Thank you for every person I’ve met, every course I’ve taken, every friend I’ve made, and every story I’ll never forget. I’m Devlin Nelligan, a member of the Class of 2017 from Severna Park, Maryland and I’m one of two thousand students immensely grateful for the contributions of alumni like you.
I came to Williams with hopes of majoring in Spanish and History, though that hasn’t gone exactly as planned. After taking Chinese 101 during my sophomore fall, I decided my future lies on a different continent, a feeling that was reinforced after studying abroad in Beijing during my junior fall.
Along with Chinese, Spanish and history, I have tried my hand at quite a range of subjects, from Italian to Archaeology to Geology. Even though I’m not majoring in Geosciences, one of my favorite memories at Williams is a field study with my oceanography class to Williams-Mystic for a day of hands-on learning. That day proved something great about Williams – it’s a place where intellectual curiosity is encouraged and thriving.
Outside the classroom, I play on the men’s lacrosse team, an experience I will never forget. Whether recuperating after an exhausting practice in frigid conditions, or relaxing while on our spring break trip in Florida, the team always finds a way to have fun. I also work at the ’82 Grill, one of the dining halls on campus, a job that helps me get away from my academic workload and gives me a chance to return a little to the college that has given me so much.
After Williams, I hope to use my Chinese language skills to help craft U.S. foreign policy and inspire the next group of Williams students to climb even higher because what really makes Williams unique is the culture of exploration and ambition that pushes each of us to impact the world in our own way.
Thank you for your gift to the Alumni Fund. Much of what we students do and dream to do would be impossible without your support.
Sincerely,
Devlin Nelligan ’17
On February 17, 2016, 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.