Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Ryan Pero ’25 is a mathematics major with a minor in Spanish and bilingual education. He is part of the Teacher Education Program, where he will be certified to teach 7 – 12 grade math. He is also completing the “Teaching English as a Foreign Language” certificate requirements, which will enable him to teach English abroad after graduation. Last fall, Ryan studied abroad in Seville, Spain. Living with a host mother who only spoke Spanish, Ryan was fully immersed in Spanish culture and daily life. Part of his semester abroad was spent teaching English to ninth graders in Seville. The Annual Fund helped provide scholarship support for Ryan.

Gifts to the Annual Fund support life-changing study abroad opportunities for students like MaryBridget Horvath ’24. Staff at the HWS Center for Global Engagement encouraged MaryBridget to travel the world and expand her experiential learning. She went to the Great Barrier Reef, the Yucatan Peninsula, and the countryside of Wales, working side-by-side doing environmental research with the leading scientists she read about in her classes. Graduating next May with a double major in Geoscience and Biology, MaryBridget plans to continue her education in graduate school and build a career working to combat the effects and educate people about climate change.

Contributions to the annual fund have propelled Jadon Layne ’25 toward a future in medicine. On campus, Jadon has become a leader on the HWS Emergency Medical Service team and benefitted from mentorship that led to research opportunities with faculty in the sciences. After only his first year at HWS, Jadon had the chance to spend his summer at Yale University researching how  SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) proteins can use the host system to increase the virus’ growth and replication. Jadon was welcomed back to continue his internship in summer 2023. Thanks to loyal support of the annual fund, which funds scholarships, internship stipends, mentored research and other experiential learning opportunities, Jadon is well on his way to achieving his life goal: helping to create a better world for us all.

Support of the Annual Fund has helped Samari Brown ’24 find her path to help others through advocacy and service. Samari became an active member of the William Smith Congress and a leader in HWS Votes. Classmates voted for her to represent them on the HWS Board of Trustees and Samari is currently in her second year of the role, serving as the William Smith Senior Class Trustee. In this role, she is a voice for her fellow students, listening to their concerns, and acting on their behalf. Your gift to the annual fund helped fund Samari’s scholarship, surrounded her with caring faculty, and provided her with extraordinary learning opportunities.

Gifts to the Annual Fund to support internships and career exploration help students like Jett Wright ’23. Jett completed a summer internship as the Assistant Video Director for the Kalamazoo Growlers, a summer collegiate baseball league. This experience helped him get closer to his dream of becoming a sports marketing professional. With gratitude to the Annual Fund, Jett received a stipend from the Pathways Program to help cover his living expenses in Michigan.