Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Students walk to class on Thursday afternoon.

Margarita Ramos '85, Global Head of Human Resource Compliance for Bank of America Merrill Lynch and former HWS Trustee, talks with students in Professor of Sociology Jack Harris' Business and Management class. Later in the day, Ramos offered the keynote address at Convocation 2018.

Hobart College Head Football Coach Kevin DeWall '00 leads a preseason practice on Boswell Field on Tuesday.

Students take selfies during Convocation 2018.

Students listen during Convocation on Monday.

During her keynote address, Margarita Ramos '85, Global Head of Human Resource Compliance for Bank of America Merrill Lynch and former HWS Trustee, says her HWS experience gave her the freedom to explore who I was, to take appropriate risks, and to test my voice. Here, I was empowered to interact — to challenge and become my best self.”

Members of the faculty enjoy the addresses of the speakers during the Convocation 2018 ceremony on Monday.

Bookended by selfies and yogic breathing, Associate Professor of Media and Society Leah Shafer offered a stirring call to seize the moments and opportunities available at HWS. “Your primary responsibility here is to utilize these magnificent resources so that you can improve your ability to live a life of consequence and expand your ability to be a just and intelligent person in the world,” Shafer said.

Student Trustee Caitlin Lasher '19, who studied abroad in New Zealand and in the Netherlands, tells students: “You will all have your respective successes, losses and moments in between. You will have challenges that you will face, and ultimately, only you can conquer these problems with the skills you have learned here.”

Student Trustee Gavin Gross '19, who studied abroad in Nanjing, China and completed an internship with Citibank, reflects on the opportunities that fear and failure offer. Citing a piece of advice he received at HWS, Gross said, “There is no better place to fail than here….People will often tell you failure is important but neglect to tell you that the most important time in your life to fail is right [now]….”

Members of the HipNotiQs step team perform on Saturday.

The a cappella group Perfect Third performs at the Variety Show at the Smith Opera House in downtown Geneva.

The Hobartones a cappella group performs during Orientation 2018.

A LOVE Geneva tour guide gathers first-year students outside of the Smith Opera House on Sunday.

Students explore the restaurants, stores and offices in downtown Geneva during the weekend's LOVE Geneva Tour.

The 2018 Orientation Mentors perform a choreographed dance to end the Variety Show.