Ironically, some of my best college experiences have not been at Middlebury. I think that's what is so amazing about this institution: It gives you the tools to go out and explore the opportunities available to you, even as an undergraduate.

It was a Middlebury professor, Andrea Lloyd, who inspired me to study abroad in Madagascar. Studying conservation and development in this wonderfully unique place was a lesson in language, science, and especially life. Middlebury students are encouraged to study abroad, and I think this carries over into the classroom where a broadening of life experiences enhances in-class debates.

Here at Middlebury, through the careful mentoring of biology professor Sallie Sheldon, I was able to develop field research and lab skills. I used these skills last summer as a Vermont Genetics Network summer researcher on Plum Island, Massachusetts, studying the effects of nitrogen inputs on algal communities in marsh ecosystems. My project has also taken me to the Marine Biological Laboratory, a major think-tank in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to work one-on-one with a senior scientist, photographing the microorganisms of Plum Island.

My love of photography extends to larger life forms as well. As the photo editor of the Middlebury Campus , the weekly student newspaper, I have honed my skills through practice, practice, and more practice. Last winter I had the opportunity to photograph presidential hopeful Howard Dean at a rally in New Hampshire as an official press photographer. Just as scientific research took me beyond the borders of the campus, the photographic skills I acquired working for Middlebury's student paper allowed me to cover issues of national significance.