Hobart and William Smith Colleges

1 October 2026 • Athletics • Research HWS Day of Donors: Meet Grace McCormick ’28

HWS Day of Donors, a 24-hour giving challenge, kicks off Oct. 6. In this series of stories, meet six students whose pivotal HWS experiences were made possible through support from the Annual Fund. Here, Grace McCormick ’28 reflects on her scholarship. 

For Grace McCormick ’28, Hobart and William Smith always felt like home.

Her connection to HWS began long before she became a student. Her mother Amanda Fantauzzo McCormick, an alumna from the Class of 1996, introduced Grace to campus when she was young. The pair visited campus regularly from the time she was 10 years old. By the time Grace was considering colleges, she already knew HWS was her first choice. But there was one question she didn’t know how she would answer: How could she make it possible?

The answer came through the Empower Me Annual Fund Scholarship, established by Margaret A. Noeltner ’58.

“Basically, I would not have been able to come here and do all of these amazing things without my scholarship support,” McCormick says. “HWS has opened so many doors for me, and the scholarship is the reason I’m able to attend.”

Today, McCormick is making the most of every one of those doors. A psychology major with minors in anthropology and biology, she has found her place in HWS’ close-knit academic community, where small classes and meaningful relationships with professors have helped shape her plans for the future. As a research and teaching assistant, she has worked alongside faculty on mindfulness research and explored her interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in social psychology.

Outside the classroom, McCormick is a member of the William Smith field hockey team and has grown as a student-athlete and campus leader. She is also gaining professional experience through an externship program with the University at Buffalo, which included a job shadow experience with Plesh Contract Manufacturing.

McCormick's experience has given her the opportunity to explore her interests, build lasting friendships and begin preparing for a career centered on research and teaching. One day, she hopes to become a professor and pay forward the opportunities that have meant so much to her.

None of it would have been possible without the generosity of a donor.

“Sometimes philanthropy can feel so uncertain because you don’t actually know what your gift is being used for,” McCormick says. “But at HWS, you can literally see the lives of the students you’re impacting and all of the amazing things that your gift makes possible.”

Gifts to the Annual Fund, and specifically scholarship support, make HWS’ future-focused education affordable for academically qualified and financially deserving students. Make your gift to HWS Day of Donors.