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April 27, 2018

Statesman Scholar Wyatt Bair

I applied to eight schools my senior year of high school. By the time May came around I had received eight rejection letters and realized my hard earned 3.9 GPA had gotten me nowhere.

Maybe I shot too high? Richard Bland College of William & Mary suddenly became my choice school and I was determined to make the best of it. To my astonishment, I quickly learned that it was a place that allowed me to not only grow, but to flourish.

My first semester I jumped in with both feet and immediately did everything I could to get the most out of RBC. I joined the chorus, took more classes (and more credit hours) than I could actually manage, secured a campus job, tutored peers, worked on an independent study project, and started planning my future. I changed my major, let my hair grow long, and gradually learned how to manage a busy schedule. At least I thought I did.

The transition from high school to college isn’t easy, and I made it exceedingly harder. Midway through the first semester I realized I took on more than I could handle and struggled.

Thankfully, RBC was supportive, and a team of caring people worked tirelessly to keep me on the right path. My study sessions became planned, focused and productive. The panic I felt heading into finals was no longer overwhelming.

RBC steered me into an academic groove, and taught me how to “study” for the first time in my life. It paid off. I managed to finish four essays on time, and became what I had always thought a college student should be. Thanks to RBC I earned a 3.8 GPA.

The spring semester has been a carbon copy of the fall. Fourteen of the 19 credits I am taking are in math. Additionally, I am enrolled in an acting class that provides a creative outlet, and working a campus job. I started an American Sign Language (ASL) Club, and continue to tutor my fellow classmates. I have loaded my plate as much as possible because I knew I could handle it. That’s what RBC has done for me.

I am graduating in May with my associates degree, and then off to a four-year college that has yet to be determined. Before I leave RBC however, I will continue taking advantage of every opportunity the College offers. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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