Issuu

spring commencement

monterey, california saturday, may 17, 2025

MIDDLEBURY INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AT MONTEREY

Commencement Exercises and Conferring of Degrees

PROCESSIONAL

Please rise for the processional.

WELCOME

Stephen Snyder

Middlebury Interim President

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Hannah Ross

General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer, and Secretary of the Corporation

REMARKS

Interim President Stephen Snyder

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

Yuko Matsuoka Harris MAIPS ’96

HONORARY DEGREE PRESENTATION

Yuko Matsuoka Harris MAIPS ’96

STUDENT SPEAKER

Kareem Tinto MAT ’25

CONFERRING OF DEGREES

Interim President Stephen Snyder

PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES

Charles Cai

Associate Professor and Program Head, Chinese Translation and Interpretation

Scott Pulizzi

Associate Professor and Program Chair, Global Governance, Policy, and Development

CLOSING REMARKS

Interim President Stephen Snyder

RECESSIONAL

Please remain seated for the recessional.

RECEPTION

Please join us for a celebration at the Pierce Street Promenade.

5

PRESIDENT’S PARTY

Stephen Snyder

Yuko Matsuoka Harris

Kareem Tinto

Hannah Ross

Charles Cai

Scott Pulizzi

Jeff Dayton-Johnson

GRAND MARSHAL

Max Troyer

Professor, Translation and Localization Management

FACULTY MARSHAL

Andrea Hofmann-Miller

Faculty Senate Past President and Associate Professor, German Translation and Interpretation

MASTER OF ARTS IN CONFERENCE INTERPRETATION=CI

MASTER OF ARTS IN TRANSLATION=T

MASTER OF ARTS IN TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION=TI

CHINESE

Chenxue Canedo (TI)

Hong Kong

Kewa Chen (TI) Huizhou, China

Pei-Ling Chen (TI) Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Tingjie Chen (T) Zhuhai, China

Haobo Deng (T) Beijing, China

Jerry Ding (CI) Shenzhen, China

Xinru Fan (T) Nanjing, China

Yiran Gao (T) Hohhot, China

Shaoli Gu (CI) Honolulu, Hawaii

Shuqi Guo (T) Chongqing, China

Zidian Guo (TI) Shenzhen, China

Tianyu Hao (T) Changsha, China

Shuyi He (T) Swatow, China

Siru He (T) Changsha, China

Xiaohui Hu (TI) Xi’an, China

Zihan Huang (CI) Dalian, China

Jingjing Jiang (T) Hangzhou, China

Su Jiang (TI) Nanjing, China

Zhengqi Jie (TI) Nanchang, China

Lei Jin (T) Anshun, China

Sonam Lhaki (T) Thimphu, Bhutan

Rachel Ketong Li (CI)

Jiahui Lin (CI) Hangzhou, China

Xinyi Liu (T) Tianjin, China

Yihan Liu (T) Jining, China

Yujia Liu (CI) Shanghai, China

Yee Man Poon (CI) Hong Kong

Xiaofei Shen (TI) Tianjin, China

Dian Wang (T) Daqing, China

Hanqi Wang (T) Jinan, China

Linyi Wang (TI) Qingdao, China

Meijia Wang (TI) Beijing, China

Qin Wang (T) Beijing, China

Yihan Wang (CI) Wenzhou, China

Qianxun Wu (TI) Chengdu, China

Yihui Wu (TI) Wuxi, China

Sijin Xian (CI) Silver Spring, Maryland

Ruotong Xiong (T) Guangzhou, China

Fengyuan Xu (TI) Zhuanghe, China

Rui Xu (T) Yicheng, China

Ruyi Xu (T) Wenzhou, China

Wen Xu (T) Nanjing, China

Chuqiao Xue (T) Beijing, China

Zhiyang Yao (T) Jiangyin, China

Zilong Yi (TI) Changsha, China

Yuwei Zeng (T) Ji’an, China

Lilan Zhang (TI) Chengdu, China

Zhiya Zhang (CI) Dalian, China

Zhiyao Zhang (TI) Shanghai, China

Wenjin Zhao (CI) Shanghai, China

Yibo Zhao (CI) Changsha, China

FRENCH

Sarah Macon Harris (TI) Austell, Georgia

Aishwarya Sheoran (TI) Delhi, India

GERMAN

Adam Nathaniel Dubbe (TI) Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Germany

