| Major: |
English and American Literatures |
| Hometown: |
Dorchester, Massachusetts |
| Favorites: |
Watching the sun rise over the Green Mountains; reading on Battell Beach; chatting it up in the library café |
| One thing I am: |
I love women of color. We are so beautiful, and it is time we recognize that and embrace it! |
My arrival at Middlebury was anything but expected. I remember going to a college fair in high school and having conversations with college representatives that went like this: “How many black people are there at your school? So that’s under 90 percent. Well, thank you for your time.” I was determined to go to a historically black university by any means necessary.
I was accustomed to being the only black person in a class, and I dealt with a lot of ignorance regarding my heritage. I come from a pretty revolutionary and proud family in terms of our views on race and class issues. So my decision to come to Middlebury was particularly surprising. However, I would not change this experience for anything. I have met some of the nicest, smartest, and most phenomenally inspirational people at this majestic college.
People here listen in a way that I had never witnessed before. They are incredibly compassionate! I tend to deal with a lot internally. It stretches back to my childhood, from going to schools where I felt like I didn’t fit in, either racially, socially, economically. It comes from being a twin, losing my mother at 14 — a lot of different things. I wasn’t able to talk about my past until I got to Middlebury and met people who understood where I was coming from and didn’t judge me for it.
I am still passionate about issues, especially those concerning communities of color. But I credit Middlebury with broadening my scope and opening my eyes to new cultures, new faiths, and new ideas.