Ryan McHale has vivid memories of his first Burlington visit four years ago. For one thing, it was snowing hard, an encouraging sight for a snowboarder. “You’re going to love it here,” he told his twin brother Ian, who had been accepted to UVM and was attending an Accepted Student Day.

Ryan had also been accepted to UVM and participated in the event, although he had his sights set on attending college closer to his Hamilton, N.J. home. But when he didn’t receive the financial aid package he expected, he joined his brother at the College of Arts and Sciences at UVM. This spring he’ll graduate with a B.A. in history, a minor in Italian Studies, and a four-year experience that engaged his passion in history and building strong communities.

“During that Accepted Students Day, I found myself in a small group meeting with the history department chair in Wheeler House,” McHale recalls. “He asked us each what we were interested in studying. Then he left the room for a minute and came back in with three other history professors who taught those subjects.”

The following discussion provided a glimpse of what Ryan would experience in his classes over four years at UVM—lots of stimulating conversations in small group settings, and strong support from faculty mentors. He was accepted to the College’s Integrated Humanities Program, offered each year to motivated first-year students.

“There were about 30 of us in the program—we took all the same classes in religion, history and English. We read major classical texts and analyzed philosophical and existential questions and ideas,” he said. “The coolest part is we shared the same dormitory in the Living/Learning Center. We really became a tight community.”

McHale’s ambition is to work in the museum world, and his history concentration at UVM is classical antiquity, the study of ancient Greece and Rome. A study abroad opportunity in the spring semester of 2016 through the Umbra Institute in Perugia, Italy, was a golden opportunity to get hands-on experience in a museum setting and work on his conversational Italian skills. At Museo Capitolare di San Lorenzo he was part of team that translated descriptions of over 700 museum objects from Italian to English, and developed a tour for English-speaking visitors. He also volunteered as a third-grade English instructor at a local elementary school.

“Teaching students to play games—like ‘red rover’ or ‘duck duck goose’—that was a big challenge because English expressions don’t always translate easily into Italian,” he said. “It was a great way for me to think on my feet in Italian and fun for the kids to learn our language and culture.”

McHale has mentored a Burlington student during all four years at UVM through DREAM, a program that pairs youths in local affordable housing neighborhoods with college students who serve as role models. His mentee Maxine is now 14 years old and a student in Burlington’s Edmunds Middle School.

“Every Friday we meet up with kids do fun activities like swimming, bowling or ice skating. A few weeks ago, all of the DREAM members did a big arts and crafts party and a dance.”

Besides group activities, McHale has spent many hours together with Maxime doing homework, playing games, having meals together, or just hanging out.

“We go to plays, concerts or games of our mentees—to show them we’re there and that we really care about them. Maxime has grown up a lot over the last four years—I consider him to be a great friend.”

McHale finds other outlets to make a difference. As president of the UVM Golden Key Honor Society chapter, he creates opportunities for students to contribute to local organizations like the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. Under his leadership, the UVM group made bookmarks for the children and participated in a “mapathon” challenge, which aims to digitally connect and map remote areas of the developing world that may not get close attention from Google Maps or other geographic software. The resulting maps help local and international NGOs respond to crises that may arise.

“There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child and throughout my life people have stepped in when I needed them,” McHale says “For me being involved and giving back is what makes life meaningful."