About me

Home life: Ithaca, the hometown of Cornell University, 4 hours from NYC. Population 30,000. I've lived there all my life with my mom Laura, and dad Bill (both lawyers), and two younger brothers, Chris and Andrew (16 and 11). Graduated from Ithaca High School (about 1,600 students), which has an interesting mix of people. Oh, I live in the United States—love it...

Intended major and minor: Either economics or history with a minor in Spanish—a great teacher turned me onto the subject this year.

Extracurricular activities & interests: Running competitively since I was about 10 years old. I like to play sports in general: wiffle ball, football, golf, hockey—you name it, I've played it. I love country music, and play the French Horn (weird combo), and have begun reading a lot lately as well.

Favorite vegetable: Sweet potatoes, squash, corn—I'll eat anything.

Strangest or most unusual thing that has ever happened to me: When my grandmother passed away, I went to her funeral in Greenville, Kentucky. I was pleasantly surprised to see that on our way to the cemetery, everyone we passed stopped their cars and turned off their engines as a sign of respect. I'm glad I'll be spending the next four years of my life in a place like Kentucky.

Most prized possession: My white mini-van, 2001, legit. It's good off-road. Its most redeeming feature is the XM radio, very classy. People know me for it—they respect it, and don't make fun of it.

Three words that describe me: Lively, funny, and strong-willed. And kind. Being kind to everyone is something I aspire to do all the time.

Person (alive or deceased) that I’d like to have dinner with: Harry Truman. I'd want to know what it was like to become a president so abruptly in the middle of a world war, and what it was like to make the executive decision to bomb the Japanese—thus ending World War II.

My greatest fear: Losing the people whom I love and care about.

People may be surprised to know that: I'm formally named William Troy IV. I wonder how many William Troy IVs there are in the world.

Favorite quote: "It could always be worse." Having a paper due the next day is much better than having two papers due the next day!

Why I chose Centre College: I was attracted to the school's successful running teams—both track and cross-country. Also, I have some family in Kentucky, and was excited to experience a different part of the country. And most importantly, I chose Centre because I thought it would offer me a great, personal learning experience—to have dinner with a professor rather than never see his/her face outside of a huge, packed classroom!