When UMW sophomore Yoel Kidane first arrived in the United States at the age of 14, he spoke only conversational English. Adjusting to the American culture and English language was his first hurdle.

Just three years later, he was applying to colleges, setting himself up to be the first of his siblings to attend a university in the U.S. When Kidane received his acceptance letter from UMW, it came with an invitation that made all the difference.

Diving into UMW’s Student Transition Program (STP), which begins with a five-week on-campus stint the summer before freshman year, gave the East Africa native the launching pad he needed to support his college experience. Now well into his second year at UMW, Kidane has found his niche as a political science major and member of the club soccer team.

“STP helped me discover the school,” said Kidane, who plans to major in political science and minor in yet another language – French. (He also speaks Italian, as well as his native tongue, Tigrinya.) “I was able to meet professors in different departments, ask questions and see what college classes were like.”

Through the yearlong program, designed to support first-generation and underrepresented students, Kidane joined a cohort of first-year students who lived in the residence halls, met with support staff, learned the layout of campus and even took introductory courses in their intended major. Going into his first official year of college later that summer, Kidane already had collected a peer group of friends and four credits toward his degree.

“STP helped Yoel adjust and understand what it takes to be successful as a student,” said Justin Wilkes, director of the transition program and Kidane’s advisor. “He came with a mindset to work hard but didn’t necessarily know what that looked like or how to apply it until he went through the program.”

Now nearly halfway through his UMW experience, Kidane is on a roll, both in the classroom and on the field.

Growing up in Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, when he wasn’t in school or at church, he spent much of his free time playing soccer. He pursued his passion for the sport as a student at Northern Virginia’s Herndon High School, where he played varsity, and now at UMW, where he’s building lasting relationships with his club teammates.

Most importantly, coming from a country that mandates education only through age 13, he feels like he’s done his job setting the stage for his younger siblings.

“I have to be a role model for my brothers and sister,” said Kidane, who knows that his experience could impact their own decisions about college. “I want to set an example for them.”

Early this January, 13 UMW students took a 3-mile kayak trip across the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland to Rangitoto Island. Hiking to the summit of the island’s volcano, the class watched the sun set over the city in the distance before paddling back under a star-filled sky.

The students were part of Marketing Down Under, a College of Business course that includes eight weeks of instruction on campus and a 13-day excursion to Australia and New Zealand for hands-on application of the material they learn. Led by Associate Professor Lance Gentry, the students evaluated each company, attraction and hotel they visited to analyze marketing efforts, customer experience and operational success. The group also met with an Australian marketing executive who worked on revolutionary ads targeting U.S. tourists in the 1980s and learn about both the campaign and its impact on the travel marketing industry.

“I was stunned to learn that tourism is projected to surpass farming as New Zealand’s largest source of income,” said junior and international business major Jessica Roberson. “Australia and New Zealand attract a lot of tourists from China. This can be seen in large tourist attractions such as the Sydney Tower Eye, which had signs in both English and what appeared to be Mandarin.”

In Sydney, the group had the opportunity to celebrate New Year’s Eve on a cruise across Darling Harbour, see a show at the iconic Sydney Opera House, travel to the Blue Mountains, visit the Tobruk Sheep Station for a shearing demonstration and eat at the revolving Sydney Tower Eye. Then the class jetted to New Zealand, where students donned wetsuits and rode tubes through the caverns of Waitomo Caves, went whitewater rafting and attended a Maori cultural performance.

“Visiting the beaches, the Sydney Opera, and watching the fireworks from a boat on New Year’s Eve were all times to remember,” said sophomore and geography major Lily Van Horn. “This trip gave me a new appreciation for other countries and their cultures, and a stronger desire to travel more.”

To learn more about study abroad programs at UMW, visit the Center for International Education at http://international.umw.edu/.

A transition is taking place in the narratives of Southern plantation museums in the United States. The romanticized “Gone With the Wind” kinds of stories are slowly fading away to be replaced, in some instances, with histories about slavery and human hardship.

While some sites worry that telling unpleasant truths about America’s history could have negative consequences, early research conducted by UMW as part of a national grant favors a different conclusion.

“We’ve heard from several plantations that there is the fear that if they start talking about uncomfortable, controversial topics, then people won’t come,” said Stephen Hanna, professor of geography at the University of Mary Washington. “One thing our research suggests is that people aren’t surprised to hear about slavery and that there could be more discussion about slavery.”

