When Dalace Inman ’08 graduated from high school in the rural town of Holland Patent, New York, she craved a different kind of environment than what she had known. She wanted to go to a college where she would have the freedom and support to be herself. The promise of this kind of experience is what drew her to Wells. A student guide with great enthusiasm and love for the school and its community gave Dalace a tour of Wells’ picturesque campus and she was sold. 

A month after her arrival, the school announced its decision to become coeducational. Dalace made the tough decision to stay and be a part of the change, saying “You need people to challenge you on both sides to learn.” 

An economics major with a busy co-curricular schedule that includes time spent in Henry’s VIII a cappella singing group, the Programming Board, the American Red Cross Club, and as a teaching assistant, Dalace is also an orientation leader and a resident assistant. 

Her experience with Wells faculty has been, in her own words, “amazing.” Seeking strong community, close connections with professors, and a chance to be herself, Dalace has found her niche at Wells, one that will prepare her for a future in the business world.
 

Jackson McCarthy ’08

A young man whose travels have taken him from his hometown in western New York to Montana, Ireland and France is no stranger to adventure, and Timothy Jackson McCarthy ’08 prefers it that way.

Jackson, who is 21, arrived at Wells as a transfer student after spending a year at a large university in Montana. Though he enjoyed the beautiful Big Sky surroundings, the big campus was not the best fit for him; he wanted smaller classes and working relationships with professors, and he found them at Wells. In fact, after studying and collaborating with Professor Beatrice Farnsworth, Jackson decided to switch his major to history.

Jackson is taking full advantage of Wells’ study abroad options – he was in Ireland at University College Cork during the fall of 2006. After a few weeks home in Buffalo over the winter holidays, he returned to Europe for a second semester, this time with Wells’ flagship Program for the Arts in Paris. 

Back on campus for his senior year, Jackson plans to participate in men’s lacrosse during its first year as an intercollegiate sport at Wells. He also loves golf, squash, and soccer, and follows professional hockey. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a Master’s of Business Administration, and perhaps start his own marketing or advertising firm. 
 

Hayley Clark-Braverman ’08

“I was really scared when I first arrived!” admitted Hayley Clark-Braverman ’08. “It didn’t sink in that I was going to college until I saw the car pull away … my room in Dodge was all empty except for my little side,” she said.

Hayley had just arrived from her home in Westminster, Maryland, where her high school’s graduating class of 700 was larger than all of Wells College. She came to campus a week early for field hockey practice—not that she knew what to expect on that end, either: “I had never played field hockey,” Hayley said, “but after the first couple of hours with the team, we sat around telling stories and I felt like I sort of started to belong.”

That was three years ago, and those first-week jitters have long subsided. These days, Hayley—now a senior—is a confident, relaxed presence on campus and respected by her classmates as a leader. She was president of her first-year and sophomore classes, has repeatedly earned a spot on the dean’s list, and is captain of the field hockey team this year. “Everything at Wells is like a family; you’re in charge of connecting and staying part of that family,” Hayley said. 

She connected off campus too. During the spring 2007 semester, she studied abroad with the Wells Arts in Paris program, and that summer, conducted her Henry Wells Scholarship internship with the Philadelphia Convention Center and Visitors Bureau. 

Hayley is majoring in sociology, a decision she settled on after taking an introductory class with Professor Laura McClusky. “I know this sounds so clichéd, but she made the material come alive, as they say,” Hayley exclaimed. “You connect not just on a student/professor level, but they actually become your friends. That’s one of the best things about Wells and that’s something I’ll miss when I graduate.”
 

Ingrid Richaud ’10

Ingrid Richaud ’10 hails from the 13th century town of Marolles-en-Brie, France.  She is the daughter of a Wells alumna, Marilyn Skinner Richaud '76, so when Ingrid and her family were considering colleges, Wells was at the top of their list. “My mother loved Wells, and I was excited about the possibility of attending an American college,” she said. 

