Ella Knight

Who Am I?

I was born and raised next door to Williamsburg in another historic location, Yorktown. As a competitive swimmer, I often had the opportunity to travel to Williamsburg and fell in love with the colonial area at an early age. When I was a teenager, I had the chance to swim at the William & Mary pool, and to feel the infectious enthusiasm of the campus. When it came time to pursue post-secondary options, William & Mary felt like the obvious choice. I feel so lucky and humbled to have pursued my undergraduate and graduate degrees here at William & Mary. Even though my path led me away for the ensuing 20 years, I never forgot my experiences or how it felt to be part of such a unique and supportive community.

Why Admission?

My career has taken a few different and exciting turns. I was a middle school counselor for over a decade before higher education called to me. After that I had the opportunity to pursue a position at our local community college as a Testing Coach. I worked very closely with the college’s admission department and academic advisors. When this wonderful position dissolved, I was afforded the chance to try my hand at high school counseling for 7 years. It was there that I really developed an interest and passion in college admission. The more time I worked there and helped students apply to colleges, the more working in admission became the dream. Nothing compares to helping students who might not have the resources or access get accepted and attend a university like William & Mary. That is why I feel so fortunate to work here now.

Why William & Mary?

My mom jokes that my love for William & Mary began before I was born as she was pregnant with me when she pursued her Master of Education here. I think there may be some truth to that. I have always felt so at home here, loving the campus and energy surrounding it. The diversity and team-oriented mentality really resonates with me. You can tell that the students and employees all want to be here and there is this aura of excitement and discovery. In pursuing both my degrees here, I felt such a strong sense of being valued and belonging. I’m so thrilled to have the chance to give that back now.

Fun Facts:

• My husband, stepson and I are obsessed with movies and Williamsburg's best movie theatre Movie Tavern. You will find us there once or twice a week. Our favorite movies are by Marvel.
• I love making crystal and glass bead jewelry and seeing others wear it.
• I have two cats, Sam and Dean, named after the main characters from the tv show Supernatural. They hold most of my heart.