For the past three years, Hanna and seven UMW students – four of whom are now alumni – have been conducting fieldwork at plantation museums in the American South as part of a $445,423 grant from the National Science Foundation. Partnering with faculty and students at five other universities , the UMW team has helped to document 170 tours and conduct 2,500 surveys or interviews of plantation visitors, tour guides and museum staff. The work has taken place at 17 sites in Louisiana, South Carolina and Virginia.

The team wrapped up its research in October with a final visit to the 19th-century Meadow Farm Museum in Henrico County, Virginia. Over the next year, they will transcribe, code and analyze the qualitative data they collected before publishing the results. For the students involved in the project, titled “Transformation of Racialized American Southern Heritage Landscape,” the hands-on research and fieldwork offers a unique opportunity.

“Most people are surprised we’re undergrads working on this project,” said senior Christine MacKrell, a geography and political science major who has been working with Hanna for two years. “We’re working alongside multiple universities across the nation with highly regarded professors and Ph.D. and grad students. It’s rare for undergrads to get this kind of fieldwork, research and writing experience.”

While final research results will not be published until next year, Hanna and his students have published or presented preliminary findings in journals and at national and regional conferences. Their full immersion in the research process builds the team’s passion and enthusiasm for what they’ve learned.

“There’s a trend toward being more authentic in the stories you’re telling,” said senior Sarah Rogers, a geography and historic preservation major who has been involved with the project for one year. “People come to these plantations because they want to learn about history, and it’s the museum’s responsibility to share true, accurate and representative stories and information.”

Learning about our nation’s history shapes our understanding of what it means to be an American, Hanna said, and helps us deal with the racial issues facing our country today.

“We want to be able to talk about how we remember our past and how it informs our understanding of present issues,” he said. “It’s important that these museums present inclusive stories of our past rather than excluding this painful chapter of American history.”

A wave of floral and citrus scents pours onto the sidewalk in historic downtown Fredericksburg, hitting your nose before you can even reach the store. Stepping into the chic bath and body boutique, you’re invited into a sea of handcrafted soaps, balms and oils. Welcome to Ladyburg!

The warm greeting comes from UMW junior Morgan Wellman, who transferred to Mary Washington in her second year of college to be closer to home due to health issues. Turning circumstance into opportunity, Wellman embraced the change, launching into a business major and complementing her education with hands-on experience – joining her mother as co-owner of Ladyburg.

“We call me the ‘people person,’” said Wellman, who became the store’s official co-owner this past August. “I have a more hands-on role. I’m in charge of all things on-site, from customers to employee relations.”

Selling everything from bath bombs to beard products, Ladyburg opened in 2012 after Wellman and her mother took a soap-making class. Most recently, the business moved into a new space on Caroline Street with room for a production kitchen, where they make most of their products by hand.

“It’s so hard to know what really goes into products you buy these days,” said Crystal Wellman, who was an aesthetician before opening the store with the help of her daughter. “I wanted to ensure my clients were using safe, healthy and non-damaging products on their skin, so we started a business where we make everything ourselves.”

Rated the number one shopping experience in Fredericksburg on the travel website Trip Advisor, Ladyburg’s back-to-the-basics approach to producing quality soap from natural ingredients is creating a bubble of excitement in the local community.

“We have a very loyal customer base,” said Wellman. “I love getting to know everyone who comes into my store and watching them grow throughout the years.”

More than providing a career, though, becoming a business owner and entrepreneur has given her education true purpose.

“My accounting class has been the most helpful,” said Wellman, who will graduate in 2018. “My mom manages the bookkeeping, so now I actually understand what she is talking about.”

Owning a business isn’t always a walk in the park, though. Wellman often spends more than 35 hours a week in the store – when she isn’t in one of her four UMW courses – and doesn’t get holidays or weekends off. Even the occasional vacation is rare for her.

“Being an entrepreneur is hard because you can’t turn it off at 5 p.m.,” said Wellman. “Most nights my mom and I are spitballing ideas or working until we go to bed. I’m always replying to texts, emails and Facebook messages.”

Would she do it again? Yes – but she has some advice for future Eagle entrepreneurs about the reality of what it means to start your own business.

“Owning a company is really hard work,” said Wellman. “There are times when you question if it’s worth it, but don’t give up. It’s the most rewarding experience, and if you can make it through those hard moments then nothing will phase you.”