Alistair Hall

Ever since freshmen move-in day when two then juniors on the Vassar Swim and Dive team assaulted/welcomed me to Cushing, the Swim Team has served as the great constant in my Vassar career. It has always been there for me through thick and thin. As I moved up through the ranks of the team from freshman, to sophomore, to junior, and then to senior and being co-Captain of the men's team, it's incredible to see the shift all team members undergo from being the apprentice to the mentor during their four years. When my own college athletic career began at that first away swim meet against Skidmore College, you just sort of assume that its going to last forever. But you soon realize that there are only four Liberty League championships, only four State championships, and only four opportunities to give you and your teammates ridiculous haircuts. Being a part of any team, you see how fleeting your time at Vassar is, but you also see the incredible ways in which students, whether athletes or not, still leave their mark on campus. In February, this point was driven home when after all these years it came time for my own senior recognition day, and the happy and sad realization that this was the last time I would race in the Kresge pool. The Swim Team has taught me some valuable life lessons, but the best part of my Vassar experience has been the opportunity to explore beyond the pool and not just be known as a varsity athlete.

Coming in as a freshman I really had no idea about what I wanted to study: maybe Psychology? Math? Engineering at Dartmouth? It was spring semester freshman year and Intro to Urban Studies in New England 201 from 3:10 to 4:25 though that really got my heart set on becoming an Urban Studies major. Looking back, it's funny the amount of coincidence that shapes our careers. If it were not for a spur of the moment decision to take that Intro class I would not be where I am today: a senior who has just presented their Urban Studies senior thesis to department faculty in that very same classroom.

It has been my recent work with the Office of Admissions as a Senior Intern, though, that has really driven the point home that four years is really quite fleeting. Talking with prospective students, most of whom are four or more years younger than me, has reminded me why I loved Vassar as a senior in high school and why I continue to love Vassar now as a senior in college. One of the most surreal experiences associated with this was on Admitted Students' Day when I sat on a panel in the chapel in front of 600-plus eager students and their families and was told to ‘discuss Vassar.' Not only did it bring back my own vivid memories of Admitted Students' Day, but also the very real fact that I was helping these high schoolers decide where they would want to have their own four year adventure. Sure, as part of my job I do my best to answer their countless questions on JYA, coed bathrooms, the Library's research resources, pre-med and pre-law opportunities, the party scene (which is present like at many schools) and everything else that is absolutely critical to the college decision process. In the end, though, it's not the million-plus print volumes in the library that have defined my career but rather the opportunities I have had to be involved in all parts of the college, be it in the pool, the classroom, Cushing, Admissions, or the Sesquicentennial.

Looking back at my four years here at Vassar it is fairly astounding to see how my career has come around full circle. The Vassar Swim and Dive Team has been a singular constant throughout my time here, but one of the greatest things about Vassar though is being a part of the Team has not limited my involvement on other parts of the Vassar campus.

My experience with Urban Studies has been interesting, for even though there are basically only three core classes that every major takes, our varied interests in social inequality, architecture, urban design, history, sociology and more somehow all come together into a cohesive whole.

Most importantly, these last four years at Vassar have played a huge role in determining the next stage in my life that involves working proactively in sustainable and ecologically-sound community projects as a member of the 2012 Class of Green Corps Interns.

—Alistair Hall is the co-captain of the men's swim and dive team.