Student Stories
With nearly 100 clubs to join, 44+ majors to study, hundreds of faculty members to learn from and 2,700 students to befriend, there are a lot of stories to tell at Skidmore.
The tradition, which follows the end of classes, offers an opportunity for students to present their work, gain feedback from others in a supportive environment, and reflect on the next steps in their journeys.
We’re all about you finding your niche: Skidmore boasts over 100 clubs dedicated to a broad range of interests, from tabletop gaming to birding. Still don’t see one that you like? Start your own.
Vicky Grijalva ’24, a self-determined multimedia communication major from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and president of the Class of 2024, received exciting news when she was accepted into the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Undergraduate Fellows Program.
Willa Flink ’25, a history major and arts administration minor from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the first Skidmore student to receive the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.
Theme nights at Murray-Aikins Dining Hall are a well-loved tradition at Skidmore College, helping to add excitement to the student meal plan. These largely student curated evenings, which occur a few times every semester, help to make the wizarding world of “Harry Potter” and “The Office” come alive on Skidmore’s campus.
Ruizhe Hao ’26, a Davis United World College scholar from Ningxia-Hui, China, is pursuing an education studies degree on campus while continuing his passion for rescue work as a volunteer firefighter.
Giovanni Peyo '24, the recipient of a prestigious S3M scholarship from Skidmore, arrived on campus sight-unseen from Haiti. The computer science major describes how he found his niche at Skidmore and his plans for a career in cyber security.
Battling back from two injury-riddled seasons, ice hockey defenseman Stephen Perez ‘25 recently contributed to one of the best seasons for the team in program history. Highly focused and hardworking on and off the ice, the junior business major has been busy gaining experience and preparing for a career in finance.
What happens when a LEGO novice enters a “LEGO Masters”-style competition? Clara Morgan ’26, an environmental studies major, presents the hilarious story of the 49 hours when she went from absolute LEGO newbie with a 9-pound bag of assorted LEGO bricks to an unexpected third-place finisher in the Skidmore Building Challenge.
Thinking of adding a language to your studies? Learn about how admissions ambassadors Rachel Alliker ’24 and Madison Sadler ’24 incorporated language learning into their academic journeys.
For years, Christianna Poblete '26 of Akron, Ohio, trained to be a professional dancer. But in her senior year of high school, she was no longer sure about the future. She writes that Skidmore allowed her to continue to pursue dance while also exploring other interests. She rediscovered her passion for dance and found new interests along the way.
Francie Wharton ’25 shares how her summer research experience changed how she saw her future, and how her time at Skidmore got her there.
For more than three decades, some of the wittiest and wackiest performers from colleges across the country flock to Skidmore for a weekend of laughs at the largest collegiate comedy festival in the nation. It's no joke that the annual National College Comedy Festival (affectionately known as “Comfest”) is a seriously important tradition on Skidmore’s campus.
Grace Mahon ’26 has never really considered herself particularly religious but has found programs offered by Skidmore’s Office of Religious and Spiritual Life invaluable as she has navigated the transition to college life. Yoga classes through Skidmore’s Mindfulness Program have helped her manage stress and bond with peers. It’s one of numerous ways that Skidmore supports spiritual and religious growth and fellowship on campus.
Writing at the start of the second semester of her senior year, English major and Davis United World College Scholar Anesu Mukombiwa ’24 reflects on her unexpected path from Zimbabwe to Saratoga Springs, New York, with stops in Greece and China along the way. “I’m here now,” she writes, “And some days I can hardly believe it.”
No one expects you to have it all figured out on day one. At Skidmore, exploration and discovery of new passions is all part of the process. Peer ambassadors Braedon Quinlan ’24 and Cadence Trach ’24 saw their plans for the future and majors evolve during their academic journeys.
At Skidmore you can do both — that means having full control to explore all of your interests. And who better to demonstrate this than our admissions ambassadors? Here are three peer ambassadors who are truly doing the most with their college experiences.
Peer mentors made a positive impact on their first-year experiences; now these upperclassmen are paying it forward, collaborating with Scribner Seminar professors and taking on a guiding role to support new students' transition to college academics and life.
Students in Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Joel Brown’s Songwriting Workshop perform at Caffe Lena, the longest continuously running folk music venue in the United States and a mecca for some of the biggest names in folk.
The two-sport athlete and business major has learned about leadership, teamwork, and what it takes to persevere. “I love the opportunity to be a team captain,” he says. “I’m lucky. It’s a template for real life.”
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