Alumna, West Point Grad and Rhodes Scholar, Presents to US on Veterans Day

SECOND LIEUTENANT MARGARET WILLIAMS ’16 joined the Upper School Nov. 13 via Zoom to share her personal journey to the military and the importance of Veterans Day. An Engineer Officer in the US Army, she was born and raised in Greenwich, CT, and spent 12 years as a student at GCDS. She graduated from West Point last year. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Philosophy in International Relations at the University of Oxford as one of 32 American Rhodes Scholars.

Organized by Upper School student and President of the Veterans Appreciation Club Jack Sipple, Second Lieutenant Williams shared her appreciation for her time at GCDS as a place that challenges you in a way that is practical and supportive.

For Williams, Veterans Day is not just about thanking those who have served, it’s about the importance of service in general. She asked the students: “How will you use the privilege that is GCDS to find your own way to serve? I urge you to be aggressively curious in this pursuit to stay open and unafraid of the opportunities that come your way. I’m just one small example of the way in which you never know when or where you will find your calling to service. I never expected to join the Army, but I’m eternally grateful that GCDS gave me the courage to try. I don’t think words will ever capture the magnitude of my appreciation for the privileges GCDS and the Army have afforded me.”