Lucas R. Gibbs (CI) Des Moines, Iowa

Michaela B. Jones (TI) Pacific Grove, California

Ana Cristina Potoret (T) Lawrence, Kansas

JAPANESE

Aloha Komatsu (CI) Tokyo, Japan

Genki Omori (T) Tottori, Japan

Yuki Shimizu (CI) Kobe, Japan

Audrey Lynn State (T) Scottsdale, Arizona

Tomomi Uruma (TI) Los Angeles, California

Rina Yoshikawa (T) Yamanashi, Japan

KOREAN

Janet Lee (CI) Chicago, Illinois

Jane Min (CI) Queens, New York

RUSSIAN

Matthew J. Clark (CI) Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Natalia M. Morawski (TI) Fairfield, Connecticut

Karina Nechaeva (TI) Vladivostok, Russia

SPANISH

Chelsea Marie Flores (T) Long Island, New York

Anahni Graceheir Harris (TI) Youngstown, Ohio

Anil Kumar Jhajharia (TI) Rajasthan, India

Cecilia Lopez-Flores (CI) Houston, Texas

Cory C. Osburn (TI) Houston, Texas

Maria Alejandra Rios Saldarriaga (TI) Medellin, Colombia

Kareem A. Tinto (T) Edinburgh, Trinidad and Tobago

Gabriela M. Torres Diaz (CI) San Juan, Puerto Rico

Kyana M. Waters (CI) Silver Spring, Maryland

MASTER OF ARTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

John Richmond Anderson III Cheshire, Connecticut

Melissa Ann Ashley San Jose, California

Alessandra Katherine Chapman* Croton-on-Hudson, New York

Kevin Andre Heller* Anchorage, Alaska

Erin Reilly Lawrence Addison, Vermont

Leilani Leszkay Los Angeles, California

Sydnie Erin Miller Montreal, Canada

María José Vargas Benavides* Heredia, Costa Rica

MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT

Abbas Alwasila Abbas Khartoum, Sudan

Jordan Leigh Cleland* Deckerville, Michigan

Julianna Suzanne Forman San Anselmo, California

Matilda Rose Fritz Lake Arrowhead, California

Sharon Moore Leigg Danville, Virginia

Evelyn Tijero Napa, California

MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

Sally Khattab Hassan Ahmed Sudan

Genevieve Marie Brownlee* Monterey, California

Yu Ting Cristal Chiou* Pingtung, Taiwan

Jiakai Deng Hengyang, China

Camaro Elliott Chicago, Illinois

Yuting Gao* Chongqing, China

Martin Lloyd Gapultos* Henderson, Nevada

Zhengqi Huang Chongqing, China

Luya Jiang Xi’an, China

Fiona Kroontje Richland, Washington

Zhengyi Li China

Daniel James Lyons Paw Paw, Michigan

Allyson Francesca Cantada Mabul Salinas, California

Jennifer Newsom San Francisco, California

Anvar Nizamov Almaty, Kazakhstan

Aleksandra (Ola) Pozor* Centreville, Virginia

Nadezhda Y. Pshonyak Lviv, Ukraine

Yu Qin* Rongjiang, China

Dejing Shen* Yunnan, China

Yuxi Shi* Shanghai, China

Thomas Alexander Short Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Ashley Dali Simmons San Diego, California

Yiwen Su* Fujian, China

Siyi Tan Hangzhou, China

Weihan Xie Hangzhou, China

Dian Yu* Hangzhou, China

Zhaoke Zhang Huai’an, China

Zixiang Zhang Shanghai, China

Theodore A. Zittel Folsom, California

MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Giovanni Lucille Shamir Casson Dover, Delaware

