Hailing from Southern California, where the sun never sets, Will Birnie brings some much needed rays to our campus with his high-spirited enthusiasm.

Taking advantage of everything Colgate has to offer, Birnie says he enjoys doing “as much as he can,” because each new experience brings with it new friends, new skills and a new understanding of his capabilities. A member of Phi Delta Theta, Birnie was elected Scholarship and Philanthropy Chair for his house.

“Joining Phi Delta Theta was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made at Colgate.” Birnie says. Fellow members of his fraternity have fulfilled the feeling of brotherhood and solidarity. “They are my best friends,” says Birnie, “and really, some of the best people I’ve met in my life.”

An avid volleyball player, Birnie is captain of the men’s club team. He says he’s most happy when playing the sport: deep in the thickets of competition with friends and classmates watching their team beat the competition. Men’s volleyball is having its best year under Birnie’s leadership.

Birnie also finds himself inexplicably drawn to the theatre department on campus. During his junior year he stage-managed the University show Machinal, which gleaned rave reviews around campus. He is also a member of Experimental Theatre, whose members are in the process of constructing their own show.

If you recognize Birnie from anywhere, chances are it’s from Charred Goosebeak, Colgate’s improv comedy troupe. When asked about how his troupe, Birnie could hardly contain his glee. “When you take the funniest people on campus and put them into a room,” he says, “the result is dynamic and unstoppable!”

An English and Political Science double major, Birnie enjoys academics as well. He traveled to London his junior year on Colgate’s London study abroad program. “I’d kill to go back,” he says, reflecting on all he experienced and learned.

In 10 years Birnie sees himself as a lawyer, pursuing a deep-seeded dream to delve into politics and to be wealthy. His pipe dreams include the following: “having as much money as I can and having an extremely muscular frame.”

Birnie urges everyone to follow his example and try what Colgate has to offer. “And I mean everything,” he says. “You can still be president one day, no matter what stupid stuff you did as a college student – and imagine what you will learn from the experience!”