#lexstudents

The Man, The Myth, The Legend ... Michael Holt

It was 8-all in the second set tiebreaker. Michael had won the first set and the Men’s Tennis Team was down 2-4 to their biggest rival, Mary Washington. During the 8-all point, Michael moved left for a forehand and tripped. As he tried to stop the fall, he heard his knee pop and he went down in agony. The athletic trainer, Josh Williamson, comes out on the court to examine him, but Michael knows that his tennis career is most likely over. But the team needed him to win because if he lost, the overall match would be over. Michael gets his leg taped and is told that he won’t want to move much at all. Amazingly, Michael gets up and from 8-9 down, he comes back to win the second set tiebreaker 11-9, getting a point for the Generals with a torn ACL. That match turned out to matter as the team made an incredible comeback to win 5-4 overall. 

Now for most people this would be enough to write an incredible story about, but that is just the icing on the cake. Although it shows his grit, determination, and dedication, it doesn’t scratch the surface of the athletic and academic careers of Michael Holt. Just to show how illustrious his career has been, we will run through his athletic and academic accomplishments:

Athletics

Michael was a 2-time captain and 4-time letter winner for the Men’s Tennis Team. His accomplishments:      - Singles Record: 54-25      - Doubles Record: 76-26      - 5th All-Time in Washington and Lee Doubles Wins      ODAC:           - 3-Time All-ODAC First Team in BOTH Singles and Doubles           - Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year      National:           - 2-Time All-American           - Finished 4th in the Nation in Doubles with Taylor Shamshiri            - 2-Time Capital One Third Team Academic All-American

Academics

Michael is a Mathematics and Computer Science double major. Awaiting the result of his Honors Thesis on Tsirelson Space in an area of mathematics known as Banach Space (WOW!), he will most certainly graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA. If this is not impressive enough, check out these accomplishments:      Memberships:           - Phi Beta Kappa Society           - Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Society           - Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society           - Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society      Awards and Scholarships:           - Recipient of the Washington and Lee’s Johnson Scholarship           - Recipient of the J. Brown Goehring Sophomore Award           - 3-Time Recipient of the James D. Davidson Memorial Fund Scholarship           - 2-Time Recipient of the James McDowell Scholarship           - Recipient of the Luther Seevers Birely Award           - Recipient of Washington and Lee’s Taylor Mathematics Scholarship

But We Wanted to Know More

To learn more about Michael we asked him several questions:

What was your favorite class at W&L?      “I really enjoyed CSCI 209 (Software Development) because we created a           working version of the card game, Freecell, in that class. It was neat to have       a tangible game that my friends and family could play.”

Who was your favorite professor?      “Of all the fantastic professors I’ve had, Kevin Beanland was my favorite              one for many reasons. As my advisor, he would always keep his eyes open        for jobs for me. As my professor, he did a great job teaching me my first              theoretical math class (Real Analysis) and helping me complete my honors          thesis.”

What was your favorite W&L moment?      “I really loved beating Mary Washington twice at home. Both matches were          5-4 victories, which means they were as close as matches come.”

What is your favorite place on campus?      “The upper tennis courts are by far my favorite place on campus. I have              had so many great experiences there and will deeply miss playing on these        courts as a General.”

But we also wanted to let you learn a bit about the personality of Michael Holt. A perspective that you would never get from just reading his accomplishments. So we put together this list of Michael’s favorites.

Michael’s 10 Favorites

Song - Payphone by Maroon 5 Movie - My Cousin Vinny IPhone Alarm - Marimba Smell - Campfire TV Show - Spongebob Dream Car - Mercedes SLK Celebrity Crush - Jennifer Aniston Book - Open by Andre Agassi Shampoo - Pantene Dance Move - Gangnam Style

(Michael can sing every word ... so if you want to hear him belt it out, walk up to him and play the link in the list!)

Although we could go on and on about Michael Holt, let’s conclude with a quote and some words of wisdom.

Michael’s Favorite Quote

“Every day above ground is a great day, remember that.”      - Pit Bull

Michael’s Advice to a W&L Student

“I would tell the student to make the most of his or her time here without getting too caught up in work and plans for after college. I’m not saying to ignore these things by any means, but I am saying that overemphasizing them could make you miss out on things you love and detract from your experience here. You don’t get these four years back after they are done.”

