Academics Peer Advisors
Meet your Peer Advisors, the friendly Marlboro students who will help you get your bearings during Orientation and serve as an academic and social resource for you throughout your first year at Marlboro. They will give you advice on choosing courses, answer your questions about social life, and guide you through your transition to life at Marlboro. Each incoming student is matched to a Peer Advisor, but all Peer Advisors are here to advise you and answer your questions. Welcome to Marlboro!
Spring 2012
Kirsten Wiking
Junior 2
Check out her website to see some examples of her art!
Academic Interests : I'm a Visual Arts student studying Installation and Video performance art. I'm interested in themes of fantasy, femininity and disorientation. My Plan will (likely) involve a room-scale installation that transforms the space into a sort of "other world" (think magic forest/other planet habitat/dream-like reality) that will have some video elements in it.
Favorite class at Marlboro : I really enjoyed the Documentary Filmmaking class I took last semester. Although I don't do documentary video in my Plan work, the class was so informative and surprising; it really reshaped how I think of and watch documentaries.
Favorite places at Marlboro : I love the Baber building (the painting/drawing studio). It gets such beautiful light in the morning and late afternoon, and has that special art studio-type dirtiness (charcoal dust, paint splatters, paper clippings). Depending on the time of day there's usually music drifting from somewhere in the labyrinth of student studios in the upper part of the building, while lower Baber is great for a more quiet place to work.
Community Involvement : I've been involved with the theater program at Marlboro quite a bit, whether acting in the Fall performances, or helping design the set for a Senior Plan show. I also work in the Media Lab, here to assist in all your Photoshop/FinalCutPro/Printing needs. But really, you should come check out the Media Lab sometime--I don't think a lot of students realize just how much awesome video and camera equipment is available for free rental.
Advice for Incoming Students: I wish I'd taken more time acquainting myself with all the awesome free programs and resources at Marlboro. There are always so many great things going on whether through the Outdoor Program, with the Library, or offered by teachers -- just keep your radar on for things going on around campus and jump in.
Leslie Wilson
Senior 2
Academic Interests: Psychology & Piano
Favorite class at Marlboro: A History of Famine
Favorite place at Marlboro: South pond is my favorite in the summer, the cross-country ski trails in the winter.
Community Involvement: O.P. surf trips to Maine, Peer advising.
Advice for Incoming Students: It’s OK not to know what you're doing till the last minute, but then, you'd better get it together! Marlboro is whatever you make of it. That’s why its unique. What will you do with that freedom?
Fall 2011
Joy Auciello
Junior 1
Academic Interests: Anthropology, Sustainable living, Communal sustainability
Favorite places at Marlboro : Whittemore Theater at night, the Dining Hall, and the Sauna
Community Involvement : WDTR: Dead Tree Radio, Housing Committee, The OP, The Marlboro Shadow Society, Tabletop Role Play, and whatever else I can take up my time with.
Advice for Incoming Students: I wish I had known how easy it can be to get sidetracked and how willing people are to help, if you ask, and how to find the perfect study spot. Also, get involved, it's more fun that way!
Trevor Bowen
Senior I
Academic Interests: I study Physics, but am generally interested in the natural sciences as a whole. I am also interested in how philosophy, history, and sociology--i.e. disciplines traditionally considered outside the realm of natural science--impact physical theories and scientific methodologies.
Currently, there are two aspects to my Plan: solar physics and quantum theory. I am currently working in a research group analyzing and modeling solar flares. This upcoming fall I hope to integrate some advanced theory--i.e. the mathematical abomination of fluid mechanics and electromagnetism known as magnetohydrodynamics--into my research in order to balance the research portion of my Plan work. The other part of my Plan focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics. Using a theory to solve puzzles and make predictions is one thing. Understanding the intricacies and development of a theory from first principles is a whole 'nother beast. I'll spare you all the details, but trust me, the foundations of QM are really quite fascinating. Ask me about it if you want.
Favorite class at Marlboro: Oh man, there are far too many to list. Either Quantum Mechanics or Modern Physics. Also, if possible, definitely take Electronic Music at least once.
Favorite places at Marlboro: Where? Why? Dining Hall Stage The coffee is free. Science Building Lounge It's where I live half the time. Happy Valley Common Room It's a true Marlboro classic.
Community Involvement: I've taken part in quite a few Marlboro activities--both academic and extracurricular. Last year I led a bridges trip (fishing in Cape Cod), tutored chemistry, captained a Broomball team (High Life), and did some other stuff. I've also 'worked' as the observatory steward--yes Marlboro secretly has an observatory, but my declining interest in observational astronomy has sort of kept me from getting that up and running. It's on the list of things to do this year...
Advice for Incoming Students: Four years is a long time, so make the best of it. Don't sweat the little stuff.
Hannah Ruth Brothers
Junior 1
Academic Interests: Dance and Anthropology. I'm a WSP (World Studies Program) student planning to travel to Guinea, West Africa in the spring to participate in a month-long West African dance and drumming program and then hopefully do an internship in Guinea or Uganda with a non-profit organization in arts education with kids. (whew!)
