Elizabeth Ray ’24

Over my four years at Wellesley, the oh-so-tan-and-green Shafer living room became my favorite place in the world, because that was where I did improv. Shafer became the de facto headquarters of Dead Serious (Wellesley’s best—and only—improv troupe) during my three years as a Deadie. My first practice, in the fall of 2021, was in Shafer. My fondest friendships were forged in the crucible of improvisation and lovingly protected by Shafer’s walls (walls that, at one point, over half of Dead Serious also lived within). Dead Serious has a tradition that, during their final show, the seniors perform a scene in which one person must always have their head in a bucket of water. After I resurfaced, tears mixed with bucket water as I stood surrounded by my favorite people in my favorite place, one last time, and hoped the impending watermark on the living room floor would last forever.