Thank you. These words seem somewhat inadequate to express the depth of gratitude that I owe you, but I hope they will suffice.
My name is Breelyn Karno. I hail from a small town in rural Wisconsin where we have more cows and corn than people. Without you, I wouldn’t be at Williams.
I didn’t grow up in a poor family, but we weren’t particularly well-off either. I worked hard in school from a young age because I knew that I would someday need to get a fairly substantial college scholarship if I wanted to make my dream of someday curing cancer a reality.
I can honestly say that the day that I received my letter of acceptance to Williams was the best day of my life. I read my financial aid award with tears streaming down my face because I knew that I had succeeded in my longest held dream — I could go to college without fear of what the financial effect on my parents would be. The scholarship Williams was able to give me changed my life.
Since I arrived at Williams, I have been in a play, worked in a research lab, and had an interview for a summer job at a place that I’ve wanted to work at since I was nine years old. I don’t plan to waste the incredible opportunity I have been given. I enjoy every day in an intelligent, open, and, above all, kind community that I would never have been able to experience without the generous donations of alumni. I will be forever grateful for the chance that you gave me and for the chances that you give to so many students like me. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Breelyn Karno ’20
On January 18, 2017, the entire student body came together to celebrate all the things that members of the Williams community do for one another and to show their gratitude and “EphPreciation” for your Alumni Fund contribution by signing thank you cards. As such, the signature inside your card may not belong to the student profiled on this page. To learn more about the EphPreciation event, visit williams.edu/ephpreciation; to read about the students your gift impacts, visit williams.edu/ephprofiles.