Favorite class at Marlboro: A "Dance Plan Performance Tutorial" with Michaela Wood '10 and Amity Jones '10, in which I danced in and otherwise contributed to their Plans.
Favorite things about Marlboro: Hard question! I love the sense of empowerment that I feel when I vote for things or speak in Town Meeting. I've never felt pressured, here, to be someone I'm not. There's a sense of revelry in the little things that make us all different and/or weird... I love that everyone knows everyone, even the guys who come through with the snow plow in the winter.
Favorite places at Marlboro: I adore the Serkin dance studio. Sometimes I forget how huge it really is and how lucky we are to be able to dance in front of those great big beautiful windows. I love that everything is always unlocked, and no one minds if you're struck by sudden inspiration at 2am and decide to go try out some new choreography or throw a pot in the ceramics studio down in Woodard, or hole up in the library and work furiously on your latest paper. Also, Open Mic Nights = the best dance parties ever!
Community Involvement: Marlboro QSA Pride (Treasurer), Fire and Safety Commission (Fire Chief), Spiritual Life and Community Service committees, and the farm. I also work in the kitchen, which is great fun!
Advice for Incoming Students: If one of the classes you want to take has a prerequisite, take that first instead of trying to talk your way into the class with the professor. Chances are there's a good reason why the prerequisite is there, and you know, things are different at Marlboro, it'll take you a while to figure stuff out. If you have a car, don't let people know about it unless you don't mind driving them places. Otherwise, OP trips are a super way to get off campus for a day or so. Bring plenty of quarters for the washers and dryers. Can't wait to meet y'all on the hill!
Taylor Burrows
Junior 1
Academic Interests: Sociology, The Balkans, Political and Historical Roots of Ethnic Conflicts
Favorite place at Marlboro: One of my favorite places at Marlboro is the balcony on the third floor of the library. It becomes quite the outpost when everyone is drawing near the end of the semester, like a little haven.
Community Involvement: Currently, I’m behind the scenes working at Mather, getting everything ready for the incoming freshman class. Last year I led a bridges trip about writing. In between I keep busy with school work, attending functions and my work study job at the Campus Center Coffee Shop, where I cook.
Advice for Incoming Students: I wish I would have thought things through a little more as a freshman. That sounds vague, and a little trite, but I think staying grounded can be difficult when you get to college. It is good to keep your thinking caps on and not completely lose yourself in the new experience. Always keep in mind that freshman year lays the foundation for the rest of your time here.
Jan Raphael Cornel
Sophomore 1
Academic Interests : Poetry, Sociocultural Linguistics, Semiotics
Some Nice Things about Marlboro : The sunrises, black-outs, 11pm coffee shop snacks, wolf (coyote? fox?) barking late at night, Moss Hollow Road, the ghost lore, the DVD/VHS collection at the library (it contains all of Dragon Ball Z for some reason), the birches, the couches.
Advice for Incoming Students : Student credit is redeemable at the bookstore (it took me a month to get wise). Studying can be fun. Going off-campus isn’t so bad. It’s better to be under-packed than deal with a mess of situational stuff--if you’re not sure you’ll need something, you could always find it when you get here. Frequent your Marlboro webmail. Go see some Plan shows. Learn how to drive.
Community Involvement : I’ve read a couple poems at the coffee shop’s Open Mic Night, and it can be real grand to just sit down, have a drink, and see what everyone else has got prepared. Maybe the tradition will continue on strong this year.
Advice for Incoming Students: There is also a great deal of fun found in the winter. A couple of friends and I arrived dead last in this year's Wendell Cup, Marlboro's annual race of cross-country skiers and snowshoers. And I slipped around on the iced-over Fire Pond to play some glorious broomball on team Malefactor Alignment.
Welcome to Marlboro.
Emily Cox
Sophomore 2
Academic Interests: Musical Theater/Music History/Education
Marlboro Favorites: My favorite class at Marlboro was probably my Writing Seminar. I took it with a professor who is, sadly, no longer at Marlboro, and it was so much fun and I met a lot of great people with really interesting ideas. We went on a class trip to Salem which was awesome, and I passed writing requirement on the first try because of all of the stuff I learned in the class! My favorite thing about Marlboro is definitely the people. I transferred from a much larger school in Maine that was basically just a big faceless bureaucracy comparatively. My favorite place at Marlboro is definitely Serkin, the music building; I love using the practice rooms and the performance spaces and it's always a nice temperature in my experience.
Community Involvement: I'm obviously a peer advisor this year, and I've done some work for the admissions office calling prospective students and that was really fun! I've also done some internships through the school that have been great learning experiences and a lot of fun, and I've gone on one awesome trip to Salem, Mass, with my aforementioned writing seminar!
Advice for Incoming Students: I wish I had known that all of the things that seem daunting and scary and impossible, are really not that bad because you can get help with basically anything you need in some way or another, especially in terms of writing requirement. It seems really impossible when you're first told about it, but, especially if you take a writing seminar, you'll do all the work gradually and learn the skills you need throughout the semester, especially if you work individually with your professor, which is encouraged and/or mandatory anyway. I'd also like to add that Marlboro can really be anything you make of it. If you want it to be a great experience, it will be. Good luck, and have fun!
