Will Rierson is a sophomore Public Relations and Political Science double major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A Winston-Salem, North Carolina native, Will comes from an area of the country that is experiencing a generational shift in what it means to be a gentleman. Principled southern gentlemen of the Greatest Generation once served their communities and families because they were called by their faith and sense of duty to others. Today southern hospitality is increasingly likely to be the name of a clothing line and the standard for being a gentleman is how gracefully one can chug beer while wearing seersucker. Will is a man with a strong moral code formed by his faith, family, and experience as an Eagle Scout. It was in his church, home, and Boy Scout experiences that he learned he was a man of conviction charged with service to others. As a summer camp counselor and Boy Scouts of America adult volunteer he has learned to put the needs of others before himself and helped teach important life skills and values to a new generation of gentlemen and involved citizens. Through a Boy Scout mentor he has worked with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina to volunteer canned food drives for the hungry in his region. In his church he has helped Operation Christmas Child and Change This World, charities that spread hope to impoverished nations overseas. Will may be an outlier in a world of moral relativism and selfishness, though he believes that even one gentleman can change his community for the better.
