During my first year at Middlebury, a friend I’d met only a few months before encouraged me to speak to my advisor. I entered my advisor’s office with the intention of deciding what my major would be. Instead, I sat in his office and cried for 15 minutes. He didn’t say anything. He let me cry. After I was done pouring out my emotions, we talked. I didn’t come out of his office with a clear plan for my academic life, but I came out understanding that it was all right to be vulnerable. I began to trust Middlebury as a community and as my home for four years.

When I applied to Middlebury, I had absolutely no idea what a liberal arts college was, where Vermont was—or what 30 degrees Fahrenheit felt like! For a 19-year-old Indian girl from Hong Kong, coming to America for an education had always been a distant dream. I was anxious when I embarked on the 18-hour journey, mostly because I had minimal knowledge about where I was going. But today, four years later, I can say that I have acquired a taste for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; learned new phrases such as “see you in a few”; tried to ski, and attempted adopting a southern accent. Now, the only thing left to do is to see a moose.

Every aspect of the Middlebury community—students, faculty, staff, alums, host families, people who live in Addison County—has helped me understand myself better. My interaction with these people has encouraged me to pursue my passions. From bringing speakers to campus, to fundraising projects for HIV positive children in Lesotho and the war in Lebanon, to enabling discussions on current issues, to working with community businesses—I’ve learned that anything is possible at this small college removed from the hustle and bustle of city life.