Giving Back to Community Through Language

wluLex sat down with Noelle Rutland ‘17, Floridian majoring in Spanish and Global Politics, to learn more about ESOL. Here is what we found out:

ESOL, English Speakers of Other Languages, is a program run through Washington and Lee in collaboration with the Rockbridge County schools. It aims to match W&L students with those in the community who could benefit from English language services. (For example, teaching english to primary school students helps them perform better in the classroom.) This is where ESOL steps in. W&L students tutor and mentor students one-on-one, both helping with academics and becoming role models--sometimes even helping students go to college and pursue unique careers. 

ESOL has helped over 100 individuals since it started in 2002 and has roughly 200 W&L students on it’s email list, with students helping at different points in the year. Some choose to work for one semester during their W&L career while others, like Noelle, choose to work throughout college. 

In addition to tutoring students one-on-one, ESOL helps the community in other ways including tutoring adult family members or work on a translation team. Translation teams work with organizations to translate documents. In the past they’ve worked with the local hospital and just finished translating the jail manual into Spanish. 

On top of all of this, ESOL hosts events that foster a sense of community by encouraging everyone involved with ESOL--community members, W&L students, etc.--to attend together. Dinner is usually served prior to the evening’s programming. For example, ESOL recently held a panel on bullying which included guest speakers.

In addition to the benefit to the community as a whole, being involved with ESOL has huge benefits for W&L students. When asked, Noelle shared a personal story of her own: 

Noelle has been tutoring a local student since middle school. When the two started working together, the student didn’t have a lot of friends, felt a sense of isolation and was struggling with her classes--especially the writing-heavy ones. Now, however, the student is in high school, no longer feels that isolation and is doing so well that she plans on graduating early and going to college to pursue dentistry. Seeing such a change in this girl since they started working together has been one of the best things about ESOL for Noelle. She sees this student as a little sister and cannot overstate the benefit of being a mentor. 

Many others have similar stories about the friendships they’ve made and how rewarded they feel being involved in this program.

Besides feeling like they’re making a difference, W&L ESOL members also get unparalleled experience. For example, Spanish speakers get a chance to practice translating documents and working with individuals fluent in the language they are trying to master. Even non-Spanish speakers learn new skills like creating lesson plans and how to effectively work with someone who speaks a different language. 

Last April, six W&L students decided to recharter Alpha Phi Omega here on campus. They did this in a slightly unusual manner: the students decided that APO was something that would benefit W&L and reached out to the national organization to get started on the paperwork. Since the re-chartering, the number of members has grown to 25 and APO is about to start their next round of new member education this Sunday, October 11th. New member education involves a few weeks of service work and a weekly quiz on the history of APO.

Alpha Phi Omega is a coeducational service fraternity that was founded at Lafayette College by Frank Reed Horton in 1925. The national organization has over 400,000 student members and partners with the American Cancer Society-Relay for Life, America’s Promise Alliance, Boy Scouts of America, Camp Fire, Girl Scouts of the United States of America and Youth Service America.

The group does all types of service projects ranging from selling concessions at sporting events, walking dogs for the SPCA and having a “painting party” where members had midnight pizza while painting a building in downtown Buena Vista. Since the start of September, the group has done over 130 hours of service work and 9 projects. There really is a project for everyone and the members emphasis how much fun they have while helping those around them. Besides service projects, APO also does social events, like pumpkin carving. These events give the members another chance to hang out and socialize with each other outside of the service projects and weekly meetings.  

With all the other great service groups on campus, like Bonner and Neighbors Service League, one may wonder what makes APO different from the rest. APO describes themselves as a happy medium between the two other groups. They require 30 hours of service work a year, so members don’t need to go to every event, and promote friendship through service projects and social events.

While most of us college students wait around and leisurely explore our interests in hopes of finding our “professional calling” for the real world, there are a few who go one step further. The students who don’t just take classes to figure out what excites them, but who take a giant leap in actively pursue their interests, even when it requires saving money to fly to a foreign country. Meet Matthew Kordonowy, a senior here at W&L, who has a passion for diving into a wide array of business adventures, from a home delivery pie operation to a socially responsible apparel company.  

