Meet Leanne Williams (COM’11)

Name: Leanne Williams
From: Fairfax, Virginia
School: College of Communication and School of Management
Major: Film and general management

Why did you choose BU?
Why would I not choose BU is probably the more appropriate question. My mom went to graduate school at BU back in 1983, and when I visited BU my sophomore year of high school, it was definitely an instant attraction. It’s large, the location is phenomenal, and you have the whole city at your disposal. I also liked how I didn’t have to limit myself to just COM courses. The liberal arts base lets you get to know how the world works first, and then you can branch off.

What are you most looking forward to about Boston?
Being so close to the Red Sox! But also being able to go so many different places in an instant. Whether it’s the North End or Harvard Square, the atmosphere around Boston is just amazing for any college student.

What will you miss most about home?
My family and friends, of course, and living in the suburbs, especially outside Washington, D.C., allows you to travel to pretty much any store, restaurant, or movie theater in about 5 to 20 minutes, not to mention every historical museum known to man — for free. The comfort of driving wherever I want, when I want, will probably be the hardest to live without.

What will you miss least about home?
The traffic! Northern Virginia is terrible. Boston’s not much better, but I won’t have a car, so I won’t have to experience it. Plus, the humidity and weather in D.C. are awful and inconsistent. At least in Boston, you know it will be cold pretty much all the time.

Describe your favorite high school memory.
We participated in this program called CAPPIES, the Critics and Awards Program, which is basically the equivalent to the Oscars or the Tonys, but for high school theater. It’s an international program, but mine had 60 schools from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia that competed, reviewing and critiquing one another’s shows. This past year, I was the lead critic at my school, and we gathered 12 nominations, which was just phenomenal. I was published in local newspapers and even five times in the Washington Post, which gave me a nomination for graduating critic and critic team. I also earned costumes, hair/makeup, and best play nominations. I didn’t win any, but my school won Best Play overall, which is equivalent to winning Best Picture. After that we were all in a state of shock/sheer joy/amazement that all of our hours of hard work and lack of sleep finally paid off. Plus, the gala is held at the Kennedy Center, so that in and of itself is awesome. Overall, it was a great way to end senior year.

What high school activities do you hope to continue at BU?
From speech to community service, I did so much in high school that I would love to keep doing all of it! Theater was such a huge part of my life, so I hope to incorporate that somehow. I loved doing the critiquing aspect, so something with that would be great. My roommate is actually a costume design major, so maybe I’ll even keep up with that as well.

What new activities do you want to try?
I never helped out with publications like newspaper or yearbook, so I would love to try that. I also want to keep the sports aspect by playing broomball or intramural softball. I want to explore the diversity that BU has and get to know about other cultures as well.

What is one of your long-term goals during your time at BU?
To find a way to achieve my double major in four years. Both SMG and COM have rigorous foundation requirements for general management and film, so it will take a lot of extra classes and overloading to finish on time, especially since I definitely want to both study abroad and try the L.A. program. But the good thing about BU is that everyone is so helpful in finding a way for you to tailor a program so you can get everything you want out of your degree.

What are you doing this summer to get ready for your first year of college?
I work at a Marriott Hotel to earn some extra money. Otherwise I’m just spending time with people before we all go off in different directions: I went to New York City with my best friend, went on my last national tour with my English handbell choir, and staffed a community service camp.