Fall 2024 / Around the Green

Miranda Hardy ’25

Miranda Hardy’s experience at Wilson has been a blend of growth and community engagement, transforming and shaping her in ways she did not expect. “Wilson felt very much like high school to me, like a small, close-knit family. By the same token, I feel like I have grown into the best version of myself here. And that surprises me,” she said.

Hardy, a veterinary nursing major with minors in biology and chemistry, has been active in the Pre-Vet Club, Campus Activity Board (CAB), and as an orientation leader. This year, she took on a significant leadership role as the president of the Wilson College Government Association (WCGA). “Last year, I was vice president, and I felt a little more engaged with the student body, but this year as president I feel I represent the student body as I’m more involved with student development, faculty members, the board of trustees, and alumni,” she said.

As a student leader, Hardy has three primary goals for her presidency: more student involvement on campus, giving back to the College and Chambersburg communities, and addressing student concerns. She hopes the new clubs and activities on campus inspire more students to connect. Looking back, Hardy remembers the fear she felt when transitioning from high school to college. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I didn’t know how to be a college student,” she said. “Having your close-knit friends there with you, growing with you, changing with you, seeing you at your highs, seeing you at your lows, it just really makes you transform into the best version of yourself.”

Hardy’s goal is to become a veterinarian, and she is already applying to graduate schools. “The positive things I’ve heard from vet schools have been enough for me to know that Wilson is where I needed to be to get where I want to go.” She completed an externship at the Texas Zoo in summer 2023 and an equine medicine internship in summer 2024. She hopes to open a veterinary practice before moving into a public health position.

During her 2024 internship, she worked with a practitioner whom she has known for years. “The veterinarian had nothing but good things to say about my education and said it was nice to see how much I’ve grown as a student and as a person. That happened because of Wilson. This place set me up for success,” said Hardy.

Adrián Lugo ’25

The Covid-19 pandemic brought disruptions to sports activities worldwide, including Puerto Rico’s baseball leagues. It also led senior Adrián Lugo to Wilson.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought disruptions to sports activities worldwide, including Puerto Rico’s baseball leagues. It also led senior Adrián Lugo to Wilson. Lugo grew up in Puerto Rico, where his favorite hobby was playing baseball. In 2020, when all Puerto Rican leagues ceased operations due to the pandemic, Lugo’s team did what they could to find opportunities to play, and despite the risks, they traveled to Salisbury, Md., for a baseball tournament in August 2020. Lugo ended up staying for eight months, continued playing baseball, and was eventually recruited by Wilson.

“I had other offers, but then I came here for my visit, and I was really impressed with the science technology here.”

Initially, Lugo did not think he would like to attend a small school like Wilson. Growing up, he always went to small schools where everyone knew him, something he was not necessarily comfortable with. He soon learned that Wilson’s small size was a positive. “When I got here, it was scary, but Wilson immediately felt like home.” The small supportive community Lugo feared is now something he appreciates.

“Because it’s such a small school, you get to interact with everyone. You get to work hands-on. I feel that helps you not isolate yourself. Instead, you can work together.”

Lugo appreciates the help he received when he first arrived on campus. His Spanish accent was thick and even though people could not always understand what he said, they always helped him.

Now, Lugo helps others through work as an Orientation Leader, helping new students navigate their surroundings, and as a pitching captain for the baseball team. Both roles allow him to provide mentoring and guidance.

In addition to baseball, Lugo is passionate about mental health. He serves as a representative on the new campus chapter of Morgan’s Message, a national program dedicated to promoting mental health awareness among student athletes. His senior research project also focuses on mental health and will look at the connection between genetics and the effectiveness of depression medications.

Lugo is working toward a bachelor’s degree in biology with a chemistry minor and plans to attend graduate school to earn a master’s in forensics. As he contemplates his future career— whether as a forensic detective or a forensic doctor—Lugo’s dedication to making a difference in the lives of others remains a central theme in his journey.

Empathy is a powerful subject for leaders according to Virginia “Ginny” Harriger ’24 M.S., who recently completed Wilson’s Master of Organizational Leadership program in Spring 2024. One of the program requirements is a course in empathy which for Harriger turned out to be the most impactful class in the program and the one that led her to define her graduate project. “It is such a powerful subject for leaders, trying to understand where someone is coming from rather than imposing everything you feel on someone without knowing their situation. I thought that was a phenomenal course,” she said.