Lila Kole-Berlingieri
Junior 1
Academic Interests: Literature and visual arts are the areas that I study in mostly. I'm really fascinated by the role of memory and time in a lot of novels, especially those of Virginia Woolf. In my visual arts work I've recently been studying painting and am especially drawn to artists such as Lucian Freud and Egon Schiele for their grotesque and haunting interpretations of the figure.
Favorite class at Marlboro: I can't really pick a favorite class; I've loved elements of so many. I will say: last semester I really enjoyed the reading material in Gloria's Apocalyptic Hope class.
Favorite places at Marlboro: I love a late night sauna after a long stint at the library.
Community Involvement: I led a Bridges trip last year, Pen to Paper: Spilling New Ink. It was super rewarding, a real pleasure, met a lot of neat folks, some of whom I'm happy to say I've become friends with. I've also been in a couple of committees, including Social Committee and Lyceum Committee.
Advice for Incoming Students: It's good not to weigh yourself down with too many things when you first get here. I am forever trying to create a harmony between all the facets of my life. Sometimes it can be tricky to manage the transition: being in a new atmosphere, meeting new people; allow yourself some breathing time though, time to relax, time to adjust, and don't forget to sleep!
Elias Ohrstrom
Senior 1
Academic Interests: I am doing my Plan of Concentration in Biology and Politics. My main interest is in how intrasex and intersex competition form a basis for political systems.
Favorite class at Marlboro: Argentine Tango
Favorite place at Marlboro: I love that campus is on the remnants of a old apple orchard. The apples littering campus throughout autumn can be a tasty snack, and it’s great to see students constantly pressing cider. Last year I made a disgusting amount of apple butter; I’m still working my way through it.
Community Involvement: I’ve sat on Social Committee and am the Public Advocate. With the help of Pride and the Women’s Resource Center, I threw Gender Bender last spring. This was a blast. We had a really great troupe of Drag Queens come down from Burlington and had a raging good time. As Public Advocate, it is my job to organize Community Court sessions—corralling all the members and compiling the charges—when violations of the Constitution and Bylaws occur.
Advice for Incoming Students: The one thing I discovered far too late at Marlboro was the Top of the Hill Grill. It’s located off of Route 5 in Brattleboro and has excellent eats.
Jodi Susser
Senior 1
Academic Interests: My fields of study are sociology and writing. And as of now my plan is an investigation of the concept of "character" as a reflection of society, especially in the post World War II decades, and as the embodiment of an individual, particularly through examination of characters in drama. Studies will embrace sociological perspectives as well as pursue construction of original dramatic monologues.
Favorite class at Marlboro: Sociology of Empathy or Contemporary American Society or The Making of the Contemporary World.
Favorite place at Marlboro: My favorite place at Marlboro is the campus center because there is always something going on there!
Community Involvement: I am involved with Pride as the current outreach coordinator and in the past I have been on the News Committee and have written for the Citizen.
Advice for Incoming Students: Something you wish you had known as a freshman: I wish I knew as a freshman to relax and have more fun.
Leslie Wilson
Senior 1
Academic Interests: Psychology & Piano
Favorite class at Marlboro: A History of Famine
Favorite place at Marlboro: South pond is my favorite in the summer, the cross-country ski trails in the winter.
Community Involvement: O.P. surf trips to Maine, Peer advising.
Advice for Incoming Students: It’s OK not to know what you're doing till the last minute, but then, you'd better get it together! Marlboro is whatever you make of it. That’s why its unique. What will you do with that freedom?
Maggie Wood
Junior 1
Academic Interests: Psychology/Education. I'm studying sex education for kids with mild mental retardation or autism, two demographics that are at particularly high risk for teen pregnancy.
Favorite thing at Marlboro: My favorite thing about Marlboro is definitely the feeling of community. I also love the springtime when everyone's outside.
Favorite class at Marlboro: Intro to Sexuality and Gender Studies
Favorite place at Marlboro: It's a tie between the library and the campus center!
Community Involvement: I'm co-President of Pride, I work at the Bookstore, and I've led multiple People Talks on campus. I've also participated in WHIP (Wellness and Health Informed Peers).
Advice for Incoming Students: Don't take yourself too seriously!
Elias Zeidan
Junior 2
Plan of Concentration: COMPUTER SCIENCE & LANGUAGES/Linguistics: Foundations in Computer Science and Linguistics, leading towards a translation project.
Favorite Marlboro class: All of them. I can't pick. They're all amazing.
Favorite things about Marlboro: The Theatre program and community atmosphere
Favorite places at Marlboro: South Pond, the Dining Hall
Community Involvement: Community Service Committee, Fire/Safety Commission, Committee for World Studies, QSA Pride, Theatre Tech, Peer Academic Coach, French Language Tutor, China Trip.
Advice for Incoming Students: Take it easy! Don't take too many classes your first year. 13-15 credits is enough.
WELCOME TO MARLBORO! Bienvenue à Marlboro!
