Major: |
Psychology |
Hometown: |
Topeka, Kansas |
Favorites: |
Playing broomball; climbing the big pine tree in front of McCullough |
One thing I am: |
Relief worker for victims of Hurricane Katrina |
I come from the homogeneous state of Kansas. My parents grew up on farms, and I was raised in a pretty conservative home out in the country. Growing up I knew people had different perspectives, but I never really encountered anyone with a viewpoint very different from my own, until coming to Middlebury. One of my freshman roommates was from Senegal, and my other hall mates came from all over the globe. Discussions with them challenged me to contemplate my own beliefs, and it was rewarding to hear their different views.
Coming to Middlebury I questioned whether I really belonged at such a prestigious academic institution. After all, I’m just a kid from a public school in Kansas. I struggled with the challenge of always comparing myself to others, which, trust me, is not worth the time. I started to internalize the fact, however, that people have different gifts and that all I can do is use what I’ve been blessed with as best I can.
Most of my extended family is in Kansas, and practically all of my cousins are at Kansas State University. It was tough to resist the strong familial pull to attend KSU, but in the end a longing for adventure led me to the snowy mountains of Vermont.