I didn't think my college career would ever include showering on a street corner in the Scottish rain. I didn't think it would include having a play I'd written debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, either. But now that both have happened, it seems to make perfect sense.

When I arrived at Middlebury, the only thing I knew for certain about my life was that I loved to write. I would spend hours scribbling down notes and ideas on dining hall napkins and all my friends were convinced I was destined for the English department. Nowadays, I still get curious looks when people find out I am a geography major: "But aren't you the kid who wrote that play?"

Yes, I am the kid who wrote that play. I am also the kid who loves digital mapmaking and cultural geography, and to my delight and surprise, Middlebury's professors have pushed me to succeed at both. When my first play was performed in the local town theater, all four of my teachers from the fall semester were in the front row, clapping loudly and smiling as broadly as any proud parent.

It is a wonderful feeling to know that here at Middlebury, the professors are genuinely interested in what interests you. They push you to succeed in both your chosen area of study as well as anything else you may undertake, helping you to achieve those things you perhaps thought were impossible. My advisor may not have told me to stand in the rain in Scotland, but we certainly had a laugh about it when I got back.