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| Welcome to Wesleyan Weekend |
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 Gaye-Leon Williams is a native of Jamaica, fluent in Spanish, and passionate about her extensive laboratory research on crayfish. She is a unique woman with unique interests.
Graduating from an all-girls high school in Kingston, Jamaica, Gaye-Leon knew what to expect from a single-gender campus. But coming to a new country and building a support system of new friends, was a leap of faith. She leapt and landed in the close-knit Wesleyan family, and now feels like she has been given the tools to adapt and survive anywhere her career may take her.
Gaye-Leon’s future plans include medical school; beyond that, she would like to incorporate her love of biology with her skills in the Spanish language. Already, she has worked as a medical interpreter for a large teaching hospital and has spent countless hours in a biology lab either assisting other students or researching alongside her professors.
“Wesleyan’s faculty is so accessible,” says Gaye-Leon. “I could call them at home, stop them in the quad, or even have lunch with them, if I had questions or something I needed to talk about.”
According to this graduate, Wesleyan professors not only build an academic foundation for students but also push students to achieve -- and then exceed -- their potential. The academic expectations of Gaye-Leon’s professors were high, but she feels confident and prepared to take her education to the next level.
Her name appeared on the Dean’s List every semester during her four years at Wesleyan. She was the recipient of the prestigious Munroe Science Scholarship, and also has been named to multiple honor societies and leadership organizations. As an honors program graduate, she passionately presented her research on the spike train analysis of superficial abdominal crayfish muscles. But, Gaye-Leon’s talents are hardly limited to academics.
As an international student at Wesleyan, she was heavily involved in AXIS (the Association of eXemplary International Students), Circle K International, and Cultural Diversity organizations on campus. She held leadership positions within each group and claims that Wesleyan is a breeding ground for future leaders.
“I chose Wesleyan because I like to give back,” said Gaye-Leon. “It has been so easy to find a niche here. With outreach initiatives and various honor societies and organizations, there are so many leadership opportunities.”
Although not a native of middle Georgia, Gaye-Leon quickly invested in the local community. She rebuilt and cleaned up playgrounds, wore jeans for justice, wrote cards for U.S. troops and terminally ill children, worked at a nearby children’s home, and participated in plenty of WOW! A Day for Macon community service projects. Through Wesleyan’s KISMET program, where her language skills and science background were highly valued, she taught parents how to help their children with science projects.
Gaye-Leon is proud that her Wesleyan experience gave her an opportunity to learn about people and cultural differences through real-life experiences. While she considers the many possibilities for her future, she credits Wesleyan for giving her a foundation for success. |
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