Heather Acuña
Hometown
Long Grove, IL (Adlai E. Stevenson HS)
Academic Interests
Computer Science, Data Science
Why W&M
When I first started looking at colleges, I did not expect to end up at a liberal arts school 900 miles away from home. Still, I can confidently say that I love my school. I chose Wlliam & Mary for more reasons than I can list here, but I’ll boil it down to three: it’s personal, it’s collaborative, and it’s enduring.
From the moment I met them, it’s been clear that William & Mary students are smart, caring, authentic people. When I met the other 1693 scholars during the 1693 Finalist Week, they were not only excited to share all the things they loved about William & Mary, they were eager to get to know me as a person. On top of that, the staff at William & Mary are genuine and helpful. From handwritten postcards to a one-on-one meeting with Professor Cristol (before I was even accepted as a 1693 Scholar), it’s clear that William & Mary is a school built on treating students as individuals, not numbers.
Furthermore, William & Mary is the most collaborative school I’ve seen. I talked with students who founded charities and started consulting businesses; every single one was quick to point out people who had helped them and point me to resources I could use at William & Mary. William & Mary students do not rise by others’ failure: they lift each other up, help each other out, and instead of spending their time competing, they spend it learning.
When I call William & Mary enduring, I do not refer to the year it was established. Instead, I refer to the fact that a man who graduated more than 60 years ago eagerly offered to tell me about his time at the school. I refer to the fact that every person I’ve talked to has a friend or distant relative who went to William & Mary and “would be delighted to talk to you about it”. William & Mary has a strong and vibrant culture that stays with its alumni their entire lives. That’s what I really come here for: not just a school, but a lasting, learning, personal community.
W&M Activities
- Society of Women in Computing
- Makerspace (staff)
- Barksdale Treble Chorus
- Shotokan Karate
- Association for Computing Machinery
- Salsa Club
High School Activities
- Drum major for Marching Band
- President of Scripts Studio Playwriting Club
- Producer for 24 Hour Theatre Project
- Student Leadership Advisory Council
- Student designer for One Act and Musical Productions
- Seamstress for Dress a Girl Around the World
- Lector at Saint Mary of Vernon Parish
- Children’s liturgy assistant at Saint Mary of Vernon Parish
- Teaching assistant at Summer Wonders Summer Camp
- Lean In: Feminism Club
- In The Loop (Knitting Club)
- Failed Presidential Candidates improv comedy club
- LadyJazz a capella
Awards / Distinctions
- National Honor Society
- International Thespian Honor Society
- Tri-M Music Honor Society
- National Hispanic Scholar
- National Merit Finalist
- AP Scholar with Distinction
- Achievement in Technical Theatre Award
- Cindy Burrows Award
- Communication Arts Scholar Award
- Illinois Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish
- Division I Solo & Ensemble performer (Voice)
- Division I Solo & Ensemble performer (Bassoon)