Rachel Chung* Cupertino, California

Fiona Kroontje Richland, Washington

Allyson Francesca Cantada Mabul Salinas, California

Felix Naim Fremont, California

Jennifer Newsom San Francisco, California

Nadezhda Y. Pshonyak Lviv, Ukraine

Andrew Charles Sang Brooklyn, New York

Thomas Alexander Short Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jingyuan Yin* Shandong, China

MASTER OF ARTS IN NONPROLIFERATION AND TERRORISM STUDIES

Muskan Agrawal New Delhi, India

Drake Bjorkman Taos, New Mexico

Isabelle Boutaev Los Angeles, California

Michael Burton Oxford, United Kingdom

Srinivas Rao Cheruku India

Eli Dylan Drachman* Lutherville, Maryland

Spencer Erjavic Phoenix, Arizona

Shuang Feng Huludao, China

Kendra French North Carolina

Jordan Frye New York, New York

Linus Hoeller Graz, Austria

Alyssa K. Ishimura Santa Clarita, California

Syed Ali Zia Jaffery Lahore, Pakistan

Madalyn Kent Vacaville, California

Itfa Khurshid Islamabad, Pakistan

Cascade Cymbelline Kirst Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Daeyeon Lee Ulsan, Republic of Korea

James Noonan Losito Berkeley, California

Stian Lothe Aga, Norway

Jessica H. Martin São Paulo, Brazil

Alexandria Perpetua Molinari West Palm Beach, Florida

Amanda Morton Cincinnati, Ohio

Jenny Moss White Plains, New York

Mark E. Myers Van Buren, Arkansas

Nathan A. Palmer Beaulieu, Minnesota

Phantitra Phuphaphantakarn Chiang Rai, Thailand

Bryce McKinley Purgiel Portland, Oregon

Jessica Rodriguez-Reyes Watsonville, California

Yumi Sato Hiroshima, Japan

Alisa Tsenko Berdychiv, Ukraine

Aleksandra Zubenko New York, New York

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

Savannah J. Sutka Foxboro, Massachusetts

MASTER

OF ARTS IN TEACHING

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Devlin Cook-Hines* Coventry, Rhode Island

Viviana Natacha Gomes Macau, China

MASTER OF ARTS IN TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION MANAGEMENT

Abula Alimujiang Xinjiang, China

Kathleen Iriakharemen Amiewalan United States

Xinyi Bai Guangdong, China

Tianyu April Bi Hangzhou, China

Jiawen Chen Nantong City, China

Ruimeng Chen Changsha, China

Wenhe Chen Taipei, Taiwan

Hanwen Cheng Chengdu, China

Camila Santos de Castro* Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Huijie Deng Hengyang, China

Kavikuil Sarojini Elangovan Chennai, India

Pinar Erkin Istanbul, Türkiye

Kayla Jean Gade Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Minghui Gao Dalian, China

