Meet Winnie Leahy ’25 A philosophy class Leahy’s first semester led to a passion for thinking about different perspectives and relating to others’ experiences.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
September 17, 2024

Winnie Leahy ’25
Majors/minors: Cognitive and behavioral sciences major; philosophy and mass communications minors
Hometown: Yarmouth, Maine

 Why did you choose to come to W&L?
I chose W&L because the campus culture was different from any other school on my list. It shared qualities with other colleges on my list: a tight-knit community, ample opportunities to get involved both on campus and in the surrounding area, great connections and genuine professor-student relationships. However, it was different in the sense that it was a different culture than what I grew up around. Coming from a small town in Maine, I found the opportunity to immerse myself in new cultures and expand my perspectives extremely enticing.

Have you discovered a course or topic that you didn’t expect to study when you first came to W&L?
I am extremely passionate about philosophy, something I never expected when I first got to W&L. I was placed in my first philosophy class during my fall semester at W&L and immediately fell in love with the process of relating both my personal and others’ experiences to philosophical theories. By taking on different perspectives, I have grown as a thinker and developed an advanced sense of empathy in my daily life. Additionally, I find that philosophy relates to anything and everything and is always giving me something to think about.

What has been your most impactful experience at W&L, either on or off-campus?
Being the chair of GAB has been an extremely valuable experience for me, as it has allowed me to use my insights and learnings from class to make a difference on campus. Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, I used my position on GAB to rebrand the organization as an inclusive organization for the students, by the students; a place where we use music to unite people of all backgrounds. Working on a battle of the bands series last fall, I invited student bands from all social groups to represent our whole community. I continued this initiative in the winter by partnering with Phi Beta Sigma, a historically Black fraternity, to put on a concert that brought representation of Black culture to campus. Finally, Lex Fest, a newly revived tradition of a spring country music festival open to both students and alumni, connected multiple generations of community members through a shared love for music.

What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class so far has been Funny Women, a Spring Term seminar focusing on prominent women in stand-up comedy. In true Spring Term fashion, the class was unconventional in how we engaged with the material. Instead of solely reading text, the majority of our class discussions surrounded Netflix specials. We were challenged to analyze the social issues within stand-up comedy while including a literary component. I found that even though it was my first literature class at W&L, my past experiences in psychology and philosophy classes prepared me well to engage in this class. Funny Women is my favorite class at W&L not only because it was interesting to be in, but also because it was the true representation of intersectionality between subjects and educating the full person through a liberal arts education.

What are your hobbies/interests? How has W&L helped you develop and pursue them?
I love analyzing social situations and mindsets. I have been able to exercise this both in and out of the classroom at W&L. My psychology and philosophy classes encourage me to think deeply about both human scenarios and engage with a wealth of perspectives. Outside of classes, my role as the Maine state chair in the 2024 Mock Convention gave me the opportunity to conduct deep political research and build a profile for the mindset of Maine voters. Fully understanding the mind of Maine voters allowed me to contribute to the famous and highly regarded prediction of the Mock Convention.