Massanutten Military Academy - Review #1

The structure at MMA and the leadership responsibility sets MMA apart from other boarding schools. I had specific instructors and mentors assigned to me who supported me not only in academic growth but also in personal growth. MMA was hugely influential in developing leadership traits and in giving me confidence to live independently which made going out on my own after graduation much easier. My first years after MMA were much easier than many of my peers. Having the concepts of personal responsibility, teamwork and honor instilled into me in high school have been instrumental to my success as an adult and something that has changed my trajectory for life.

I really enjoyed the cadet lifestyle and the structure and feel it has been a huge part of my success as a person. Learning about leadership at an early age was hugely beneficial and I still use the things I learned at MMA today.

My biggest advice is pretty simple…you get out of MMA what you put into MMA. If you put in the effort and do the work it takes to be successful than you’re going to reap the rewards. The second piece of advice is to try EVERYTHING. Try a new sport, try a new activity, try a new instrument. This is the time to figure it out and the best way to do that is to try things.

Looking back I loved the people. The staff and teachers cared about me and believed in me in ways I didn’t even know possible. They gave me an immense amount of confidence and support which has been instrumental in my life. My classmates are still some of my best friends and I’m lucky and grateful they are in my life.

Favorite place in town is Katie’s Custard. Favorite restaurant for my parents when they visited was Springhouse. Best pizza is Italian Touch. Favorite place on campus is probably the baseball field. Favorite dorm is Benchoff 4th floor. I still remember my mailbox number.

My favorite thing about academics was the small class size and individual attention I received especially when I was struggling with harder concepts like Calculus. Coursework was challenging but gave me a good base for college.

Athletics were a big part of MMA and I enjoyed being able to represent the school on the field. I loved being the underdog and getting to show up to larger schools and compete against them even though our size was much smaller. Lots of playing time and ability to try new positions I wouldn’t have gotten in other schools.

I was a big fan of our theater program and we put on several shows each year. Theater gave me the confidence to easily do presentations in my post MMA life. Lots of fun memories.

I always enjoyed the opportunity for service projects at MMA. We worked with local churches, veterans groups and civic organizations.

Dork life and living with people from all over the world was a great experience for me. Prior to MMA I’d been pretty sheltered but my first roommate at MMA was from Jakarta Indonesia which was awesome. I enjoyed learning about things and people I had no previous experience with and it made me much more open minded.

Food at MMA was always pretty consistent. I enjoyed our special dinners for events and always loved Sunday brunch.

Woodstock is an awesome small town. I loved my dorm room views of the mountains in Shenandoah National Park and liked walking down the small streets of downtown Woodstock. It always felt like a place that came from a simpler time.

Personally for me I appreciated that we were co-ed. Initially my parents wanted a men’s only school but I’m glad I got to have experience with women in leadership positions as much of my career has been working with and under women in leadership roles. Having a culture of respect for women has made me a better person.