Facing a daunting 14 percent acceptance rate, the members of the Class of 2017 arrived on campus this week, filled with energy as they unloaded their cars and embarked on their college experience.
The class were chosen out of 7,926 applicants, of which 1132 were accepted, with 466 students arriving on campus to make up the Class of 2017. With an almost perfect male to male ratio (there are four more women than men), the students have a large amount of geographic, socioeconomic and racial diversity.
My first chat with Roshard Bryant ’14E took place at an international student welcome picnic organized by the Center for Community Engagement. Going into the championship duel of a spirited round of the “Wah” game, we talked lightly about his CEOT leadership and how the game perpetually dominated orientations, while other gamers deliberated on the vegetable we would imitate.
A towering figure, Bryant nevertheless carried a natural ease and amicable charm, an indelible mix I would constantly admire later on.
Reilly Horan grew up under the mantra “no gesture is ever too grand” and has manifested this theme in all aspects of her life ever since. The warmth of her kindness, along with her humorous and outgoing personality, has made her a well-known and well-liked individual on campus. Students and faculty both applaud her for her ability to bring people together, which is evident through her involvement with the Theater and Dance Department, the English Department, the softball team and the Random Acts of Kindness club.
Matt Fernald spent his time at Amherst exploring different academic fields, falling in love and communicating in the language of music.
People who know Fernald usually describe him as generous, humorous and humble. A talented musician with a great tenor voice, Fernald participated in many senior thesis performances during his time at Amherst and was a member of the highly entertaining a cappella group, The Zumbyes. The New Hampshire native is the third in his family to come to Amherst, but that didn’t take away from the unique aspects of his experience.
FULBRIGHT
Jasmine Hardy
A native of Hanover, N.H. and a basketball player at Amherst, Jasmine Hardy will spend next year as an English Teaching Assistant in Vietnam. Hardy has several teachers in her family, and she herself is not new to teaching English abroad; she spent the summer following her sophomore year teaching in Italy. Her interest in Vietnam stems from the experiences of her grandmother, who taught midwives there, and from the nation’s culture surrounding education.
I first met Deidre Nelms when I joined the Green Amherst Project (GAP) and its coal divestment campaign. Every time I ran into her outside of GAP, she was partially hidden behind massive stacks of philosophy books and mounds of paper. This is probably a good representation of Nelms; a passionate environmental activist, a farmer and a brilliant philosopher. As her friend Sam Slaby ’13 describes her, “[s]he is an odd mix, interested in growing vegetables, but also a major brainiac.”
Whether a farmer-philosopher, or a philosopher-farmer, Nelms is an intriguing combination.
Time may pass differently for Zach Bleemer. After four short years Bleemer will graduate having completed three majors and written two theses. Bleemer’s breadth of knowledge is only surpassed by its depth; he was commended with a senior award for both his economics and philosophy theses.
He pursues every endeavor with an unmatched enthusiasm, and it is fortunate that after individually accomplishing so much, Bleemer aspires to impart his knowledge to and develop the talents of others.
