Simon Leiderman, '26.5

Hometown: I live in Durham, North Carolina now, but Chicago, Illinois was home for the last 14 years.

Languages: English, Spanish

Major: International and Global Studies with a Concentration in Global Security Studies

Minor: History

Main extracurricular activities: Club volleyball, club soccer, Hillel, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies research internship, tour guide, athletics and events photography

Favorite study spot? Axinn Center waterfall. I quite like the walk down to Axinn as a way to clear my mind, and the waterfall is just the perfect spot to settle. The flowing water helps me focus and the views out the glass wall are fantastic, especially when it snows. Great vibes all around inside too. Besides, sometimes I run into my advisor, who knows he can often find me there.

Favorite food in the dining hall? It’s close, but I’ll go with the days in Proc (Proctor Dining Hall) with the jalapeño cheddar burgers and shrimp po’ boys. Really gets the job done. 

Favorite Vermont spot: I’d have to say Bartlett Falls out in Bristol. There are some really nice hikes around the water and you can experience a plethora of Vermont landscapes. A sunny early or late summer day provides a great opportunity to get out and around. The winter scape with the barn trees and snow covered rocks and flowing water make for a great nature adventure if you’ll brave the cold. Fall is my personal favorite, as the surrounding trees and foliage present the full spectrum of Vermont colors!

Favorite academic experience: My favorite class was American Foreign Policy with professor Allison Stanger. The course was a fascinating and in-depth review of historic and modern policy. The course also encouraged and demanded students to respond to current events and write papers with recommendations and solutions to current and future foreign policy dilemmas.

Where did you study abroad? I studied at Midd’s graduate campus (MIIS) in Monterey, California in the the fall of my junior year and in Madrid, Spain in the spring of my junior year.

Why did you choose to attend Middlebury? I chose Middlebury because it seemed like the place I most wanted to spend by college experience. When I took my campus tour, the study nooks and spike ball and classrooms seemed like home for me. As I dove further into the school, I was more and more convinced that academic opportunities and study abroad programs and diverse major course listings would help cement my choice.