HWS News
8 February 2021 • Athletics Eliot '23 Discovers Her Path at HWS
Isabella Eliot '23 reflects on selecting a major, campus activities and being a member of Heron rowing.
Although she has not yet officially declared her major, Isabella Eliot '23 says taking a wide range of classes in her first semesters has helped her to now focus on economics and writing and rhetoric as her main areas of study.
Eliot calls Literary Journalism with Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature Geoffrey Babbitt as one of her favorite classes, "because I was exposed to new types of writing and authors that I might not have ever taken the time to explore. I also enjoyed writing my own literary journalism stories," she says. "I also really enjoyed my First Year Seminar, Why Are Some Countries Rich? that I took last fall with [Instructor of Economics] Jenny Tessendorf who is my adviser. I liked the classbecause it exposed me to economics in a way that I had never experienced. I probably never would have taken an econ course if it hadn't been for that FSEM."
"Ideally, I would like to find a way to combine both writing and economics in my future career," says Eliot, a Jewett Family Scholarship recipient.
"Faculty mentors have also been invaluable resources during the beginning of her college career," she says. "My advisor, Jenny Tessendorf, has been really helpful throughout my time at the Colleges and has assisted me in learning how to be successful in a college setting. My advisors have been incredibly helpful in everything from helping me to plan my academic career here to supporting my overall wellbeing. I have become a lot more confident due to the information I have learned from advisors," Eliot says. "Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric Amy Howard Green has also been very supportive, both academically and personally."
As a member of the William Smith rowing team, athletics is a major part of her life on campus. "Joining the crew team has been a very positive experience. Both the coaches and my teammates have strengthened my appreciation for Hobart and William Smith and the community," she says. "My teammates are really nice and fun to be around and the coaches are very supportive. My favorite thing about the team is the new community I have been able to join."
On campus, Eliot is also a part of the Writing Colleagues Program. As a Writing Colleague, students are placed in a class for a semester and serve as a liaison between the professor and students to improve student writing. "I have appreciated the opportunity to connect with other students that I might not ever have met," she says.
"So far I am really enjoying my experience at HWS. Last semester was obviously different because of COVID, but I was thankful that we got to spend as much time on campus as possible," Eliot says.
The Jewett Family Scholarship was established in 2006 by Charles Wood Jewett, Jr. '66 to honor his parents, Charles Wood Jewett and Mary Molly Sheafe Jewett, and their commitment to the education. Eliot says she is also grateful for several scholarships that she receives from her hometown community in Concord, Mass. She is the recipient of the Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle, the Bobby Gray Memorial Scholarship, the Wells A. Hall Memorial Scholarship, and the Knights of Columbus Scholarship.