Hamilton College Student Spotlight Interview with John Bustillo

John Bustillo majors in Government and Philosophy at Hamilton College. He will graduate in 2028.

1. What led to your decision to attend Hamilton College, a small liberal arts school

located in Upstate New York?

When I was deciding where to go to college, I had a few non-negotiables. First was size.

I wanted small classes where I'd actually know my professors and they'd know me.

Second was breadth. I'm an economics major, but I wanted a school that would keep

giving me a genuinely well-rounded education, and Hamilton's open curriculum lets me

do exactly that. I take classes across departments, including South Asian Studies, where

I get to dig into my family's cultural heritage, its history, its politics, in a way I never would

have if I'd been boxed into a single track.

The last thing I was looking for was a place where I felt like I belonged, where I wouldn't

be invisible in a huge, competitive pool. Hamilton is fiercely competitive, but never at the

expense of other people. At Hamilton there's a real sense of communal well-being in

conjunction to personal success. This balance in my opinion is what makes Hamilton,

Hamilton.

2. What are some of Hamilton College’s most notable programs? (Programs of

study, extracurriculars, etc).

Although data may show that a majority of Hamilton students major in Economics, there are a number of other programs of study like Jurisprudence, Law, and Justice Studies, Public Policy, American Indian and Indigenous Studies (a new minor), and much more. Also noteworthy is that Hamilton’s open curriculum allows for students to take courses in departments/areas of study outside of their intended major/minor.

I am on the mock trial team and am an Opportunity Program (OP) Scholar. If you are interested in STEM, then ROOTS Students of Color in STEM or Pre-Health Careers Club may be for you. If you love community service, then H.A.V.O.C. may be of interest to you. Maybe theater is your passion, in which case Untitled at Large or mainstage may be for you. Pre-law and policy students, you should check out the Pre-Law Club, Hamilton Democrats, or Common Ground are organizations you should look into.

3. What advice would you offer a student who is considering attending Hamilton

College, but is on the fence about it?

It is good to question things: especially when it involves the next four years of your life. What I

can guarantee you is this: as a Hamilton student, you will learn to be a better person, a curious scholar, and will ultimately become a version of yourself you never expected (in a very, very good way, of course).

Look at the full picture: at Hamilton you will be challenged (that’s good). You will make friends

(even better). You may explore the world by studying abroad or enroll in the Washington D.C. or New York City programs (how fun, especially the D.C. program). You will regularly be searching for your semester “fun class” (this semester, for me, it’s a digital media course). Above all, you will be part of a community of curious, intelligent, and forward-looking people (need I say more).

Trust me when I write: I do not regret my decision to move to the Village of Clinton, NY and

spend about four years studying and living here.

4. One word to describe a Hamilton College student?

Venturesome.