HWS News
9 April 2025 Inspiring Futures for Local Youth
In conjunction with the Wayne County Youth Advocate Program, a local non-profit dedicated to family support, a middle school visit to HWS fosters meaningful connections and inspires future aspirations.
Newark Central School District 8th-graders recently explored Hobart and William Smith and discovered the possibilities and opportunities available to them in college.
In coordination with Professor of Sociology James Sutton and Assistant Director of the Wayne County Youth Advocate Program James Schuler, the students toured the campus, had lunch with HWS students, met with faculty including Provost and Dean of Faculty Sarah Kirk and Sutton, staff from the Adams Intercultural Center, the Office of Admissions and the Warren Hunting Smith Library and heard firsthand what life as a college student is like. In addition, they played basketball with Rafael Vazquez '25.
The 25 middle school students participate in the Wayne County branch of the Youth Advocate Program, a non-profit that supports youth and their families through holistic programs, empowering students and their families to thrive. Most of them aspire to be the first in their families to attend college.
Anna Camnitz ’26, a psychological studies major, grew up in Lyons and knew what it was like not to be expected to attend college. Connecting with a group of girls from the middle school, she led them on a tour of Hirshson Hall, where she lives.
“Watching their guards come down and hearing them asking questions about college life was something that I would never take for granted,” says Camnitz. “This experience showed the girls, from my community, that they could go to college and think big. They can have spaces of their own and ask questions. They can leave their comfort zone, meet amazing people and do well for themselves.”
After the visit, Schuler believes the students who visited HWS have been engaged in their classes and excited about their futures.
“I hope through this visit, the students saw that if they work hard in high school, there’s a way for them to go to a college that they may have thought was out of reach,” says Schuler.
Sutton first met Schuler in 2017 and the two have collaborated multiple times since, including inviting Schuler to speak in Sutton’s classes on involvement with the justice system and participating in a discussion on the death of Tyre Nichols in 2023.
Through his work with HWS and dedication to supporting youth in the community, Schuler was awarded the HWS Community Partner of the Year Award from HWS’ Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning in 2022.
“This kind of partnership leads to collaborations that reaffirm what is important and model proactivity,” says Sutton.
Top: Assistant Director of Admissions Gib Shea '22 leads an introduction of Hobart and William Smith in the Seneca Room.
