Hometown: Raleigh, NC
High School: Raleigh Charter High School
Major: Dance
Minor: Portuguese

Activities: Swing Dance Club, Footloose salsa club, Dance Company of Middlebury, teaching swing to local high schoolers, Tour Guide Coordinator in Admissions, intern in the Brainerd Commons office

Study Abroad: The best spring and summer of my life in Florianópolis, Brazil!

Why did I want to be a Senior Fellow?

I’ve worked in Admissions for several years; I wanted a chance to take off the tour guide name tag and talk to students and families while not walking backwards! After sending my younger brother off to Williams this fall, I’m excited to help other students through the process.

What was my college search like?

Long. I remember it feeling like running marathon toward a precipice, and that everything I did or said or thought about for about a year and a half was about college. When I got here I was oddly surprised to find that that I hadn’t undergone some dramatic personality makeover after all the suspenseful buildup—I was still me, still living my life. The college search process doesn't have to be so all-consuming! I’d like to put prospective students at ease about that.

Why Middlebury?

I ended up choosing between Middlebury and another small NE liberal arts school that was pretty much the same on paper. After accepted students' weekend at the other school, I was pretty sure I was going there... until I came to Preview Days at Middlebury. I stepped on campus and right away it felt like home--a feeling that hasn't wavered since. Though Middlebury did have all the checklist items I was looking for, for me it really came down to that feeling: the feeling of being at home and being excited by new things all at once.

What is life at Middlebury like?

Choosing a major

I had all kinds of other intentions, but I just fell in love with the Dance Department. I realized that no matter what I wanted to do after I graduate, I might as well do something I’m passionate about while I’m here—and leave myself lots of room in my schedule to take other interesting classes in all kinds of subjects!

The biggest challenge in transitioning to college

Not being able to eat my dad’s homemade bread every day. Luckily, my parents were generous in their use of FedEx.

Fondest memory of Middlebury

Many memories vie for first place:

Taking a break from studying for exams to go have a picnic, and then run around outside in a giant rainstorm, with a huge group of friends on the first truly warm day of the year. The arrival of spring is a long-awaited cause for celebration!

Going midnight sledding and then staying up all night to watch a very cold and very beautiful sunrise.

Spending about eight hours a day in the dining hall during Jterm, just table hopping between different groups of friends.

Moving in early every year when there are hardly any students on campus—I can play music as loud as I like, explore the campus to my heart’s content, and enjoy the gorgeous Vermont summer. It’s a side of campus not many students get to see, but it’s one of my favorite times of year.

Favorite class or professor

Fernando Rocha, Portuguese 101. I fell in love with the language after one class with Fernando, and the entire path I had envisioned for my life veered onto a completely new course.

Linda White, Foundations of Women and Gender Studies. I can’t remember if I learned a single fact, but I think about that class all the time, even several years later. It changed the way I think about and view the world.

What I do in my spare time

Dance. Eat. Laugh. Read. Marvel at the scenic overlook that is my window. Put time into being a good friend. Try to squeeze as much as I can out of this place before I have to leave it.

What I did this past summer

I stayed in Brazil after my spring semester studying abroad, hanging out with the fantastic friends I’d made there. I also learned to cook, went out dancing, practiced my Portuguese, and made fun of Brazilians who thought their “winter” was cold enough for parkas and boots.