When I was struggling with mental health in my junior year, Professor Povitz saw me aimlessly wandering down the history hallway and invited me into her office even though we had only met once or twice and I had never taken a class with her. She let me sit in her office to just take a breath and didn’t make a big deal out of the whole thing. She continued working on her laptop, let me sit in silence, and offered me a chocolate bar. An entire chocolate bar!!!!!! This small act of kindness was one of the few highlights of the roughest month I’ve ever experienced at Middlebury, and I imagine that students that get to interact with her in a larger capacity benefit from her presence even more. What would Middlebury be without her kindness and brilliance?
Pim Singhatiraj ‘21.5