Yuqiao Guo Dalian, Liaoning, China

Zidian Guo Shenzhen, China

Savannah Whitney Hernandez Orem, Utah

Brian Hsieh San Jose, California

Jiaqian Hu Ningbo, China

Xiaohui Hu Xi’an, China

Zhihua Hu Tianjin, China

Deyvi M. Idrogo Everett, Massachusetts

Tianxiao Jia China

Savannah Johnston

Se Eun Grace Kim Los Angeles, California

Kunal Krishn Pacific Grove, California

Hyewon Lee Seoul, South Korea

Rachel Ketong Li

Xinyu Liao Zhejiang, China

Qingyan Liu Shandong, China

Aaron Patrick Long Castle Rock, Colorado

Minting Lu China

Ruiqi Ma Tianjin, China

Jennyfer P. Machuca* Jackson Heights, New York

Ismenia Leticia Miranda Las Vegas, Nevada

Julie Montedoro Roberts Pont Saint Esprit, France

Xiaofei Shen Tianjin, China

Yuhan Song Baoding, China

ChiaYi Su Taipei, Taiwan

Kayli V. Sullivan Kailua, Hawaii

Anne Elizabeth Tran Pensacola, Florida

Jianhui Wang Zhoushan, China

Jinlan Wang Zhejiang, China

Kaixin Wang Zibo, China

Yuxuan Wang Beijing, China

Yihan Wei Kunming, China

Hongru Xu Pleasanton, California

Jiaqi Yang Xi’an, China

Yuqi Yang Changsha, China

Zilong Yi Changsha, China

Xing Yuan Chengdu, China

Javier Zamorano* Long Beach, California

Alice Zhang Brisbane, Australia

Jianjing Zhang Haikou, China

Yuting Zhang Chengdu, China

Yuting Zhang Beijing, China

Zhiyao Zhang Shanghai, China

Yuanqi Zhao Nanchang, China

Jiaxun Zhou Guangzhou, China

Leslie Ann Zuniga Ramos Austin, Texas

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Sally Khattab Hassan Ahmed Sudan

Khayla Salangsang Elias Pinole, California

Camaro Elliott Chicago, Illinois

Jennifer Anne Marie Goodson Montague, California

Emily B. Hilberer Los Angeles, California

Daniel James Lyons Paw Paw, Michigan

Felix Naim Fremont, California

Soua Pha Minneapolis, Minnesota

Aleksandra (Ola) Pozor* Centreville, Virginia

Evelyn Tijero Napa, California

Theodore A. Zittel Folsom, California

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY

Jennifer Anne Marie Goodson+ California

Kendra French+ North Carolina

Jessica Rodriguez-Reyes++ Watsonville, California

Alisa Tsenko++ Berdychiv, Ukraine

CERTIFICATE IN FINANCIAL CRIME MANAGEMENT

Elizabeth Pring Hartshorne San Francisco, California

CERTIFICATE IN TERRORISM STUDIES

Marina Alexandria Lewis San Francisco, California

Annamarie Sofranek San Francisco, California

* With distinction + Summa cum laude ++ Cum laude

FLAGS OF MANY HOMELANDS

Today’s flags represent 219 students from 32 homelands.

Austria

Bhutan

Brazil

Canada

China

Colombia

Costa Rica

Equatorial Guinea

France

Germany

Hong Kong

Hungary

India

Japan

Kazakhstan

Mexico

Norway

Pakistan

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Republic of Korea

Russia

Sudan

Taiwan

Thailand

Trinidad and Tobago

Türkiye

Ukraine

United States of America

YUKO MATSUOKA HARRIS MAIPS ’ 96

Yuko Matsuoka Harris is renowned in Japan as translator of the best-selling Harry Potter series. When she discovered the first book in 1998, she contacted the agent of author J. K. Rowling, won the publishing rights for Japan, worked day and night on the translation, and put her life savings into the first print run. She translated all seven books in the series as well as related works by Rowling. She was a consultant for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, then translated the book of Rowling’s successful play The Cursed Child.

Matsuoka is the only translator to have also published Harry Potter and other works of the magic world of J. K. Rowling, who called her “Yuko, my passionate publisher.” She is president of SayZanSha Publications and related companies publishing books for children. She has appeared often on Japanese television and is frequently invited as a speaker in her home country. Her life story was featured in a series of 25 articles in the national newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

Matsuoka was previously a leading international conference interpreter. After graduating from the International Christian University of Tokyo, she interpreted at international conferences, notably in Geneva, as well as for business delegations and celebrities. She taught interpretation at the Sophia University in Tokyo, then at MIIS, where she also obtained a graduate degree in international relations in 1996.

Matsuoka has actively supported the work of the Japan ALS Association, which aids patients and their families. She sponsored the 17th international seminar in Yokohama, Japan, for patients and medical researchers on ALS and motor neuron disease. In 2016, she established the Swiss-based Magic Libraries Foundation to promote reading for children in disadvantaged countries and train translators in minority languages. In Japan, she established an association to promote Japanese culture. She is now working with her husband to create a center for East-West cultural exchanges based in France.

