International Student Orientation Program Assistants
As Program Assistants (in short, P.A.s) for Middlebury College’s International Student Orientation 2008, we would like to welcome you warmly to the Middlebury community. We are looking forward to getting to know you all and helping you settle in this new and exciting place. Our role as P.A.s will be to organize International Orientation and to be as much help as possible to you all. Each of us will be assigned a group of students, and you will probably receive news from your own P.A. before your arrival.
We wanted to send you an early message to introduce ourselves, and encourage you to send us questions or concerns you might have. Most of us have asked many of the same questions before, and we will be glad to be of help! Keep in mind that many P.A.s may have busy schedules, so please be patient. If you feel your concerns are urgent, you may want to contact the College directly through International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at isss@middlebury.edu. Enjoy the rest of summer (or winter—depending on where you are)!
From top to bottom: Patrick Jobson, Rachel Ochako, Rowan Braybrook,
Michael Nardone, Annabelle Fowler, Leslie Lim, David Zhou, Awa Sanou, Shabana Basij-Rasikh, Chris Lam, Michael Suen, Ria Shroff, Ting Li, Ashley Litzenberger
Missing from photo: Micah Macfarlane, Hana Nagao
Student Coordinators
Christopher Lam
’10: Congratulations! As the Student Coordinator I want to extend my warmest welcome to you all for making this great choice in coming to Middlebury. I’m a junior from both Hong Kong/Canada and a graduate from Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong, and am majoring in Biology and minoring in Japanese. Middlebury is a great place to explore different interests and share different cultures, and I’m looking forward to meeting you and having lots of fun. If you have any questions, or just want to chat, feel free to email me! cl@middlebury.edu
Ria Shroff
’09: Namaste and welcome to Middlebury! My name is Ria Shroff and I am a senior. I am from India and I am a Spanish Major/Political Science Minor. In my time away from schoolwork, I am active in community service in Middlebury and with the International Students’ Organization (ISO). I look forward to meeting all of you and welcoming you to this wonderful place! See you soon! rshroff@middlebury.edu
Lead Program Assistant
Annabelle Fowler
’10: Congratulations and welcome to Middlebury! I am thrilled you will be joining us for International Orientation 2008. I am a junior from both England and Ecuador, and am working towards a double major in Mathematics and Economics. As your Lead P.A. I look forward to meeting you all and helping you make an easy transition into the Middlebury community. If you have questions prior to your arrival or want to talk, don’t hesitate to email me! I’ll be happy to hear from you, get to know you, and answer all of your queries. afowler@middlebury.edu
Program Assistants
Shabana Basij-Rasikh
’11: I’m a sophomore from Afghanistan, and I’m excited to welcome you to your new amazing home, Middlebury! It’s beautiful here! I’m planning to major in International Studies and minor in Arabic and Women and Gender Studies. I will be involved in Feminist Action at Middlebury College, Women and Global Peace, and Amnesty International during your first academic year! I like talking to friends, taking walks around campus and listening to music. I will spend this summer at Middlebury studying Arabic. I am so happy that you decided to come to Middlebury College! I am very much looking forward to welcoming you. In the meantime, if you have questions, concerns or just want to say hi, please don’t hesitate to email me. Congratulations! Enjoy the summer! sbasijra@middlebury.edu
Rowan Braybrook
’08.5: Hello everyone, and welcome to Middlebury! My name is Rowan Braybrook, and I am a senior Feb from the lovely San Juan Islands in Washington State. I went to an international school in my hometown for high school, and studied and traveled abroad in Southeast Asia and Central America. I’m working on a Sociology/Anthropology major with a Religion minor and have a number of side activities to keep me occupied, including Amnesty International, the college's Organic Garden, and working at the Admissions Office. Last year I was also a residential adviser (RA) for Wonnacott Commons, and I'll be spending this summer working on sustainable community development in Senegal. I can't wait to introduce you all to Middlebury! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have and help you out in any way; contact me at rbraybro@middlebury.edu.
