Wheaton News

We sat down with some of the college’s newest students to find out why they chose to come to Wheaton, how it’s going so far (three weeks in) and what they hope to do this semester and during the next few years.

Here’s who they are and what they told us.

“The first day I got here, I loved the feel of the campus,” said Tyrese Cedon ’29 of Hamden, Conn. “I met an amazing group of guys and I made some friends. I love taking my camera and shooting around the campus. It’s beautiful.”

Originally from Haiti, Cedon is taking a mix of pre-law and film courses that interest him. “Knowing that I could take classes that fit who I was and could help get me to the career that I wanted, was really important. Overall, my professors are accommodating and easy to talk to and the smaller classes allow more hands-on one-on-one learning. The professor knows my name and I get to know my classmates. That’s huge.”

Cedon has joined the club soccer team, the Black Students Association and CASA, the Caribbean Ancestry Students Association. He’s also hoping to start a photography club. “College is about experimenting and learning and there’s just so many different people here, so I really want to open up to anything,” he said.

Hoping to double major in film and pre-law, Cedon would like to concentrate in immigration law. “I want to help people, especially those who can’t help themselves. I think we need more representation for non-citizens who can’t afford a lawyer.”

Kuenzang Dema ’29, from Pema Gatshel, Bhutan, comes to Wheaton with a strong desire to learn and experience other cultures. (She speaks six languages and she will be starting a seventh via a Spanish language class.)

“All the colleges that I looked at were located in the U.S. because I really wanted to go beyond my country, and beyond Asia. The U.S. has such a good education system and good opportunities and scholarships as well,” Dema said.

Wheaton held special appeal for Dema because of its long relationship with Royal Thimpu College in Thimpu, the nation’s capital, and by virtue of the fact that Bhutan’s King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, studied here.

“That’s how I first heard about Wheaton. And then I got to meet one of the admissions officers during a college visit to my school, Li Po Chun United World College,” she said. “I really liked the openness of Wheaton’s curriculum. I don’t have to pressure myself into taking a certain class. I want to dip my toes into different subject areas.”

While Dema was not able to visit the campus before the school year started, she did meet the Wheaton students who are studying this year in Bhutan. Professor of Biology Jesse Knowlton, who is the college’s resident faculty member in Thimpu this year, arranged a dinner for the entire group. “They gave me tips on what to do and where to go on campus and in Boston,” she said. “It was like having my own personal pre-orientation program.”

Vivi Dubrulle ’27 comes to Wheaton after starting her college career at a liberal arts college in New York’s Finger Lakes region, a long drive from her home in Goffstown, N.H.

“I had applied to Wheaton in high school and almost came here as a first-year student,” said Dubrulle, who is a double major in English and history. “I really like the location, how friendly everyone is here on campus and the overall sense of community.”

The prospect of receiving funding for an internship before her senior year also was a big draw, she said. “I’m looking forward to that, and I know the college will help work that out. I’m interested in publishing or communications because I’ve always really liked reading and writing. I like the idea of having reading as my job.”

She will be doing a lot of reading and writing this semester, having enrolled in two English literature courses and two history courses. “I like all my classes. I’m finding the course on women and politics in America really interesting,” she said. “Right now, we’re talking about the suffrage movement in the 1840s.”

Dubrulle said that Wheaton’s generous scholarship policies made her transfer easier. “I got a very good financial aid offer from Wheaton, through the New England Regional Grant scholarship. That was obviously very helpful. Of the schools to which I applied, Wheaton was the most generous.”

A Posse Scholarship recipient, Janiel Henderson ’29 was drawn to Wheaton by its beautiful campus, location close to home, and variety of majors and clubs.

On campus, Henderson has confirmed all that Wheaton offers. Leaning toward a business management or finance major, Henderson is also exploring new avenues. In addition to business courses, she’s also taking German. “That’s for me,” she said. “It’s an elementary level, so I’m trying it out.”

A native of Jamaica, Henderson moved to New York City, where she attended high school and got involved in the Student and Voice Committee (similar to student government), served as a peer advisor to new students with the Peer Group Connection, and was a member of the National Honor Society.

At Wheaton, Henderson made fast friends with her roommate, joined Inter Varsity (a Christian group) and has a connection with her fellow Posse scholars. She is considering trying out for track or volleyball next year. “I did track in Jamaica and would like to join something else.”

Henderson is very grateful for the support of the Posse Scholarship and the opportunities her education will provide. “The financial aid was a miracle,” she said. “My parents and I were worried about it but the support made it manageable for us.”

Belle Huynh ’29 from Westbrook, Maine, came to Wheaton with a strong interest in the sciences. In fact, she spent the month of July on campus as a participant in the Wheaton Outstanding STEM Scholars program, in which she had the opportunity to join a research lab as well as take a number of workshops and classes.

“What really hooked me about Wheaton was the flexibility of the curriculum and the friendliness of everyone I met here,” Huynh said. “It has the feeling of a really small community and that’s definitely something that was important to me.”

The college’s welcoming atmosphere makes it easy to explore student organizations, she said. “My friends have pulled me into the archery club, which is really exciting and totally new to me,” Huynh said. “We went to the first meeting and I’m really excited to see how that progresses. I’m keeping my eyes open for other opportunities, too. I’ve heard that there are a lot of other activities that happen on campus throughout the year.”

Huynh notes the professors are as approachable as fellow students. “I’m taking calculus with Bill Block and he’s so fun in class, so much energy,” she said. “I had a question about one of the concepts and stopped by his office. We just figured it out on the chalkboard and when I left, I really understood it.”

Finn Lackey ’29 grew up in Claremont, Calif., the son of college professors who spent many hours on the campuses where his parents teach. What stood out to him about Wheaton is its supportive atmosphere.

“I like the sense of community. I really loved the feel of the campus when I visited last October, which has to be the most beautiful time on campus,” he said. The prospect of experiencing a full New England winter also has its appeal, although the Southern Californian expects that it will take some adjustments.

“I haven’t decided what I want to major in yet, but I’m leaning toward the humanities—history, politics or international relations,” he said. For his first semester, he chose courses in art history, religion and introductory Italian. The language course reflects his plans to study abroad.

“The study abroad opportunities were really important to me, and I know they really take that seriously here at Wheaton,” he said. “I want to participate in the Middlebury in Florence program, which is language-intensive. It’s also focused on history and culture, which is why I’m interested. Florence is just a beautiful city.”

He also hopes to become involved in theatre at Wheaton, continuing an interest that he fully exercised in high school in both popular productions like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child—”We were one of the first high schools to do it,” he said—as well as more challenging “black box” theater.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming to college,” said award-winning artist Abbie Rock ’29 of Holden, Mass. “It’s a bit intimidating, but now I’m here and I love it.”

Persuaded by her mother, Judi Stank Rock ’99, to consider Wheaton, she chose the college during a campus visit. “Wheaton has everything I didn’t know I wanted,” Rock said. “There are so many more opportunities here than at the other colleges I was looking at.”

In addition to a lifelong love of art, her participation in mock trials during high school piqued Rock’s interest in law and she hopes to explore both on campus. “I really like how I can choose classes that align with my interests,” she said, noting that all her courses are geared toward her desire to study sociology and law, while exploring art and other activities.

Rock was floored when she found out that her sociology professor, A. Javier Trevino, had taught her mother as a Wheaton student nearly 30 years ago!

To ease her transition on campus Rock is getting involved. She joined the women’s rugby club, despite limited experience playing. “I’m trying to meet all sorts of people,” she said. “It’s fun. I’ve gone to every event that I can. There are so many things going on.”