Contact Information
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MAILING : P.O. Box 8, Los Olivos, CA 93441
Summer 2026
Q: What originally brought each of you to Midland?
Stella: The biggest thing for me was the community. When I toured, I immediately noticed the way students interacted with one another and how connected everyone seemed. I came from a really small middle school, so I recognized some of that closeness, but Midland felt like a much bigger and more adventurous version of it. I think after COVID especially, I was excited by the idea of doing something completely new.
Amelie: I’m a third-generation Midlander, so it was kind of written in the stars that I would end up here. My grandpa taught here, my mom went here and now teaches here, and there are so many people in my family connected to this place. I always joke that my family is gravitationally pulled back to Midland over and over again.
Stella ’26 enjoying the spring superbloom on Grass Mountain, overlooking Midland campus.
Q: Amelie, what does it feel like being part of a legacy Midland family?
Amelie: It’s really special. Sometimes I’ll realize I’m standing in the exact same place where my mom or grandfather probably stood years ago. Every meal I eat in Stillman feels connected to all these people in my family who loved this place before I ever got here.
At the same time, even though I grew up around Midland, I still didn’t fully understand what it meant to be a student here until I experienced it myself.
Q: What surprised you most once you actually became students here?
Stella: I expected I would become close with people in my class, but I didn’t realize how connected I would feel to literally everyone on campus. Even people I only talk to occasionally still feel important to me because we’re all sharing this really unique experience together.
Now that graduation is getting closer, I’ve realized how much I’m going to miss everybody here, not just my closest friends.
Amelie: I think I was surprised by how passionately people care about this place. Everyone has opinions about Midland because they care deeply about it. People really fight for the things they believe make this place special.
Q: What does being a Midland ambassador actually involve?
Amelie: A lot of it is communicating your love for the school in different ways. Giving tours, helping with revisit days, writing pieces for publications, talking to prospective students and families. It’s basically trying to explain why this place matters so much to the people who are here.
Stella: I also think ambassadors become kind of the student face of the school. Families arrive on campus and we’re often one of the first examples they see of what a Midland student actually looks like.
Q: What do prospective students usually feel nervous about when they visit?
Stella: Definitely boarding school life. Especially for students coming from out of state. It’s a huge leap to imagine leaving home and coming somewhere completely new.
But I also think Midland starts feeling like home pretty quickly once you’re actually here. That’s something I try to reassure students about.
Amelie: I think students are also nervous because Midland sounds very different from traditional schools. Shared cabins, jobs program, outdoor trips, communal bathrooms, no phones. A lot of those things sound intimidating at first.
But over time, those things are also what create so much closeness and trust between people.
Amelie ’27 climbing with Midland’s Rock Climbing Club.
Q: What’s hardest to explain to people who have never experienced Midland?
Amelie: Honestly, almost all of it.
You can explain pieces of Midland, but until you actually live here, it’s hard to understand how all the pieces overlap. Your teachers are also your advisors, neighbors, trip leaders, coaches, and mentors. The outdoor program shapes relationships. The jobs program shapes the community. Everything connects to everything else.
I really think there are parts of Midland you can only understand by experiencing them.
Stella: I agree. There are so many different parts of Midland life that all build on one another. It’s hard to fully understand what the experience feels like until you’re actually living it every day.
Q: What do people misunderstand most about boarding school life?
Stella: I think some people still imagine boarding school as students being sent away somewhere strict or isolated. But Midland students really choose to be here. People come because they want adventure, challenge, independence, and community.
And honestly, being away from home has actually made me closer with my family. I probably call my mom more now than I did freshman year.
Amelie: I’ve heard that from so many students here. Distance sometimes makes people appreciate their families more deeply. You realize how much you care about each other because your time together becomes more intentional.
Q: What moments or experiences do you find yourselves talking about most often during tours?
Stella: Definitely the outdoor program. I love talking about backpacking trips, Hard Luck, chapel, and just random moments hanging out with friends on campus.
A lot of those experiences gave me confidence in ways I didn’t expect. I think when prospective students hear specific stories, they can start imagining what their own life here might look like.
Amelie: I feel like I have stories attached to almost every place on campus. Every trail, building, or canyon has some memory connected to it.
And I think that’s what makes Midland feel so deep to people. Everybody’s stories here are different.
Q: What does community actually feel like day-to-day?
Amelie: Honestly, after about two weeks, it stops feeling like friends and starts feeling like family.
There’s really no easy onboarding here. You jump completely into the experience together, and I think that creates incredibly strong connections.
My grandpa is still close with people he met at Midland when he was thirteen years old.
Stella: People know each other really deeply here.
If someone’s having a bad day, everybody notices immediately. Sometimes it’s almost funny because ten people will ask if you’re okay within like fifteen minutes.
But it also means you feel incredibly supported.
Q: Do you think Midland students grow differently because of the level of responsibility here?
Amelie: Definitely.
At Midland, you become very aware of what it takes to make a community function. You understand the work behind everything because students participate in maintaining the place together.
I think that creates a different level of awareness and compassion. Like, now when I visit colleges or restaurants or other places, I think about the people behind the scenes doing work most people never notice because I know what that feels like.
Stella: The level of trust students are given here also changes people.
You learn independence because people trust you with real responsibility. And through that, you also learn when to ask for help and rely on other people.
Q: What moments at Midland have made you feel most connected or like you truly belonged here?
Stella: This year I went on a backpacking trip that was honestly pretty brutal. It was raining, we were exhausted, and we were hiking through a creek after dark trying to reach camp.
But somehow it was also one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had here. There was this feeling that all the barriers between students and faculty disappeared. We were all just one group trying to get through something difficult together.
I remember thinking, “I love this place so much.”
Amelie: For me, a lot of it comes from relationships with faculty.
My advisor can tell from like 300 feet away if I’m having a bad day just based on my posture. That level of being known and supported feels really rare.
Q: Why do you think students become so emotionally connected to Midland?
Stella: Because your whole life happens here.
Your friendships, your growth, your struggles, your memories, everything becomes connected to this one place. I can walk around campus and remember exact moments from different years of my life here.
Amelie: Midland isn’t just a school.
It becomes home, community, routine, identity, relationships, and way of life all at once. That’s why people feel so emotional leaving it.
Stella ’26 on graduation day.
Q: What kinds of students thrive at Midland?
Amelie: People willing to say yes. People who are open to challenge and new experiences and who are willing to try things even if they feel uncomfortable at first.
Stella: People who really want to participate in the community and take advantage of all the opportunities Midland offers.
Q: If you had to describe Midland in one sentence?
Amelie: “High school summer camp that will change your life.”
Stella: I honestly don’t think I can beat that answer.
A reflection facilitated by Senior Advancement Associate, Jasmine Fullman
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