Four years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Postigo, my wife’s young cousin, on the occasion of her graduation from Webster Thomas High School. This Sunday, Laura reached another milestone with her graduation from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in neurological science and a minor in Chinese. As we waited for a celebratory dinner at Asian Bistro, I asked Laura a few questions about her experience at UVM.

Clay: What was the hardest class you took at UVM?

Laura: That’s a tough question. I would say the most-current hardest class was Intro to Philosophy.

Clay: What was hard about it?

Laura: Everything. It wasn’t grounded in reality. It was very philosophical, very theoretical without any real-life examples.

Clay: What will you miss most about Vermont?

Laura: The nature. I love the nature here — the mountains, the water. It’s just beautiful. The cheese is good, too.

Clay: If someone were to come here as a freshman, what advice would you give them?

Laura: I would say keep in contact with whomever is closest to you, whether it’s family, a friend, or relative. Call them or text them. Keep the connection because it’s very important. I would also say go out and visit the place where you are. Go into the community. Don’t stay inside. Go out and be a tourist.

Clay: How did you find the apartment where you were living at the time of your graduation?

Laura: The university has an online system where students can find out about nearby apartments where they can live. That’s how I was able to get my apartment.

Clay: Was there one particular person who made a big impact on you here?

Laura: Dennis. He taught me how to cook, sort of.

Clay: Did he give you some particular dishes?

Laura: Stir-fry broccoli comes to mind. He also taught me a lot of skills like how to the cut chicken off from a drumstick. I also watched him make steak twice. I documented a lot of the things he does.  I kind of learn in phases. First, I watched mom cook in the kitchen. Later, in my third year of college, I moved into an apartment, but nobody there knew how to cook. We could put something into a microwave, but that was it. Everyone said they’d make a meal once week, so I’d try something, but things didn’t always turn out the way I wanted. There were ups and downs, and I’d wonder what the secret of cooking was, because it was taking me three hours to put a meal on the table. I’d wish there was someone who could tell me how things should work. That turned out to be Dennis.

Clay: What’s the next step for you in your education?

Laura: I’ll be going to China for language studies and then next fall I’ll go to the Northwestern Health Sciences University. I’ll be in a post-baccalaureate pre-health program.

Needless to say, Becky and I wish Laura well in her future educational pursuits. Perhaps, in a few years, it will be time to interview her again about reaching a new milestone in her educational career.