After the end of the academic year, the Class of 2025 will depart from Washington and Lee to pursue new opportunities. While many students leave Lexington for this next step in their lives, some students decide to stay in the Rockbridge area.
Lui Blomberg, ’25, a music and engineering double major, plans to live and work in Lexington after graduation. According to Blomberg, multiple considerations factored into this decision.
“A big part of it is finding a community in town that I still feel like I have more to do with,” Blomberg said.
Blomberg recently became close with a local church community and wants to continue to be a part of it. He also hopes to remain connected to the Washington and Lee community by possibly working at the university, attending his friend’s music performances, and continuing to spend time with his girlfriend, who is a current student.
Blomberg hopes that remaining close to this familiar environment will make the transition out of college easier. “The advantage is being able to get into the workforce in a familiar environment. I still have friends, I still know the area, but I’m learning to switch from the student world to the working world.”
Blomberg is not the only Washington and Lee student to remain involved in Lexington’s religious community after graduation. Michael McLaughlin, ’23, has spent the past two years working in the music department at Grace Episcopal Church. He currently works as the assisting music minister and bartends at SkyBar on the side.
McLaughlin was involved at Grace Episcopal Church during his time in college, he said, and was able to rely on this community after his original plans to attend graduate school fell through.
“I had a lot of good mentors here. When grad school didn’t work out, they really picked me up and created a program for me to stay,” he said.
Sellers Smith, ’23, works at a medical clinic in Rayfield and is in the process of applying to medical schools.
“I’m from a pretty small town myself. I like the feel of Lexington. [Staying] seemed like a good move,” Smith said.
McLaughlin and Smith took advantage of the close proximity to remain connected to Washington and Lee. The university hired McLaughlin to sing professionally in Washington and Lee music performances, and he enjoys attending guest lectures when he’s not in rehearsal. Smith played guitar in the Pi Kappa Phi band for a year after graduating.
However, as they have spent more time in Lexington, McLauglin and Smith have become less involved with Washington and Lee, and more involved in Lexington itself, they said.
“We started going to the festivals in town, and we started to learn more about the things that are going on here,” McLauglin said.
After McLauglin began working at Sky Bar, he and Smith felt more connected to the town. “We started learning all of the townie lore and knowledge,” said Smith.
Both McLaughlin and Smith have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for Lexington that they did not have during their time as students, they said.
“Rockbridge County is way bigger than the school, you just can’t see that while you’re in school,” said Smith.
Despite enjoying their time as a part of the Lexington community, both McLaughlin and Smith do not plan to live in Lexington long term. Smith is currently applying to medical schools, and will be working in his hometown after his current position is completed. After getting married this spring, McLauglin will be moving to pursue a new opportunity in either Florida or Massachusetts, he said.
While they have both decided that it is time to leave, they said they have appreciated getting to know Rockbridge County outside of the Washington and Lee bubble.
“I can’t walk down the street without getting stopped by someone,” McLaughlin said. “I run into at least two people who I end up talking to for a bit and usually neither of them are students.”
