in beautiful springtimes past. Here are some from our archives that I hope you might enjoy. Editorial note: some of these show students unmasked, and that is because these are old pictures, not from this semester! We still require masks 🙂
