Before coming to Hamilton, everyone told me what people usually tell incoming college freshmen “You will find yourself, you will meet your lifelong friends...” I must say, they weren’t wrong. In high school, I thought I might be interested in neuroscience, but had never taken psychology and was eager to. As far as any career plans, all I knew was that I had too many interests; the only thing I had eliminated was medicine. About halfway through my time at Hamilton however, I realized that I had prematurely written off something that just might tie together my list of seemingly unrelated interests. I now hope to apply to medical school. Whoops.
I knew I would be working toward fluency in Spanish in college, but didn't anticipate my course load leading me to a minor in comparative literature as well. I had always assumed I would be going to a Spanish or French-speaking country abroad, but plans changed when I fell in love with the thought of living and working in the Adirondacks. That program was the kind of opportunity I wasn't going to be presented with at any other time in my life. I grew up in the beautiful state of Maine without having explored much of it. As a kid, I complained my way up any hike I was forced on and had little interest in outdoor activities (unless I was working on my tan, obviously). I have completed more hikes in Maine in the few summers since leaving it than I had in the 18 years before Hamilton — testament to my transformation into what some would call a treehugger. My high school self would probably laugh at the thought of voluntarily completing a 90-mile canoe race, and yet, I have the Tshirt.