STUDENT SPEAKER

Kareem Tinto graduates today with a Master of Arts in Translation (Spanish/ English), an achievement made possible by his unwavering determination and the support of his loved ones. Born and raised in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Tinto is the second of four siblings in a family where resilience and perseverance were deeply instilled. Throughout his life, he has defied the odds, overcoming challenges that sought to derail his path to success.

Tinto’s passion for languages began in his early education and flourished over time. Apart from his native English he speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and French—a testament to his dedication to bridging linguistic and cultural divides. He has marked his academic journey with excellence, earning an associate’s degree in Spanish from the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. His time at MIIS was made possible through the Fulbright Scholarship, the U.S.’s most prestigious award, which he credits as pivotal in realizing his goals.

KAREEM TINTO MAT ’25

Tinto’s aspirations extend far beyond today’s Commencement. Having received three PhD offers from leading universities, he has chosen to pursue his doctoral studies at Emory University in Atlanta, starting in fall 2025. He attributes his achievements to the foundational principles instilled by his mother, whose sacrifices and resilience shaped the lives of her four children. With his journey far from over, Tinto is committed to fostering understanding across cultures and languages, serving as a bridge where barriers exist. Today, alongside the faculty, friends, and family who have supported him, Tinto celebrates not just his academic accomplishments but the strength of community and love that made it all possible.

PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE 2024–2025

Joseph W. Brown ’90

Leilani M. Brown ’93

Kirtley H. Cameron ’95

G. Parker Harris III ’89

Lucienne M. Ide ’97

Catherine G. Lee ’92

George C. Lee II ’88

INTERIM PRESIDENT

Stephen B. Snyder

CHARTER TRUSTEES

Caroline Sneath McBride ’75

Dennis D. Parker ’77

Richard T. Scanlon ’93

Susan J. Scher ’86

Karen A. Stolley ’77

William F. Truscott ’83

TERM TRUSTEES

Belinda L. Badcock

Barbara G. Cole

Denver G. Edwards ’88

Janine Feng ’92

Graham C. Goldsmith ’89

Carol L. Jones

Alice Jane (A.J.) Murphy ’98

Anne Davis Peterson ’85

Koby Altman ’04

Zachary A. Bourque ’01

Shawn P. Ryan ’88

Suzanne Reider ’87

Henry J. Simonds ’97

Elizabeth Cromwell Speers ’86

Mark D. Spence ’98

John E. Waldron ’91

O. Larry Yarbrough

Kashif Zafar ’92

ALUMNI TRUSTEES

Robert V. Sideli ’77

Danielle S. Virtue ’82

RECENT GRADUATE TRUSTEE

Kenshin Cho ’20

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Dort A. Cameron III ’67

James S. Davis ’66

Allan R. Dragone Jr. ’78

Churchill G. Franklin ’71

Frederick M. Fritz ’68

Nancy Coffrin Furlong ’75

Claire Waterhouse Gargalli ’64

Robert C. Graham Jr. ’63

Willard T. Jackson ’51

William H. Kieffer III ’64

Roxanne McCormick Leighton ’67

John M. McCardell Jr.

