2024

Aziere Earns Awards to Support Honors Research

2024

We’re excited to celebrate Eli Aziere (The Independent School, 2024) on receiving an Honors Fellowship through the Charles Center at the College of William & Mary, along with the Anthropology Department’s Altshuler Scholarship. Together, these awards will support 10 full weeks of honors research for Eli’s anthropology major, conducted on campus in Oceanic Archaeology Lab under the mentorship of Jennifer Kahn, from late May through early August.

Eli’s research is a comparative archaeological study of two sites on the island of Rurutu in French Polynesia, examining feasting, ritual, and shell artifact use over time through microscopic analysis of shell tools. This project will be the first comparative study of shell artifacts in the island’s history and aims to advance archaeological knowledge while elevating the cultural heritage of Oceania—an underrepresented region in anthropology. The work will culminate in an Honors thesis, to be written during the academic year and defended in spring 2027.

“𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ. 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚 & 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑦 𝑃. 𝑂’𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠.”
By Timothy P. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, ago

Aziere Named Fraternity Man of the Year

2024

We want to extend a huge congratulations to Eli Aziere (The Independent School, 2024) on being recognized by Fraternity and Sorority Life at William & Mary as the Fraternity Man of the Year during last month’s Evening of Excellence Award Ceremony. This honor recognizes Eli’s leadership, service, and commitment to academic excellence, and came just three days after he helped recharter the fraternity.

Eli currently serves as the Internal Vice President for the Gamma Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and as the Vice President of Academic Excellence for William & Mary’s Interfraternity Council.

“𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑦 𝑃. 𝑂’𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑠.”
By Timothy P. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, ago

Torres Assesses Water in Bolivia

2024

For spring break, Israel Torres (Northeast Magnet, 2024), traveled to the rural community of Azacilo, Bolivia, with Wichita State University’s Engineers Without Borders chapter. He was joined by three other student members, faculty advisor Dr. Jacob Mendez, and the Responsible Engineer in Charge, Dwight Hanson. Their goal was to gather data required to formulate a sustainable, long-term solution to improve community access to safe drinking water, especially during the dry seasons.

Israel worked closely with community members to assess the existing water system. This process involved testing water in every home, taking flow measurements, mapping the infrastructure with GPS, and identifying potential improvements to improve water reliability. He also worked with the community to better understand their needs and priorities moving forward.

“𝐵𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑝 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑂’𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑊𝐵 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑡 𝑊𝑆𝑈 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑟.”
By Timothy P. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, ago

Ferguson Volunteers in Central America

2024

This July, Sam Ferguson (Trinity, 2024) traveled to San Ignacio, Belize, to support the installation of a self-sustaining medical clinic as part of a humanitarian mission with Clinic In A Can, which transforms recycled shipping containers into fully equipped clinics to expand healthcare access worldwide.

The Belize clinic was acquired by the U.S. Southern Command, one of the 11 unified combatant commands within the U.S. Department of Defense. Its mission is to oversee and coordinate all U.S. military activities in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Some of its common missions include combating transnational criminal organizations, training and collaborating with allied military forces, providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and countering violent extremism and illicit trafficking.

The Belize clinic will serve a community of approximately 25,000 people near the Guatemala border. These units are designed for primary care, emergency response, dental services, veterinary care, and more, all powered by solar energy to operate 24/7 without the need for local electricity.

After arriving in Belize City, the team traveled to the site, where Sam helped set up the clinic’s interior, installed solar panels, and assisted local doctors, nurses, and health officials with training on the use of the new equipment. It was a long, hot day, but a significant one, as it had a profound impact on the local healthcare providers and the community.

He extends his sincere thanks to Mike Wawrzewski, founder of Clinic In A Can, for the opportunity to take part in such valuable and purpose-driven work.

 “Working alongside Clinic In A Can and the U.S. Southern Command to bring a solar-powered, primary care clinic to the people of Belize was one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done. It showed me the real impact that simple, practical solutions can have. Despite the grueling work of installing the clinic in the heat and humidity of Belize, seeing the excitement and overflowing gratitude of the Belizean locals made it all worth it. I saw firsthand how access to healthcare can light up a whole community—with dignity, hope, and a genuine sense of global connection. I’m thankful I got to be a small part of that.”

By Timothy P. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, ago

Torres Secures Summer Internship

2024

This summer, Israel Torres (Wichita Northeast, 2024) is working as a Test Cell Intern at GE Aerospace’s Strother facility in Arkansas City. He was selected to join a group of 5 interns, being the youngest to secure the position.

Israel’s work focuses on reducing test cell defects by organizing and analyzing engine test data to identify common issues and develop effective solutions. His work will help improve testing efficiency and reduce fuel usage.

GE Aerospace is the world leader in jet engine manufacturing, providing an incredible opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the aerospace industry.

