Makayla Reed, ‘26

Hi there! My name is Makayla, and I am currently a senior from Middletown, DE, studying International Politics and Economics.

I learned about Middlebury by accident, relatively late in the application process. My sister took a trip to Fairfax, VT sometime in the fall of my junior year and happened to stop in Middlebury during her drive back to Delaware. When I asked her about her trip, she said Middlebury was the most beautiful part of Vermont that she’d seen and told me there was a small college in the town. After looking it up, I asked her if she thought I should apply and she said “No, there’s nothing there.”

Needless to say I applied anyway and am incredibly grateful to have chosen such a beautiful place to continue my studies! Although Middlebury may seem remote, the college is incredibly safe and accessible, two factors that were very important to me when deciding which college to attend.

During my time at the college, I have taken advantage of almost every opportunity that has presented itself to me from working 1:1 with an economics professor to research how climate change impacts fertility in economics, to interning in Cape Town, South Africa the summer after my sophomore year thanks to funding from the career center on campus, and even exploring the surrounding areas in Vermont all year round (hiking the 18.5 mile Trail Around Middlebury, going to the Snowbowl—Middlebury’s College-owned ski mountain—in the winter, visiting the lakes/waterfalls near campus, etc.). Whatever your interests are, I’m more than happy to connect and share a bit about my experiences at Middlebury!

Hometown: Middletown, DE

Languages: English

Major: International Politics & Economics

Main Extracurricular Activities: Middlebury College Activities Board, Tavern (Omega Alpha) Community Service Oriented Social House, Peer Career Advisor at the Center for Careers & Internships, Tour Guide Coordinator, PALANA multicultural social house

Favorite study spot? The Grille (even though I do more talking than actual studying there…)

Favorite food in the dining hall? Ross orange chicken

Favorite Vermont spot: Yogurt City in Middlebury—no one makes lemon green tea like they do

Favorite academic experience: Art Creation Through Breath, my first J-term class, has been one of my favorite classes I’ve taken at Middlebury. We would start each class with a 15-minute guided meditation, which we would then reflect on in our breathing journals. The class focused on connecting our art (singing, dancing, poetry, etc.) to our breathing, and we even had a showcase at the end of the term in the concert hall!

Where did you study abroad? In the spring of my junior year, I went on exchange at University College Utrecht in the Netherlands, and it was by far one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only did I become close friends with people from all over the world, but I also embraced Dutch culture (I miss my bike and stroopwafels dearly), and travelled to 15 countries while I was there, including spending a night in the Moroccan desert and skydiving in Switzerland!

Why did you choose to attend Middlebury? I could write a novel about all the reasons I chose to attend Middlebury. From the accessible study abroad programs and diverse student body to the emphasis on work-life balance, the encouragement to explore and lean into your interests, and even the opportunity to live in such a beautiful area. Middlebury checked all my boxes and then some that I hadn’t even thought to consider when applying to schools. One aspect that particularly stood out to me during the application process was how different my alumni interview for Middlebury felt compared to those for other schools. I had such a positive experience being interviewed by an alum in my area; I could tell she was genuinely interested in who I was as a person and that she had truly enjoyed her time at Middlebury. She was a wonderful reflection of how warm and welcoming the Middlebury community is—and, in the end, that’s what really drew me in.

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“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” — T.S. Eliot (a quote shared with me by the professor of my economics senior seminar)

With information widely available, education is no longer about learning facts and figures. Students must learn to think critically and apply the information they learn to real-world scenarios—a task that Middlebury College students are particularly equipped for.

Middlebury’s liberal arts education fosters students’ ability to turn their knowledge into wisdom by allowing and encouraging them to broaden their worldview and explore their interests. Students often engage in interdisciplinary studies, laying the foundation for them to solve the world’s problems, which require a variety of perspectives rather than a single school of thought.