S. Grady Welsh Selected as a Goldwater Scholar

Congratulations to S. Grady Welsh ’24 who was named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar! The Goldwater Scholarship Program was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Grady plans to pursue a PhD in ecology and study interactions between climate change and wetlands. […]

With COVID-19 Emergencies Ending, Cigna Healthcare Announces Standard Coverage Effective May 12

The federal government announced in January that both national emergencies addressing COVID-19 will end on May 11, 2023. 

Effective May 12, 2023, when medical and pharmacy plans will no longer be subject to federal coverage requirements for COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and treatment coverage, Cigna Healthcare standard coverage for integrated pharmacy and medical plans will be reinstated:

Pharmacy plan coverage

  • COVID-19 vaccines will be covered on all formularies under the preventive benefit, at 100% in-network only.
  • FDA-approved antivirals and therapeutics will be covered with the cost share subject to plan design.
  • Over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests will no longer be covered, if applicable. The Internal Revenue Service does consider these tests an eligible expense reimbursable under health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts. Customers may use funds to pay for OTC kits separate from the health plan.

Medical plan coverage 

Covered as Preventive:

  • COVID-19 vaccines will be covered under the preventive benefit, same as the flu shot, at 100% in-network only. Availability of out-of-network coverage with applicable cost share is based on plan design.

Covered as medically necessary/appropriate with applicable cost share based on plan design and place of service:

  • PCR lab testing – coverage under your Lab benefit
  • FDA-approved antivirals and therapeutics
  • COVID treatment

No longer covered:

  • Over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests. The Internal Revenue Service does consider these tests an eligible medical expense reimbursable under health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts. Customers may use funds to pay for OTC kits separate from the health plan.

Two Middlebury Seniors Win Watson Fellowships

Congratulations to Aubrianna Wilson ’23 and Clark O’Bryan ’23 who were recently selected as Watson Fellows by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation! The fellowship provides funding for one year of purposeful exploration through a self-designed project. Clark will travel to Ireland, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Japan to explore how traditional builders and craftspeople are responding to […]

Internship Funding Deadline April 7! Help with your Internship Search!  

April 7 – Deadline to apply for funding for your unpaid summer internship!

  • CCI’s competitive internship funding application deadline: April 7!  
  • Must have secured an unpaid summer internship and have a CCI approved resume to apply for funding.
  • Details, FAQs, and instructions for CCI’s competitive funding: go/summerfunding.
  • Apply for funding using CCI’s: Quick Guide: CCI Summer Funding.


Late breaking internships funded by CCI (note some with deadline on Sunday night 4/2)!)

Sports Innovation Lab in Boston – Sports and data science!  (Deadline: 4/2)
Team4Tech in Uganda – Remote work, then travel to Uganda with Midd cohort (Deadline: 4/2)
Virtual China Cohort – Intern virtually with a Chinese company (Deadline: 4/2)
Middlebury Social Impact Corps Internship – 5 weeks in Monterey, CA (Deadline: 4/2)
One Tree Planted – Burlington based org focused on global reforestation (Deadline extended to: 4/9)
Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – A research internship related to concussion and brain trauma honoring Matthew Benedict ’15 (Deadline: 4/9)

Need help with an internship or other summer plans? 

  • More internships and info on CCI’s Career Path Pages (see News and Top Resources tabs).

COVID-19 Requirements Ending

Middlebury closely monitors the latest scientific discoveries and medical recommendations in response to the COVID-19 virus. As COVID-19 has become endemic, we have resumed normal operations, while continuing core health and safety measures to minimize the potential of its spread. In response to the latest conditions, Middlebury has ended its COVID-19 requirements for its campuses in Vermont and California. Employees and students should follow CDC guidance, state health department guidance, and their healthcare provider’s advice for prevention and treatment of the virus.  We have replaced the Middlebury College Campus Status page and Campus Guide with this informational webpage, which includes a full explanation and summary of our current guidance.

Leading the MAlt trip to New Orleans

A reflection – Tayyaba Akhtar

I was first introduced to MAlt (Middlebury Alternative Break Trips) when I started working at the CCE October of 2021 as a Communications Intern. MAlt is a program that sends 12 students (2 trip leaders and 10 participants) on a service trip during February Break. I applied to be a participant in the trip to New Orleans and was accepted. I was excited to go on a service trip because it was my first immersive experience. We had a couple of our pre-departure meetings and we were getting ready to leave for our trip in February, but Middlebury experienced a COVID outbreak in December and we found out our trips were canceled because of that. We were given the option to do a Vermont based trip which I participated in because the community of Vermont was not very known to me as well as I was a freshman, though I was sad about not being able to go to New Orleans. We were able to explore different parts of Vermont such as the community of Middlebury and even further places like Stowe. Though it was an adjustment it turned into an enjoyable and fruitful experience. 

When the applications for the trip leaders came out this year, I applied to be a trip leader because I wanted to get involved with the group again and this time take on a leadership role. I was assigned to lead the trip to New Orleans, which was again themed to be Privilege and Poverty. That got me very excited to finally not only go on the trip that was canceled previously, but also to lead the trip. In New Orleans we were going to work with HandsOn New Orleans on their community park and community orchard projects. 

We were selected as trip leaders in the spring semester and worked on the trip for the rest of the semester. Along with this we worked on the trip during the summer break to make sure that everything was well-planned and ensure a smooth start in the fall semester. We received a lot of support from the CCE in planning our trip, including a half-credit class in the fall tailored towards support for the planning of the trip.

We selected our trip participants around the end of October. The applications opened a couple weeks prior and after all the applications were submitted, my co-lead and I read to select participants. We made a rubric with the questions that were asked and how effectively they were answered and scored everyone based on that. We selected people with the highest score. We had two meetings with our participants before winter break, and then weekly meetings over J-term to prepare for our time in New Orleans. 

When we reached New Orleans it was an exciting time for all of us, because no one on the trip had been to the city before. We arrived on Friday and had the weekend to explore the city as we started working on Monday. Since we were living very close to the French Quarter, we went exploring around the area. We saw a a Mardi Gras Parade and took a Swamp Tour, where we saw a lot of alligators. When we started working, we spent Monday and Tuesday at the community park where we helped in making signs for the playing ground and eliminating trees in the park. The park was one of the most important areas for New Orleans. Because the city is very vulnerable to flooding, marshes and green spaces are extremely important. We spent our next two days working at a community orchard where we built benches, picnic tables, and garden boxes (2 of each). The community orchard was located in an area where people were not able to afford a lot of fruits and vegetables.  The orchard was an effort to grow these, and have them available to the neighborhood for free. We worked till noon each day and had the rest of the day available to us to explore the city! All of the participants were very eager to participate and were very involved that made the process very smooth. The biggest challenge in the community was the transportation in the city. We were using public transportation which was not very efficient therefore there was a lot of planning and getting to a place was an experience in itself.  Though that experience gave the feel of how people navigate the city and since accessibility was an aspect of our trip, it gave a true feel.

MAlt was one of the most fun and exciting experiences for me. I was very lucky to have a great co-lead and amazing participants to work with!