 “I am most excited to contribute and learn at a company known for its innovation, quality, and customer service. I can’t wait to build relationships with the people there and get a direction with what I want to do and don’t want to do for my career.”

By Timothy P. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, ago

Aziere Appointed Undersecretary

2024

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We proudly announce that Eli Aziere, The Independent School, 2024, has been appointed the Undersecretary of Student Experience at William & Mary! In this role, he will work on initiatives such as hazing prevention, promoting inclusion for transfer and non-traditional students, advocating for the arts, and improving fraternity and sorority life.

Eli shared, “What I’m most excited about is being more involved with the inner workings of student government because the Student Assembly has a lot of influence here on campus. We have a three-branch student government, and I’ll be serving in one of ten cabinet departments in the executive branch. My department deals with every walk of student life, from multicultural organizations to club sports, student programming, and philanthropy. I applied to four different departments, but this is the one I wanted to work with the most because I ultimately want every student who walks on this campus to have the best four years of their life, and working in the Department of Student Experience is how I hope to achieve that. I’m very passionate about bringing more awareness to hazing prevention, and during the second semester, I’d like to focus on rethinking how we do some aspects of new student orientation.”

Eli also shared a fun fact about his photo, “The building I’m standing in front of is the Wren Building, built in 1700. It is the oldest college building in the United States, and I have class there three days a week.”

Congratulations on taking on this role and being a champion for change, Eli!

By Claudette Glenn, ago

Martinez Heads to KU

2024

Rafael Martinez, Maize South, 2024, has decided to attend the University of Kansas this fall. This decision was driven by KU’s extensive community and proximity to home. Rafel also noted that KU’s financial aid opportunities allow him to pursue a high-quality education for an unmatched price.

Rafael plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Economics, aiming to study abroad and minor in global studies. After completing his undergraduate degree, he intends to continue his education by obtaining a master’s degree.

Rafael shared, “I am excited to finally pursue further education in a field I’m passionate about at an institution like KU. I am eager to explore everything college has to offer by going to basketball and football games and joining campus organizations like the Global Business Initiative, Hispanic Business Student Association, or Student Senate.”

Best of luck on your journey at KU, Rafael!  

By Claudette Glenn, ago

Geromel Named Gatorade’s Kansas Player of the Year

2024

We are proud to announce that Vitor Geromel, Maize South, 2024, has been honored as Gatorade’s Kansas Player of the Year!
 
Through Gatorade’s Equity in Sports Initiative, Vitor was given the opportunity to choose a youth sports organization to receive his $1,000 Gatorade Player of the Year Community Grant. He has chosen to support TOPSoccer’s Kansas branch, an organization dedicated to providing children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to play soccer in a fun, inclusive environment.
 
Vitor explains, “I chose TOPSoccer Kansas branch because I wanted to choose an organization that is local, and TOPSoccer has a program in Wichita that is paired with Sporting Wichita, the club I grew up playing for. I’m grateful to be able to provide support for a program that has such an amazing mission and is part of my community.”
By Claudette Glenn, ago

Geromel Leads Team in Back-to-Back State Titles

2024

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Vitor Geromel, Maize South, 2024, played a pivotal role in securing back-to-back state championship titles for his high school soccer team.

In his junior year, Vitor led his team to an undefeated 21-0 season, culminating in a state championship and earning a national ranking of 6th in the country. This year, the team made history by earning their consecutive state title, marking the second back-to-back state championship win in school history. As team captain for both championship seasons, Vitor scored in all four state games across both seasons, contributing significantly to the team’s success.

While reflecting on these achievements, Vitor expressed, “I was very fortunate and blessed to captain our team through both seasons, and the second title was the perfect way to cap off our careers as seniors. I’m so grateful to have been a part of that team.”

By Claudette Glenn, ago

Ferguson Takes State & Heads to Nationals

2024

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Sam Ferguson, Trinity Academy, 2024, earned the title of state champion after winning the 3200m (2 mile) race at the Kansas State Track Meet last week. Not only did he win the 3A division, but his time was the fastest among all classes from 1A through 6A.

Sam also competed in the 1600m (1 mile) and secured 2nd place in the 3A division. In a rare feat, he and his teammates swept the podium, achieving 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. Sam’s time in the 1600m was the second fastest across all classes.

Reflecting on this accomplishment, Sam shared, “It was an awesome way to end my high school career, and I am very grateful to my teammates, coaches, and family for all their support these past four years.”

Earlier in the season, Sam set a record in the 2000m Steeplechase, a performance that ranked him 3rd in the nation. This has opened the door for another opportunity: competing in the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, later this summer. Sam will compete in the top heat of the 2000m Steeplechase, striving to take the National Title.

Congratulations on a phenomenal season, and best of luck in your upcoming national competition, Sam!
By Claudette Glenn, ago