C. Irving Meeker ’50

Patricia Judah Palmer ’57

Kimberly Collins Parizeau ’79

Elisabeth Robert ’78

Frank W. Sesno ’77

Deborah G. Thomas ’75

John R. Tormondsen ’82

J. Edward Virtue ’82

Marna C. Whittington

Linda Foster Whitton ’80

Kendrick R. Wilson III

MIDDLEBURY

INSTITUTE BOARD OF ADVISORS

2024–2025

TRUSTEES

Catherine G. Lee ’92, Chair

Lucienne M. Ide ’97, Vice Chair

Kirtley H. Cameron ’95 G. Parker Harris III ’89

George C. Lee II ’88

Caroline Sneath McBride ’75

Shawn Ryan ’88

Henry J. Simonds ’97

Karen A. Stolley ’77

EMERITI

Allan R. Dragone Jr. ’78

Frederick M. Fritz ’68

William H. Kieffer III ’64

Kimberly Collins Parizeau ’79

Frank W. Sesno ’77

PARTNERS

Alison Geballe

Deborah Hicks

Michael C. Rawding ’86

Elaine White Gómez MAIPS ’93

Rich Wolfson

CONSTITUENTS

Sharad Joshi

Aleksandra (Ola) Pozor MAIPD/MPA ’25

Jill Stoffers MACD ’00

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We pause to acknowledge that the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) sits in the Village of Achasta on the ancestral and unceded land of the Ohlone (Costanoan) Rumsen/Rumsien people, a Rumsenspeaking group. Several contemporary tribes, including Esselen, call this land home today. The surrounding Monterey Bay region includes lands traditionally inhabited by the Esselen (to the south), Chalon (to the south), Mutsun (to the north), and Salinan (to the east) groups. We honor these groups’ experiences in the past, present, and future, as we work collaboratively with them to protect the land and its inhabitants. Let us take a moment of silence to honor these Indigenous communities, past and present. We give thanks for the opportunity to respectfully share in the bounty of this place and are working collaboratively to protect it. We are all one in the sacred web of life that connects people, animals, plants, air, water, and earth.

A FEW NOTES

GRADUATION WITH HONORS

Undergraduate students completing all degree requirements with a record of high academic achievement are awarded traditional Latin honors: cum laude (3.50–3.74), magna cum laude (3.75–3.89), and summa cum laude (3.9–4.0). Master’s degree recipients completing with a cumulative GPA of 4.00 graduate with distinction. Recipients of summa cum laude and distinction honors are awarded honors cords.

COMMENCEMENT RECEPTION

The Middlebury Institute has a long tradition of sustainable practices and innovative initiatives. In 2015, we adopted a policy of featuring at least 50 percent plant-based food at all official Institute events where food is served. In that spirit, and in an effort to meet our sustainability policy goals, we are proud to serve 100 percent plant-based foods at today’s Commencement reception.

PHOTOS

A photo area is available near the front of the stage on the right. To help alleviate congestion, please remain in your seats and proceed to this area only when your graduate is ready to receive a diploma. Thank you for your cooperation.

The Office of Communications is pleased to offer complimentary Commencement ceremony photographs to our graduating students, courtesy of Robert Ellis Photography. Details will be provided via email once photos become available.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Special thanks to Professor Mike Gillen for playing the bagpipes leading the processional. Thanks to our students and professors for providing interpretation for guests during today’s ceremony.

SUPPORTING THE MIDDLEBURY INSTITUTE ANNUAL FUND

We are grateful to the generous alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends who support the many facets of an Institute education by donating to the Annual Fund. Your contributions give future students the opportunity to pursue their dreams and lead purposeful lives. Visit go.miis.edu/give to learn more about how to make a gift.

MIDDLEBURY INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies educates professionals to advance understanding, promote peace, and drive change in pursuit of a more just world. The Institute’s 500 students come from more than 35 countries, joining a faculty and global network of alumni who are actively addressing some of the most critical issues of our time—including climate change, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. Through a range of both in-person and online degree programs, students build critical in-demand skills in public policy, intercultural communication, mixed-methods and open-source data analysis and research, leadership and administration, education, language teaching, and translation, interpretation, and localization.

The Institute is also home to a wide range of research centers and initiatives, including the renowned James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, the Center for the Blue Economy, and the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, as well as the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies. Founded in 1955, the Institute became affiliated with Middlebury College in 2005 and was fully integrated as a graduate school of Middlebury in 2010.

Middlebury is anchored by the undergraduate college in Vermont, which was founded in 1800 and has long been recognized as one of the ﬁnest liberal arts colleges in the country. Today Middlebury is also a graduate school for international studies; a home for immersive language study; a graduate school for the study of literature, literacy, and pedagogy; a leader of schools abroad sites that span the globe; and a home for the oldest and most prestigious writers’ conference in the world. Middlebury is an institution that prepares students to address the world’s most challenging problems, and it does so by engaging them in the life of the mind and soul.