Class of 2023 Spotlight: Emily Rand

Name: Emily Rand

Hometown: Freeland, Maryland

Major: Anthropology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies concentration 

Activities: Senior Admissions Fellow, Club Equestrian Team, Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), Alpha Lambda National Anthropology Honors Society

What is a turning point or significant memory from your time at Holy Cross? 

As a Senior Admissions Fellow, I interviewed applicants and potential students of the class of 2027. I loved this role. After my last interview of the year, I walked slowly from Fenwick Hall to Williams Hall. It was an unseasonably warm day and people were sitting outside or playing frisbee. I began to think about the students I had met. I thought about how they are going to come in as excited and nervous freshmen, the same way I was. I thought about how much they are going to do here. And then I considered how much I did here. I realized that we all started exactly like the students I had interviewed, and we are all leaving shaped by all the experiences we have had since attending Holy Cross. I felt so deeply connected to the community around me at that moment and very proud to be part of it.

What are two or three lessons from Holy Cross that you’ll take with you after leaving Mount St. James?

The best lesson I learned from Holy Cross was to be patient and to trust the processes. After the first couple days of orientation, I cried to my mom about how I wasn’t making any friends. By the end of the week, I met the girl who I now call my best friend during the last orientation event. The second most important lesson I learned was to take time to reflect on and appreciate accomplishments. With all the endless assignments, writing, applying, studying, etc., it’s easy to get caught in the rush of things. But my best and most memorable moments at Holy Cross were the ones where I celebrated the work I had done and accomplishments I had made.

What are you doing after you graduate?

I am looking forward to pursuing opportunities in the non-profit sector focusing on gender justice advocacy and research, with an ultimate objective of attending law school and obtaining a career in public policy.