Kira Waldhalm, '27

Hometown: Harrisburg, SD
Languages: English, Korean, Mandarin
High School: Harrisburg High School
Majors: Chinese and Geography
Main Extracurricular Activities: Middlebury Debate Society, Chinese Society, Admissions Ambassador, & Tour Guide

Hello! My name is Kira Waldhalm and I’m from a small town in South Dakota. I discovered Middlebury through research in high school about liberal arts colleges on the east coast that supported my academic interests. I had the opportunity to meet up with the only other South Dakotan Middlebury student back home before I came to Middlebury for my first semester. It was a really great experience to hear directly from a student about their experience at Middlebury. 

I am pursuing a joint major in Chinese and Geography with a minor in Political Science. On campus, I’m heavily involved with the Middlebury Debate Society, which I have gone to many tournaments for. I am also a tutor for the Chinese department! Last year, I started taking piano lessons with the music department, and it’s been really fun to pick up a hobby that I have always wanted to do. 

Favorite place in Vermont? Favorite place in town?

My favorite place in Vermont is this restaurant in Burlington called Cafe Dim Sum! It’s a really wonderful restaurant, and I have some great memories going there with friends. In town, I love to go to Yogurt City to get some boba. I like to order in Mandarin to practice my skills outside of the classroom and chat with the shop owners!

How would you describe the Middlebury experience?

I would describe the Middlebury experience as intercultural. During my sophomore year winter break, I traveled to Panama to compete in the World Universities Debating Championship. During some downtime, I explored the city’s Chinatown, which gave me my first opportunity to use Chinese outside of Middlebury. It was an incredible experience to apply the language skills I’ve developed in a real-world setting, reinforcing how Middlebury’s emphasis on global learning extends far beyond the classroom.

Why did you choose to attend Middlebury? 

While going through the college application process, I honestly wasn’t totally sure what type of school I wanted to attend. I knew that I wanted to attend a college that wasn’t super large so I could get to know my professors easier and have accessible classroom support. I also wanted to have the opportunity to explore academically, so the liberal arts environment of Middlebury was really appealing. At the same time, I was also interested in studying abroad, and Middlebury’s study abroad program having the same tuition as our Vermont school made sure I would be able to do so.