Professor Povitz was the first Middlebury Professor that I connected with and made me feel like my decision to come to Middlebury was the right one. I took a class with her my J-term of my freshman year, and after a difficult fall semester of adjusting to college and life away from home, I finally felt like I found the academic rigor and passion I had been looking for, in a class that kept an eye always towards what we were getting out of the class, whether it be specific skills or broader lessons. The class was the first one I couldn’t stop talking about to my friends. I went on to take another course with Professor Povitz the following year and have kept in touch with her since. She is invaluable to the community and college.