I wanted to be able to share Middlebury with prospective students
and families. I’ve worked at the Admissions Office for three years answering phones and greeting visitors, but I think being able to work more closely with prospective students will be a rewarding way to
wrap up my time at Middlebury and give back to the place that has given me so many opportunities.

I worked as an intern at the US Department of Commerce in Washington DC, where I worked in the Secretary’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Middlebury’s Center for Education in Action provided funding enabling me to live in Washington, DC and complete my unpaid internship.

I literally started with a list of 200 schools—in other words, I had no idea what sort of a school I wanted to attend. Eventually, I realized that I wanted to live, work, play, and study in a nurturing, tight-knit, vibrant, and academically-focused community, and Middlebury turned out to strike the perfect balance for me. I am thrilled that I ended up at this place, but in retrospect I wish I had been more relaxed about the process four years ago. I now know that stressing and obsessing over details doesn’t get you as far in the college process as showcasing your character and passions.

Biggest challenge in transitioning to college

Although I never went to boarding school, Middlebury made transitioning to college life relatively easy. The biggest challenge was living on a hall with forty people instead of four, but my residential life team and the camaraderie of my hall mates on Stewart 4 made it relatively easy.

Greatest surprise or least expected aspect of life at Middlebury

One surprise was how busy I am here, but how happy I felt staying busy. In high school I would do a lot of homework, stay active in different activities, and felt stressed most of the time. At Midd, I hard but for the most part enjoy the schoolwork, and I go from meeting to meeting for extracurricular activities but usually feel productive and excited staying so busy.

Choosing a major

I really like politics and policy, and so for me becoming a PoliSci major was a no-brainer. In fairness, though, I had never taken a PoliSci class before Midd and came into my freshman year with no idea about what my major would be.

Favorite Class

A tie between Allison Stanger’s American Foreign Policy and Matt
Dickinson’s Seminar on US Congress. Both fun, discussion-heavy classes about topics vital to my field.

Favorite Vermont-based activity

Watching the leaves change every autumn. I can’t get enough of it.

Favorite winter activities

 Skiing, then sitting in a heated room with a warm beverage in hand
surrounded by friends.

Favorite spot off campus

Pulp Mill Covered Bridge on Seymour Street

My hair is less red and my face less freckled, but my brain is fuller, and I have a newer, clearer understanding of my own priorities and how I operate.

Skip the library on a Sunday afternoon in early October and instead climb up Snake Mountain. Take a look around, hike down, and make yourself a Sunday Sundae worthy of your efforts.