Immersing myself in a new and uncomfortable situation often comes with some lofty goals. It also, almost always, comes with plenty of trepidation. After all, a “new place” might be geographically distant from anything I’ve known, linguistically mysterious, and just plain intimidating. I know that I perhaps have humbling errors in store and will likely fail often. Yet, somewhere in my head or heart, I know that confronting these challenges is exactly why I chose to put myself out there, and very quickly I start to feel like I’m learning and gaining ground.
Studying in Spain when we were younger had profound, lasting effects on both my own and Nancy’s lives. Although we were both excited by new cultural opportunities, neither of us had anticipated what the experience would teach us about ourselves. When I returned to the United States, I had learned as much about my own resources, foibles and priorities as I had about my newly beloved Spanish culture.
Our daughter Maggie studied in Granada this past college semester, choosing a path that delighted Nancy and me, but Maggie had prepared; she was a veteran. Both Maggie and her sister, Emily, had left Milton’s campus for semester programs in their Class II year. Our twins had told us the year before that they wanted to stretch themselves, try something new. They were excited to experience high school without their parents nearby, and they were curious about studying apart from one another, particularly before starting the college search process. Emily studied at CityTerm, run by the Master’s School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. At CityTerm, 50 students use New York City as their classroom, every day. Maggie opted for warmer climes: She headed to the Island School on the island of Eleuthera, where she immersed herself in the Bahamian aquatic environment and the life of a marine biologist.
Many alumni have told me about particular transformative experiences during their Milton years, often rooted outside the classroom, and with people they never expected to encounter. Milton offers so many ways for students to intensify and enrich their high school experience, away from campus. The Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, and the Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki are renowned and beloved semester programs. Milton is a founding member of School Year Abroad, through which students can choose host sites in Spain, France, Italy or China. Our French and Spanish exchange programs engage around 40 students each year in memorable, multiple-week excursions. Our jazz program musicians play numerous concerts and visit South Africa biennially, and in alternate years, the orchestra and Chamber Singers tour international destinations. Milton students interested in combining service and travel have participated in projects in Belize and Appalachia during spring breaks. Every year, many of our students develop transformative relationships through Community Engagement partner sites in Boston’s multicultural neighborhoods.
It’s also important to remember that about half our students choose to live at School, and in doing so, they dive into an unfamiliar culture, brand-new academics, and a community of peers who themselves choose to come to Milton, Massachusetts, from all over the country and around the world. These young people need to switch gears and consider the impact of their actions and their relationships on others’ lives—new responsibilities and new opportunities to affect the quality of life, day in and day out. Milton’s culture is its own, living thing—friendly and supportive, but fast-paced and potentially disorienting. For one third of the students moving into Milton houses each fall, their family homes are hours of flight time away, and English is a second language. Students from Texas, Hawaii, Alabama and Boston’s neighborhoods bring a dynamic array of cultural backgrounds. Milton’s intentional celebration of difference is a long and valued tradition, and we are working harder and smarter than ever to help every young person and every adult develop openness, self-awareness, respect and the cultural competencies essential today. We are committed to the explicit process of nurturing a learning environment in which everyone is tuned in to different lives, is flexible and adaptive, and feels both valued and eager to contribute.
Nancy and I are fortunate to have developed a deep, long-lasting connection with Spain—its people and its culture. That vital experience fuels our commitment to making sure that all Milton students can tap into the life skills that develop when you challenge yourself to step past the familiar and predictable, and move toward understanding others’ lives from the inside out.