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They are the ones who help make Lafayette feel special and introduce so many to the Cur Non way.
Sophia Carr
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Class: 2021
Major: undecided
When I toured here … I was unsure of what I wanted as I toured colleges. Big or small? What major and minor? A city or in the country? Or even the U.S. or abroad? I toured Lafayette three times as I visited family in Pennsylvania over one summer.
Why Lafayette? The people I met were happy, open, genuine, and honest. The faculty and students would interact with tour guides. It just felt so personal.
Favorite place: The Quad! It’s the place where I can have lunch with 50 friends. It is the playground for so much fun: petting zoos, carnival, and something is always going on. It’s the home to random encounters with friends I haven’t seen in a while, faculty who serve as mentors, coaches who motivate me, and cool people I meet for the first time. And, nostalgia moment, it’s the place where I sat with my family when I decided to commit to Lafayette.
Tour guide tidbit: I take visitors to the geology building. Why? So many high school students are set on a major or a plan. But so many students take a geology course and fall in love. I think that building is a good reminder to stay open to finding your passions.
Mia Coutinho
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.
Class: 2020
Major: neuroscience with a minor in Spanish
When I toured here … I loved it. Ironically, I didn’t want to. Growing up in Boston, I was tired of winter and looked at colleges in warmer climates. My mother asked to look at one school that was within driving distance. I’m glad it didn’t work out the way I thought I wanted it to.
Why Lafayette? It’s obvious we have good professors and resources, so what really sets us apart are the students. Who you are really matters, not just what you look like on paper. We are building a school here where everyone makes a difference and champions a cause.
Favorite place: The walkway behind Pardee called Société d’Honneur. It is just so lovely, like all of campus. The landscaping is pristine. I took a photo over there, and it was my screensaver for two years.
Tour guide tidbit: On my first day of class as a first-year student, I never had to open a door. Someone always held it for me. It really captures the culture here. Not just that day, but every day. People pay it forward. They are supportive here, not competitive. They want their peers to do well and cheer everyone on.
Calvin Wright
Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica
Class: 2020
Majors: economics and French with a minor in math
When I toured here … I never got to tour here! I didn’t visit any colleges in person. I had to rely on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. My tour was only online.
Why Lafayette? An economics professor was chief adviser to Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller during his sabbatical year. Soon after Simpson Miller delivered the keynote at Lafayette’s 2014 Commencement. In honor of the occasion, the College established a scholarship for one top Jamaican student every year. I earned that scholarship. It felt like people were looking out for me even before I came here. I have since done research in Kentucky with that professor, so the connection has come full circle.
Favorite place: I love Skillman Café in the library. Of course, I have to have an iced white chocolate mocha. But more importantly, I study here all the time and tutor other students in economics and French here. I can do my work while I put on my headphones, enjoy the natural light, and see all of my friends walking past.
Tour guide tidbit: I tell people about the LIME (Lafayette Initiative for Malagasy Education) program we have in Madagascar. A Lafayette professor started the program, and one of my closest friends is here as a direct result. I love that we can study abroad, impact the world, and see the tangible results right here.
Gabe Hershewe
Hometown: Joplin, Mo.
Class: 2021
Majors: film & media studies and theater
When I toured here … I flew into Newark and arrived in Easton at 4 a.m. for a 9 a.m. kickoff for Fridays @ Lafayette. I toured campus and then sat in a film class and a chemistry class. As the day went on it became progressively clear that I should come to Lafayette.
Why Lafayette? I wanted one-on-one attention and relationships with professors. I could see from the start the faculty knew their students and cared about them. Everyone is friendly, and the community is really close. And Easton is central to so many great locations and opportunities.
Favorite place: Buck Hall. I have learned to use a 16-mm film camera, created a documentary film as I rode with a Missouri police officer for a week, and had dinner with Newtown documentary filmmaker Kim Snyder.
Tour guide tidbit: My arts campus tours are very personal. I find out what medium interests the student the most and take them through visual arts, film, or theater buildings where they can speak with students and faculty. I love to watch them explore.
Dominic Zhang
Hometown: Harrisburg, Pa.
Class: 2021
Majors: physics and philosophy with a minor in math
When I toured here … I visited campus four or five times since it was only an hour and a half away from home. I came to the President’s Open House in February of my junior year during a snowstorm. The tour guide took us on an hour-long tour. My mom and I had lunch in Farinon, and a student came over and sat with us and chatted for an hour. It was so personal.
Why Lafayette? The community here was so unlike the other colleges I looked at. I knew I wanted to be a physics major, but I wanted to be more than a physics major. My acceptance letter talked about other things I loved like a cappella and tennis. I liked that I could do and be more here.
Favorite place: The physics lounge! I spend nearly every night here with other physics majors. Some are in 300-level classes while I’m in 100-level, but we talk, do homework, and go on late-night runs to Wawa.
Tour guide tidbit: People are always shocked at my majors. But Aristotle was a physics and philosophy guy! They like to hear how you can do different things here, explore possibilities, and find a path. One former physics major is now in the music department and just released an album.