Since high school, Matthew has always been in an entrepreneurial mindset. With his best friend, Viktor Mak, Matthew formed Vern Heritage, LLC, which acts as the legal entity for all future companies the duo dreams of and creates. In 2013, Matthew and Viktor started Vern Clothing, the product of a shared passion for entrepreneurship, style and travel.

Initially, Matthew and Viktor traveled to Guatemala and volunteered at various weaving cooperatives, where they set their own fair wages, and realized that they had a role to play in bringing these women’s work to the States.

They started an Etsy store to sell the beautiful hand-woven scarves and products, but to further help the cooperatives, the Vern Clothing founders made the decision to scale up and move from selling products on Etsy to having a more in depth role in promoting these cooperatives and stronger relationship with the weavers.

Matthew and Viktor used their business knowledge to form Vern Clothing and sense of style to help design and create new products that they knew would sell in the U.S. The product line (which is amazing) has grown from scarves to ties, belts, and other accessories for both men and women.

Matthew spends ten to 15 hours a week managing the business in addition to having a typical senior W&L workload (aka he’s really, really busy). With the growth of Vern Clothing and immense success for it’s first year, bringing in nearly $10,000 in sales, the only option was to grow even further. Matthew and Viktor chose to work with only two core cooperatives and hired a third member in Guatemala to oversee the quality control of the products. 

Even though this company has grown and takes a great deal of time to manage weekly. Matthew talks about how Vern Clothing “doesn’t feel like a job since I’m in total control and don’t have to report to anyone. The more I put into [Vern], the more I get out of it.”

While running a company that helps empower and bring indigenous women into the 21st century, it does have its frustrations and limitations. Matthew mentions how “it’s frustrating that you can’t just clock in and make money,” but that you have to work and work and sometimes not see your effort come to fruition until months later. But the beauty that Matthew sees in it all is the direct correlation between his efforts and the success of the company. Matthew and Viktor pitched Vern Clothing at Colgate University’s entrepreneurship competition and raised over $15,000 from grants through this program and raised an additional five thousand from various equity stakes.

Matthew takes a non-traditional approach to starting his businesses. Rather than doing everything you are taught in the C-School (Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics), Matthew just dives into his projects and plays everything by ear, adapting where he see’s the need. Don’t get me wrong, he mentions how his “accounting skills come into play with financial modeling, tax returns and figuring out how much needs to be invested in inventory,” but the whole idea of planning ahead and creating a business model isn’t his “way.” For him, it’s important to “just do something cool” and not spend time creating a business model when the environment is just going to alter. Matthew believes that “at the end of the day, you just have to start…W&L has great resources and [Professor] Shay and [Professor] Hess’s advice and programs have really helped [Me and Viktor]. I don’t think we’d be in the position we are without the Venture Club and their help.”

Hometown: Charleston, SC Majors: Journalism & Mass Communications, Art History Other Campus Activities: Peer Counselor, Student Recruitment Committee, Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), Kappa Delta Spotify Playlist: http://myw.lu/1HBXtk3

Why @wluLex? I joined @wluLex so I could work with a group of people who are way more creative and tech-savvy than I am (and also so I could like my own Instagrams from another verified account). I stayed because of the friendships I've made and because of the unique opportunities we have as a team to engage our campus, local, and alumni audiences through social media campaigns.  Life Goal: Travel as much as I possibly can! I got bitten by the travel bug during my semester in Rome and then wound up in Tibet as a research assistant a few months later. I'm dying to make it back to Asia ASAP. 

Being a part of @wluLex has forced me to try and see campus in a different way. Everybody loves pictures of Lee Chapel and the Colonnade...you can't take a bad picture of them! But at the same time, you can only Instagram so many of those. Weekly #LexPics have encouraged me to get out and find lesser known spots on campus and in the Rockbridge/Lexington area. 

My love of food has also taken me all over Rockbridge County. If you haven't had the beer fries at Pink Cadillac Diner or the honey biscuits at Kenney's, you haven't done Lex right. 

When I'm not throwing a filter on my latest insta or indulging in #LexEats, you can find me editing stories in the journalism lab, walking the Chessie with friends, watching Downton Abbey by my fireplace, going for drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway (pictured below), or in the spring, floating down the Maury. 