Patrick Jobson
’11: I’m a sophomore born in Germany who lived in the US for a couple of years, but I was mostly raised in Chile, my home. I am an IPE major (International Politics and Economics), with a focus on Brazil. At Middlebury I have been actively involved in the Middlebury Campus, a student run newspaper. In addition, some of my hobbies include skiing, scuba diving, soccer, playing the guitar and simply enjoying all the things Middlebury has to offer. We are all really excited you decided to come here! You will be an invaluable contribution to the Middlebury community and I can’t wait to meet you. If you have any question or simply want to talk do not hesitate to get in touch with me! pjobson@middlebury.edu
Ting Li
’11: Hi everyone, I’m Ting Li, a sophomore at Middlebury. I was born in China and lived there for twelve years until my family immigrated to America. I began to learn English, my second language, after I came to America, and I developed a great passion for languages. I started my third language – Spanish – a year after I came to America. As a dancer, I’m now exploring movement/body language as my fourth language! I love dancing and I’m majoring in dance and neuroscience, as well as fulfilling pre-med requirements. It’s a busy schedule, but I still have a lot of fun. I wish you the same. Until we meet. tingl@middlebury.edu
Leslie Lim
’10: Hello, and a very warm welcome to Middlebury. My name is Leslie Lim and I am a junior. I am Japanese-Chinese, currently live in Singapore, and am pursuing a double major in Political Science and Japanese. I also work as a waitress at Dolci, the student-run restaurant here, participate in Aikido club and am a tour guide (yes I walk backwards!) I love to read, eat, spend time with my friends and attempt to be an amateur poet. Can't wait to meet you all in the fall! llim@middlebury.edu
Ashley Litzenberger
’11.5: My name is Ashley and I am a sophomore Feb (2011.5). I snowboard, cross country ski, bike, row crew and generally like outdoors. I’m American, but I have lived abroad and attended international schools in Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and Belgium, and right now my parents are living in Kyrgyzstan. I haven’t declared a major yet, but I’m interested in Political Science, International Studies, and Russian. I’m really excited to meet all of you this fall!!! Email me if you have any questions about school or Vermont life or just about anything! See you in August! alitzenb@middlebury.edu
Micah Macfarlane ’09: Already in my senior year at Middlebury, I am working towards a major in Political Science, with minors in Arabic and Spanish. Over the course of my time at Middlebury, the chance to live and work with such amazing people has been an absolute gift, and one that keeps on propelling me forward. A gift I look forward to sharing with you. mmacfarl@middlebury.edu
Hana Nagao
’09: I am a senior majoring in East Asian studies. Born in Japan, I grew up in the United States and currently reside in Massachusetts. At Middlebury, I'm a member of the rowing club, MASO, ISO, Japanese club and Chinese club. During my free time I enjoy being outdoors with friends hiking, running, or simply just sitting and reading. If you have any questions about the information I mentioned above feel free to ask! Safe travels! hnagao@middlebury.edu
Michael Nardone
’11: I'm a half-Thai, half-American sophomore from Bangkok, Thailand. My academic interests are scattered and I've yet to choose my major (you aren't the only ones) though I'm leaning towards Economics, International Studies or Philosophy and I love Creative Writing. I'm fluent in English and Thai and will be working on my Spanish this summer at the language school. Outside of academia, I row on the crew team, enjoy the outdoors and love to read. I'm eager to meet all of you but until then feel free to contact me, with anything at all. Expect great things here, you won't be disappointed. mnardone@middlebury.edu
Rachel Ochako
’11: Hello everyone! I am from Kenya, Africa. I spent two years in Singapore where I took the IB diploma at the United World College (UWC) of South East Asia. In my first year, I am already happy with the college and its community. This is why I am thrilled to be welcoming you to Middlebury during the next academic year. Out of academics, I have been involved in activities organized by Amnesty, and Midd on the Globe, which organizes Swahili classes for the community. I am also a member of UMOJA and ISO, which is the organization for international students. At this point I can only tell you, from an international student’s perspective, that you have definitely made the best choice by choosing Middlebury College. Please do feel free to contact me anytime at rochako@middlebury.edu
Awa Sanou
’11: You’re almost there!! A year ago I was in your shoes and now I am getting ready to welcome you. My name is Awa and I am a sophomore from Burkina Faso. I went to the United World College (UWC) of Canada. For those of you who are wondering what that is, well it is just a high school that is part of the UWC movement. As to the question of what I did with my academic life in my first year, I enjoyed it while taking courses in the Economics, Political Science, Writing and Arabic department. Major-wise, we’ll see how the world of Economics and potentially Political Science will treat me in the coming years! Do you feeling like practicing your French, or just want to talk to someone before getting to Middlebury? Drop me line at asanou@middlebury.edu.
Michael Suen
’11: Hey everyone, I'm obscenely excited to meet all of you. I grew up in L.A. but moved to Hong Kong when I was eleven, where I've been living ever since. Most likely, I'll be pursuing a joint major in English/Film & Media Culture, though my academic interests also include history, sociology, and art. In addition to writing for the school newspaper, movie-making with the Middlebury Film Club, and DJ-ing for the college radio, I also enjoy travel, sleeping and long walks on the beach. msuen@middlebury.edu.
David Zhou
’11: I am a sophomore, bent on fully enjoying the luxury of not declaring a major until the end of this year! (One of the wonderful things about Middlebury!) Born and bred in Wuhan, China, I have lived in Canada since 2003. Having survived Wuhan's "oven-like" summers and the "-30C plus-wind-chill" winter in Calgary, it must not be a complete fluke that I'm a warm and easy-going person. Since coming to Middlebury, I have been involved with College Choir, Debate Club, Chinese Club, and the Student Government’s Student Educational Affairs Committee. This year, I will serve for the International Student's Organization (ISO). Above all, I'm most thrilled to be your PA this fall. An exciting life is awaiting you at Middlebury! If you have any questions, email me whenever! dzhou@middlebury.edu
We look forward to assisting you!
International Student Orientation, International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS), Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
Email: isss@middlebury.edu