This fall semester has been quite a different experience from last year as we return to some sense of normalcy after a year in pandemic. The transition to all in person classes has been a welcome change, and I no longer take for granted the opportunities it provides for a collaborative work environment and building relationships with professors. In the past semester, I declared both math and computer science majors, while taking courses in both subjects that presented a new level of interesting challenge. Taking these classes, I enjoyed the intersection of their content, as you could see on a daily basis how the theory of one class could be applied to another. Following this fall, I look forward to continuing this academic track in the spring semester.

This fall also gave me the opportunity to compete on the cross country team for the first time here at Middlebury. While we were able to practice last year during the pandemic, there was still a change in intensity and excitement being in a real season, and I look forward to competing on the track this winter and spring. In addition to competing for the first time, this fall I was given the opportunity to work as a research assistant with one of my academic advisors on a data science project which uses R (a data science coding language) to perform text sentiment analysis. I look forward to working more on this project next semester and further exploring what Middlebury has to offer without the obstacles presented by Covid. I am forever grateful for the generosity of MVYouth and the opportunity it has provided to continue my studies.