by Hannah Epstein

Imagine: you close your eyes, take a deep breath, pause for a moment, and then continue to walk. You’re walking on memories, memories from people you know and people you don’t. You see the buildings where hundreds of women learned about empowerment and creativity, through one academic form or another. Every place you go has a history, a story to tell, a feeling of connection, especially when it is a place you love. Do you feel the connection of sisterhood? Do you hear the reminiscing laughter? There is a place, a place overflowing with encouragement and potentially, a school in particular. Sweet Briar College was established in 1901 in honor of Daisy Williams, a bright and intellectual child who passed away at sixteen in 1884. This school is a place where young girls walk the path of success and empowerment, experience a feeling of sisterhood, and connect to the history of people who came before them.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sisterhood as the solidarity of women based on shared conditions, experiences, or concerns. Generations and generations of young women are getting the opportunity to experience the meaning of sisterhood through education. Sweet Briar provides a platform of connections, not only to women who share their time on campus together but to women who came before them. There is a connection so strong that it affects every woman who walks Sweet Briar’s campus. Kayla Finn, an alumna from the class of 2015, said, “Sweet Briar made me feel connected to the message of women’s empowerment and the other women who attended the school. Having that kind of connection kept me motivated.”

When children move to college, they expect to find a home away from home, a place that will allow them to prosper and succeed, to figure out what makes them who they are or even who they want to be. Sweet Briar provides a curriculum both inside and outside the classroom that allows its students that chance. You experience classes in an array of subjects in order to find what life you want to live and pursue. You have alumni and upperclass-women in those same fields that will give you a helping hand along the way. Outside the classroom, traditions show you the type of character you want to have; the community pushes you to succeed in both your career and the way you carry yourself. “Sweet Briar women do not panic.” This was said by Marcia Thom-Kaley, the current Dean of Student Life, during the class of 2022 orientation; it’s a lesson that all young women learn at the school. Sweet Briar is a home for many and represents different things to all of them. Siena Annable, class of 2022, said, “When I think of home I think of my mother. She is a very tender, sweet, feminine, strong woman, which is exactly what Sweet Briar has shown me to be. This is my home, somewhere I know I can achieve all of those traits.”

This is an experience worth a lifetime: A place to feel at home, a connection to hundreds of souls, hundreds of fierce women ready to stand behind you no matter what. This school is ready to thrive no matter the hardships. After an attempted closure in 2015, the school is working to build itself up again. It is something young women are excited to be a part of, something they should want to be a part of. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for the women who have yet to come, there is a sisterhood waiting for you with open arms. So, think about it, maybe it’s an experience you just can’t pass up. It’s time to make a choice, breathe out, and open your eyes.