Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Bailey DiSanto '21 tutors local youth in the Boys and Girls Club from her residence hall.

The sun sets over a weeping willow at Seneca Lake State Park.

At HWS, student life is shaped by students' wide-ranging interests. Whether it's joining a club, crafting an individual major or going for a swim in Seneca Lake, there's no shortage of ways to get involved on campus. Here, Gianella Marciniak '21 and Carly Shiever '21 play chess in de Cordova Hall, one of many residence hall options on campus.

Student performers and guests gather for a photo at the Colors Art Show, a student exhibition of dance, art and spoken word poetry hosted by Womxn4Womxn and Faith Hicks '21.

Through the Colleges' curricula, students have the opportunity to pursue advanced independent study. Isabella Pardales '21 works on her independent study in the Katherine D. Elliott Studio Arts Center.

Crystal Strother '24 and Mary Julia Cowie '24 grab their packages from the Scandling Campus Center.

Seamus Galvin '23, Zaheer Bowen '23, Emily Kahn '23 and Isabel Lunken '23 study on the Quad.

Steam fog hangs over Seneca Lake. The unusual cold-weather event occurs when cold air flows over warm water, with the moisture and heat rising into the atmosphere.

The HWS Debate Team regularly competes with and beats teams from Harvard, Stanford, Cornell and other colleges and universities. Here, the team preps for a virtual tournament.

Robert Padilla '21 relaxes in his room in Geneva Hall. Padilla is a Residential Assistant (RA) responsible for creating a sense of community on his floor.

Students watch John Lewis: Good Trouble on the Quad. The film was followed by a panel discussion with community leaders, President Joyce P. Jacobsen and President Emeritus Mark D. Gearan L.H.D. '17, P'21.

In our residential education environment, faculty are available outside of class, holding open office hours and collaborating with students on research. This summer, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Elana Stennett and Jenna Hyman '23 conducted research on saliva as part of an effort to create a rapid test for detecting coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2).

Chief Photographer Kevin Colton ran into dance photographer Jordan Matter on the streets of New York City in 2015. Matter then invited Colton to accompany him on a shoot at Grand Central Station.

“Dance has been an integral part of my growth as an individual and as a student by pushing me to think creatively,” says Ruby Verbitsky ’21, in the Blackwell Room in Demarest Hall.

“Dance makes me feel joyful and free,” says Molly Powers ’21, photographed here with the Elizabeth Blackwell statue on the Quad. “It allows me to express emotions with more than just words.”

I love dance because no one movement is the same,” says Lucy Denton ’21, posing inside the Katherine D. Elliott Studio Arts Center. “There’s always something new to explore, something new to connect with in the body as well as on a community level.