Hometown: Boulder, CO

My favorite picture of Chautauqua, in Boulder, I've taken. 

Major: English

Other Campus Activities: AdLib, App Adventure Trip Leader, not as many as Betsy or David

Why did I join wluLex?: I wanted to be able to share my enthusiasm for W&L, Lexington and Rockbridge County with other people. I've been coming to the area since I was 11 years old and I'm still finding new things to explore around W&L. I wanted to try to encourage people to step out of the W&L bubble and see the awesome spots that are all around us in Rockbridge. 

Here's some of my favorite pictures I've taken around Rockbridge: 

Goshen

The Colonnade 

Devil's Marbleyard

I ended up in Lexington because I went to a summer camp in Rockbridge Baths called Maxwelton. Through a strange series of coincidences my neighbors were from Lexington and dragged me along with them. And I loved it. I went there until I was a counselor  and then ended up coming to W&L. I think I'm the only person from my high school to every come here. 

Some Stuff I Like 

Favorite Social Media Platform: Its a tough choice between Instagram and Twitter. Instagram is awesome for seeing what people can make their one picture from what they're up to. Twitter has become such a great place to share everything from news and entertainment and more. I'd probably say I check Twitter more. 

Current Favorite Instagram Account: morganphillips Awesome pictures of a guy exploring the American West. 

Current Favorite Twitter Account: @nihilist_arbys The strangest combination of philosophy and fast-food you'll find today. 

Favorite place to eat in Rockbridge: JJ's Meat Shak (sic) in Buena Vista. Check out my gushing write-up here. 

Current Favorite Song/strange music video: 

Spotify Playlist: http://myw.lu/1b20PSX

Name: Gabi “T-Mog” Tremo Hometown: Portsmouth, NH Major: Japanese & Computer Science Things I do besides homework: W&L Chanoyu Society (we make Japanese tea), ITS Help Desk (we fix your computer) Life Goal: Complete every series/movie/TV show on my Netflix queue #lostCause

My philosophy? Don't ever take yourself too seriously.

What does @wluLex mean to you?: I think our mission is really awesome. I mean, we’re the social media for the students. With everything we make, we think “Is this something I would care about if I was a student?” And we only give out the stuff we think we would like. I like being a part of that—that effort to show the campus to the world through the student's eyes.

Favorite food in town: Sushi Matsumoto. There’s something about stuffing my face with soup and rice and noodles that makes me a very happy person. If you haven’t been, you need to go. As a very, very close second I will mention Pronto-- my go-to caffeine/gelato fix.

Sushi is love. Sushi is life.

Personal Motto: “If there’s free food, eat it”

When I grow up, I want to be: When I was 6, I wanted to be an astronaut ballerina. Not just an astronaut. Not just a ballerina. An astronaut ballerina. I'm still not sure what that means, but I haven’t given up on that dream yet.

Best Hidden Jewel in Lex: Okay, it’s not in Lex. But City Corner 2 in Roanoke— best authentic Thai food I’ve had in my life. You have a car? You have a friend with a car? Go. Eat Pineapple Rice. Be happy.

Best adventure yet: I went to Japan last year and fell in love-- with the people, the culture, and, especially, the food. I had an incredible host family, made some incredible friends, and have some incredible memories. To any and every W&L student, if there is one piece of advice I can give you, it's this: study abroad. It changes everything. Okay, that's my shameless plug. Back to food.

The view of my host family's house from across the rice fields at sunset. This tiny little town will forever be the most beautiful place in the world to me.

If I could be a food, what food would I be?: Potato. There are few foods that people love as much as foods made out of potatoes. I want to be someone’s potato (preferably in the form of a waffle fry).

If you could have one super power…: The ability to make people yawn on command. Not only would it be fun at dinner parties, but it’s very practical. Stuck in a boring conversation? Make that person yawn. Professor about to erase everything on the board you haven’t written down? Make him yawn to give you time. The best part? No one will ever know you’re doing it…

Favorite Pronto Gelato Flavor: Green tea, green tea, green tea, and also hazelnut. But not… together….

The only reason this photo is here is to make you want gelato.

Spirit animal: Potato. (see above)