Four years ago, we interviewed these students as first years. Kim, Ben, and Bella each gave us their predictions for what they'd study and experience at UVM. Now, a few days before graduation, we asked them to tell us which predictions came true. 

Kim Henry came to UVM undecided, but that didn't last long; a class with Eve Alexandra nudged her toward an English major. Other faculty mentors: poet Major Jackson, Richard Dennis Green and Gold University Distinguished Professor, and poet Emily Bernard, a professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies and the Julian Lindsay Green & Gold Professor of English, who she first met at an Admitted Student Visit day. What surprised her about her time at UVM? The joy of working at Howe Library. After graduation, she'll stay in Burlington as she works on her portfolio for screenwriting master's programs.

Environmental sciences major Ben Greenberg had a good idea of what his time at UVM might hold. He came to the Rubenstein School for experiential learning opportunities, and found them in his classes and his two years in a residential learning community. Greenberg worked his way up in the UVM Spatial Analysis Lab, reviewing the data captured by drones to plot maps. A standout project? Mapping the entire tree canopy of New York City. He'll stay on in the lab as a full-time employee starting this summer.

Bella Maidoff hoped to get involved with local food movements while in Burlington, and she did exactly that, as president of Slow Food UVM for two years, and by working with area schools. She found her footing in a pivot from environmental sciences to environmental studies, with a minor in food systems. A memorable experience: interning with Boundbrook Farm, nurturing ducks and rice paddies.

Meet more members of the Class of 2019.