Isabella Sison, a rising junior at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is passionate about her double major of linguistics and data science. She finds the intersection of the two fields fascinating and is currently contemplating a career in computational linguistics. As a designated James Monroe Scholar, the most academically distinguished undergraduates at William & Mary, Isabella values the extensive research opportunities provided by her university, which has allowed her to work closely with her professors and conduct field work. Isabella’s most notable research project involves analyzing the nuances in interview audio files to determine if speech patterns vary among different groups of people. Despite the academic rigor of William & Mary, Sison cherishes her college environment for its encouraging and friendly atmosphere. Isabella reflected: “It is a great place with a supportive group of people. Professors care about students individually. It’s cool to see how everyone here is hardworking, intelligent and successful yet can still build each other up.”
Isabella learned of The Albert Baker Fund (ABF) through a poster in her Sunday School and reached out when she was first applying for college. She appreciates the generous financial aid she has received, which she feels has been instrumental in her education, especially as her family needed financial support. Beyond the financial assistance however, Isabella finds her interactions with ABF representatives to be uplifting and encouraging, as they always display genuine interest in her academic journey and make her feel connected to the wider Christian Science community. In addition to her academic growth, she also recognizes that she has grown spiritually during her time in college, thanks to weekly meetings at the university’s CSO and the nearby church services. Isabella plans to continue applying for ABF support, emphasizing the profound impact it has had on her during this pivotal phase of personal and spiritual growth. She shared, “The college period is such a time of growth and change and I’ve had a lot of personal growth in faith during this time. Having The Albert Baker Fund’s support during this period has been very meaningful.”
