After finishing my second year on the Mountain I had to realize I’m halfway done! It is a scary thought; it feels like I just got off the plane, jetlagged and amazed by my new home. Yet these two years left a mark; I’m no longer surprised when a dog or a squirrel stops by my table outside McClurg, our dining hall. Late night hikes with deer accompanying me is not out of the ordinary anymore.

Of course, I have had more significant milestones at Sewanee. I have learned, lived and grown here in the Sewanee bubble. So many people have supported and cheered me on, and they believed I am capable of doing more than I have ever imagined.

It never crossed my mind that I could be vice-president of the Sewanee Angel Investment Fund and find startup companies that the school can invest in. What do I know about business and economics? I’m a Politics and International and Global Studies major focusing on the Middle East. I can tell you all about oil security in Qatar, but American startup companies…? Two years after I became a member of Sewanee’s many business-related clubs and organizations, and after having been chosen to lead one of those clubs I am taking my first business class. Thanks to the Sewanee family I am going to spend the summer learning more about business and entrepreneurship.

Sewanee helped me see that it is okay to be passionate about more than just politics. It is okay to just be passionate; whether it’s research, an outreach program to New York working with GMHC, or presenting about intersectionality in sports. People here will support and help me no matter what. That’s the magic of Sewanee. It is not the buildings that resemble Hogwarts, or the gowns that make you feel like you are actually a wizard–the magic comes from the people.

Thanks to the generosity of the Klein Family donors (special thank you to Florence and Tony and their efforts to make this experience even more unique) I have found magic at Sewanee and for that I will be forever thankful.