By day, Harriger is the executive director of the Greater Chambersburg Chamber Foundation, where she brings non-profit, educational, and business partners into the chamber leadership programming that is run by the foundation. In her personal life, Harriger, a native of Lancaster County, Pa., earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Juniata College. She and her family moved to Chambersburg in 1996 when her husband, Dana, accepted a faculty position at Wilson and they still reside in the borough, though he now teaches at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. They attend Central Presbyterian Church in Chambersburg where she volunteers with their Diaper Depot ministry that offers free diapers to qualifying area residents each month. This organization became the focus of her master’s project as she realized, and empathized with, the importance of its mission.

The success of the Diaper Depot stems largely from its collaborative nature. By partnering with various organizations, such as local farmers, the Lions Club, and Kiwanis, the initiative provides not only diapers but also additional resources like breakfast, fresh produce, and winter clothing to community members in need. Beyond those services, its organizers have had little time to search for new opportunities for the community. However, with Harriger’s assistance and as a part of her master’s project, the Diaper Depot team was able to identify new avenues to expand their services.

Rather than organizing a single large event, Diaper Depot opted for a layered approach, introducing two or three new, different services each month. This strategy allowed for continuous engagement with the community and ensured that families could access resources without feeling overwhelmed; notably by including local health services, such as drug and alcohol rehabilitation awareness; information on prescription drug safety and disposal; and the distribution of materials for home safety and wellness. By fostering a compassionate environment and understanding the needs of families in the community, the organization now not only provides essential resources but also creates a supportive network for those in need.

Part of what Harriger said she learned about herself in the classroom was what she was able to experience through the project. “I am so task driven that sometimes I forget that as a leader you have to bring other people in,” she said. “With this project, I was helping the organization, and I was learning from it. I got away from trying to do everything myself and became a different type of leader.”

Engaging the Youth of Franklin County

One program Harriger supports through her role with the Greater Chambersburg Chamber Foundation is Leadership Franklin County Youth (LFCY). Founded in 2009, the mission of LFCY is to invest in promising high school sophomores from public, private, and home-schools, by providing them with the tools to emerge as leaders in their personal lives, schools, and communities. Key curriculum components are leadership skills development, community awareness, and service learning.

Competitive selection of participants includes an application and interview with LFCY committee members. The committee selects up to 25 students from across Franklin County to take part in the year-long program. Activities start with an orientation in May and a daylong retreat in June, followed by monthly sessions from September through April, where participants learn how to become engaged in responsible, ethical, and effective leadership.

Each year, Wilson College sponsors this program and provides space on campus for the monthly sessions. “Wilson’s been a phenomenal partner with us and the students love coming to campus,” said Harriger. “Holding the sessions on Wilson’s campus really expands the students’ purview of learning. It allows the students to see themselves in that world, too, which is good for them to see.”

For more information, visit Chambersburg.org/leadership.

The start of the new academic year is an exciting time on campus. Each year, the Wilson community looks forward to late August when students once again fill the residence halls, and activities resume in the classrooms, on the athletic fields, in the common areas, and around the green. Campus truly comes to life!

This year, cars and vans transporting first-year and transfer students moved through the main gates of campus on Move-In Day August 22. A warm welcome committee of volunteers helped students check in and deliver their belongings to their respective living spaces. Some parents and grandparents shed tears, but most beamed with pride as they shared this special moment with their student.

The Wilson community is unique. There is always someone willing to help you by lending a hand. Whether it is showing you to a classroom, helping you in a class, or having an answer to a question you may have, the support from this community is unmeasurable.

—Miranda Hardy ’25, WCGA President, Excerpt from Convocation Speech 2024

         On August 23, the campus community gathered in Thomson Chapel for Convocation, a symbolic start to the academic year. Remarks by Alexandra Toms ’11, assistant professor of psychology, and Miranda Hardy ’25, WCGA president, brought messages of civility and hope to new residential and commuter students, international students, faculty, staff, and alums. Before closing the ceremony with the singing of the “Alma Mater,” new members of the community learned about and pledged to uphold Wilson’s long-held Honor Principle.