Mina Rizk '28

Pronouns: He/Him

Hometown: Williamsburg, Virginia

High School: Bruton High School

Affiliations (CBO’s, etc.): First-Gen Scholars 

Major: Political Science and Economics 

Minor: Spanish and Anthropology

Main Extracurricular Activities: Middlebury College Crew, MiddDIB, The Middlebury Campus, Student Investment Committee, RISE 

Hey there, my name is Mina and I am from the historical and colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, but I have also lived in New Jersey for five years previously and before that, I lived in Egypt for about 8 years. I did not start thinking about college till junior year as I had no prior knowledge about the complex and complicated world of college admissions. When time came to evaluate what I seeked in most arguably, the next most important four years of my life, I drew from my high school experiences as a driving force towards what I seeked for the next phase of my education. I liked that my school was small but disliked the overload that clashed with that, thus, I craved an elevated version that provided opportunity and access that was absent in my high school. 

I first learned about Middlebury through my Spanish teacher who attended the language program and even more later as I was applying to fly-in programs, which furthermore familiarized me with the school. I loved that the school was hundreds of miles from home, located in an environment that would force me to embrace and adjust to a new, unusual style of living. This idea transversed the school to the top of my list and I wasted no time committing after receiving my acceptance letter. I am currently taking advantage of the diversity of the liberal arts education to explore all academic offerings but I am leaning towards studying political science and economics, with a minor in Spanish and anthropology. 

Why did you choose to attend Middlebury?

Coming from a very overloaded and crowded high school, I knew I wanted to attend a small liberal arts college that was going to grant me academic and professional opportunities in intimate space. What made Middlebury special to me personally was its renowned emphasis on languages out of all and any liberal arts colleges, which blended perfectly with the stellar study abroad opportunities given the myriad of campuses and schools abroad. Additionally, I was highly motivated after hearing my Spanish teacher’s experience at the college during her time here. 

What’s been your favorite course?

I took a creative nonfiction journalism class called “When Truth Meets Craft” for my first January term, which was a blast. I got to practice and build my creative writing which was both new and different. During my first semester I mostly did academic writing due to the nature of my classes. Although it was very beneficial and I got to improve my writing substantially, I sought something that was more me, where my authentic voice can be heard on paper and not masked behind an argument. Like most classes, the small size fostered intimacy and confidence which really allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and activate another part of my brain. 

The final assignment was my favorite. We had to interview someone for our literary piece and this is where I had the most fun. I interviewed President Biden’s Communications Director and Senior Advisor, Ben Labolt (Middlebury Alumni). I reached out to him and not only did he respond back to me despite his busy schedule but he extended me an invitation to his office, inside the White House, where I did the interview. 

Where do you hope to be in five years?

If everything goes according to my 10 year plan, five years from now I will be in my second year of law school, either at Yale or at the University of Chicago. After graduation I would like to do public interest law in either Boston or New York City where I would practice housing and immigration law to help disadvantaged communities and restore justice in those areas.