I came to Middlebury knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I am leaving with many new ideas about the kind of person I want to be. No matter who you are, or where you come from, Middlebury is a place that forces you to ask questions about your identity and your beliefs in an academic but also personal manner.

I do not look at these four years as the easiest of my life, and I don't think that is the goal of Middlebury. Here, we are forced to challenge our understanding of society, shed light on the inequalities of this world, and begin to define who we are as individuals. Marcel Proust said, "We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." I know that the last couple of years have been about my journey. For the first time, I couldn't plan the experiences that I had, or control the things that I saw.

My happiness at Middlebury has come through my social activism; giving and receiving strength through my participation with fellow students of color and women on campus. Over the course of four years, I have found myself the president of Women of Color, on the board of Feminist Action at Middlebury, and traveling to India to study the representation of Indian women in the arts. I could never have realized my strength and the power of my contributions to this world without the support of Middlebury.

In the fall of my senior year I returned to Middlebury wanting to educate the community on issues surrounding sex, sexual identity, and sexual violence after having lost a close friend to domestic violence. Following such a sudden and painful loss, faculty members from the Sociology/Anthropology department, members of the Chellis House (Women and Gender studies), the director of Health and Wellness, and an influential group of students helped in forming a powerful month-long discussion series entitled "Let's Talk About Sex." Furthermore, my academic advisors and mentors gratefully provided me with a safe space to talk and escape during that adverse time. In truth, there are few colleges that have such a supportive administration, and people who are willing to take you into their homes during the difficult moments that come with becoming an adult.