Exonian Profiles
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Maggie Cao ’01 and Matthew Woodbury ’01:
A Labor of Love
Two years ago, Matthew Woodbury ’01 and Maggie Cao ’01 became a couple during their senior year at the Academy. After graduation, Woodbury went on to Swarthmore College, while Cao attended Columbia. But they grew tired of traveling every week to see each other, and began looking for an alternative. “We really wanted to do something meaningful,” explains Cao. “We searched the web and found AmeriCorps—a national service organization that helps students find an alternative road to education—and decided to take a year off from college.” Now, Woodbury and Cao are working together at Kimberton Hills, a residential farm in Pennsylvania for people with and without disabilities. After living in Boston and New York, Cao admits she was a little nervous about adjusting to life on a farm. “Every morning at 5 a.m.,” she says, “the roosters would wake me up.” Her mornings are filled with chores—preparing and cooking lunch, washing the dishes and floor—while afternoons are spent in the weavery. The work, she admits, can be very hard at times. “I had never worked with people with disabilities, nor had I worked with my hands, and I needed to know where and how I could be of use in this community. At Exeter the work is intellectual, but on this farm it is very physical. “Before I came here, I always had a choice—no one was dependent on me. Here, the menial things are very important and members of the community depend on me to do them because they cannot do everything for themselves. The focus here is on their abilities and on an equal stance. They may be able to help you with chores, but some cannot cook. It might take all morning for one of the residents to put the dishes away and sweep the floor. Yet they are so grateful and giving—much more than you would ever realize. They appreciate so many things we take for granted, and they’re not self-conscious about expressing their feelings. Working here, I have learned to enjoy the simple things in life—working and creating with my hands and learning about humanity.” “As a biodynamic diary farm,” explains Woodbury, “Kimberton Hills is centered on being environmentally conscious. By working as an organic farmer I have learned to respect the earth and realize the importance of healing the land. This has ignited a spark that I will carry within me throughout my life.” The experience has given Woodbury newfound, and hard-won, appreciation for the farm’s sustainable lifestyle. “Although I enjoy the dairy work now,” he says, “it was not pleasant during my first few weeks. I was shocked at how exhausted I felt doing very difficult physical work in the hot, humid weather.” His chores included milking 40 of the 80 Brown Swiss cow herd twice a day—at 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. “Working from early morning to late in the evening, I was so tired and didn’t have any time for myself. Now I’m used to it. I enjoy my chores and have time to experiment with fermented food preparations like sourdough. I even have time to practice the piano.” Woodbury and Cao agree that their year at Kimberton Hills has more than met their needs. Mark Woodbury, Matt’s father, seconds their choice. “I didn’t question their decision to take a year off from college because I think they are amazing to have come up with such a great plan.” “People are so smart at Phillips Exeter, that some students might miss the opportunity of a life experience like a Camphill Village farm,” says Cao. “But everyone should find a balance and do some kind of work that uses not only their heads, but their hands too.” —Alice Ann Gray |
