Wily Blog

Mackenzie Fierceton is the child of a doctor who attended a private prep school in a wealthy suburb. She also called herself a first-generation low-income student. But Mackenzie Fierceton is not a liar. She is a student who found herself in a complex and easily-misunderstood situation: working towards her degree without support from family. Just as Mackenzie’s story was misunderstood, what makes a student a Wily Scholar [...]

Why Wily? That’s the question board chair Katie Bramley asked at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Throughout the evening, we heard a variety of answers to the question. We heard about the sense of community and camaraderie at the first Wily Thanksgiving dinner, the supportive environment that Scholars build with one another, and the close [...]

We started off Spring Community Day with a dare: can you go the whole day without saying one of the banned words? We were all given five clothespins, and told that we could take someone else’s clothespins if we heard them say: Scholar, Judi, Wily, Coach or College. It was a challenge. It’s hard to spend [...]

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a mentor and a coach? Since January is National Mentoring Month, we thought we’d take the opportunity to explain! Here’s the quick version: mentors are role models who speak from a place of experience. Coaches are collaborators who specifically focus on working with you to achieve your goals. Of course, many mentors [...]

The first Wily Network Career Fair was a success! Recruiters from 18 different companies spoke to Scholars about their own career paths and opportunities in their field. We saw lots of resumes and job descriptions changing hands [...]

This year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues, returning to or entering college is looking very different for students. While some universities have allowed students back on campus for in-person learning, other schools are instituting [...]

Would you believe that a month into the school year, there were some Scholars we had only met through the computer screen? Fall Community Day changed all that. The first in-person Community Day we’ve had in two years was a refreshing chance to catch up with old friends and welcome new students into the community. We kicked off the event by [...]

From researching innovative cancer treatments to building public trust in vaccine producers, Wily Scholars have been busy working on complex problems this summer. Asstou, JT and Jessica excelled in their internships at Boston-area biotechnology companies. “It was my [...]

The Pack is back together! From Scholar picnics on Boston Common to our staff’s return to the office, we are so excited to spend time together in person again. In early July, a group of Scholars [...]