During her first visit to campus, the College’s outstanding academic programs and small class sizes were attractive because of their contrast to the large lecture-hall approach that is more common in French universities. The beauty of the area and the proximity of cultural resources in nearby Ithaca and Syracuse appealed to Ingrid’s sense of place. Having grown up in a small town, she appreciated the intimacy of Aurora. 

“I have made close friends here,” she says. “The students want to do well and there is an encouraging atmosphere. The professors are always very motivating, too. They give you undivided attention; if you have any questions, you’re not afraid to ask.”

Though she is an international student and already studying abroad, Ingrid hopes to study in another country for a semester through Wells’ excellent international study programs. She is considering either Mexico, which intrigues her with its language and culture, or Ireland, which lures her with its beauty. “I feel like I have many opportunities. I can go to many places, and travel across cultures.” 
 

Thomas “Josh” Sandoval ’09

Josh Sandoval ’09 was among the first class of men to attend Wells. At the suggestion of his sister Jennifer ’07, he came to Wells from Regis Jesuit, an all-boys prep school in Denver. “I’ve always been close to my family, so when Jen told me that Wells was accepting male students, it seemed like the perfect spot where I could be close to her while I was so far from home,” said Josh. 

As a Hispanic student, Josh had been involved with diversity issues in high school and was eager to continue this work at Wells. He joined the College’s multicultural club P.O.W.E.R. (Praising Our Work, Ethnicity, and Race), is a charter member of the men’s soccer team, and is active on two diversity committees which focus on implementing programs for diversity awareness and attracting and retaining more minority students, faculty, and staff. He also plans to play basketball on the newly formed club team this year.

But he was really intrigued by the Wells Book Arts Center, where students learn the history and philosophy of the book arts while developing hand skills and cultivating appreciation for the fabrication of books. Josh enrolled in a class and found a new interest – calligraphy. “I view writing as a lost art,” he explains. “My aunt used to write in calligraphy and I found it very beautiful. And I learned through this class that it’s harder than it looks! I also saw graffiti on walls around my neighborhood and I liked the flourished, distorted letters – it’s a rebellious form of art. It’s very calming to just write and practice the letters; it gives me a break from the rigors of biology.”

Josh’s sister graduated from Wells in May 2007. While she moves on to teach English in Japan, Josh plans to use his degree in biological and chemical sciences as an entrée into pharmacy school in Colorado.
 

Jennifer Chi’eng ’08

For some students it’s a challenge to adjust to the hectic, clamorous lifestyle of the college years, but not for Jennifer Chi’eng ’08. 

Jenn grew up splitting her time between Hawai’i and the Yap Islands in Micronesia, living among what, for Americans, might seem like an enormous family. “In Micronesia we have combined families living in households because it’s so community oriented. I was usually living with at least 13 to 15 people and that’s why I’m used to it!”

A senior at Wells, Jenn – known by many simply as “Hawai’i”—is certainly comfortable in a crowd. She tried out for the Even Line soon after arriving on campus her first year, and the closeness she found with her fellow participants would prove to be one of the most memorable things about Wells for her. “I was so far away from home, which was hard for me. And so to be a part of that close-knit group, it just brought that sense of community and family back to me.”

Her broad sense of optimism and friendly nature no doubt rub off on those around her, but it’s a reciprocal relationship: “I’m just happy that leaders on campus and my professors see potential in me as being a good leader … it motivates me to want to perform well in all areas and inspires me in many ways.”

Jenn hopes to break into the finance and marketing industry with her degree in economics and management. “I want to establish myself in New York City and eventually branch out to Hawai’i and especially Micronesia since it’s still a developing country. I want to contribute to the economic growth there.” 

She got a taste of the Big Apple during an internship at the MacKenzie-Childs store, owned by Pleasant Thiele Rowland ’62. She went back again during summer 2007 as an intern with the global strategic sales division at the Bank of New York. That “amazing and fortunate” experience inspired her and set her sights on becoming the chief executive of her own business one day.
 

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