“It has become more second nature to me to think about how to bring more people in.”

We recently caught up with senior Millen Berglind. When he thinks of Loomis Chaffee, one sight always comes to mind. “The drone view of campus,” he said. “When people ask me to show photos from school, that’s what I show them. It is really beautiful.”

He cites the captivating views of the Meadows. “They are plain in some ways, but there are the sunrises and sunsets over them in opposite directions, and they have a serenity to them that you don’t usually experience at a school.”

Year: Senior

Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden

Activities/honors: Founders Prize, co-president of Shultz Fellows, resident assistant (RA) in Culbert Hall, varsity golf, robotics engineering team captain, Junior English Award, Junior Modern & Classical Language Award, Koppleman Junior History Award.

On robotics: While Millen enjoys all aspects, one part that he said is special to him is outreach, in which the team does such things as work with children of faculty. “It has become more second nature to me to think about how to bring more people in.”

On golf: He has been golfing for about 10 years. So what’s the hardest part of golfing? “Hitting the ball straight,” he said as he let out a laugh. “It’s a tough sport because it is all you ... and it’s an emotionally demanding sport. As soon as you get upset, you lose your ability to play.”

What did winning the Founders Award mean to you? “I’ve been very involved on campus, on the Disciplinary Committee, a prefect, an RA, working with the Office of Inclusive Excellence & Belonging, working on a mental health project in the underclassmen boys dorms last year. The project centered around promoting discourse and discussion about mental health. We split into prefect-led chat circles, where we talked about the man box, loneliness, and expectations of men and boys, both at Loomis and in the wider world. This year I am in Culbert and will be running the program there. I aim to continue in all the underclassman boys dorms, too, several times throughout the year. [The award] showed me that even though I have a lot of scattered efforts on campus, there is a recognition of the collective impact that they have. I was told that I am having a positive impact on the community and people feel my presence in my work.”

On sailing and cooking, two of his pastimes back home: “I love cooking. ... It is one of those things that is a fun time. You play some music, have some snacks while cooking. It is a great way to force myself to let go of everything around me ... and enjoy the moment.” Millen said he grew up sailing and that his father raced sailboats. Millen went to summer sailing camp for many years and last year was a counselor at the camp he attended. He has a goal to enter the Gotland Runt with his father, a 350-mile nautical race around Gotland Island off Sweden. The race, according to its website, started in 1937 and “attracts elite crews and amateur sailors in a unique mix of boat classes and nationalities.”

Favorite thing to cook: Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce is a popular dish he’ll make, but his favorite might be smashburgers. “You can get all sorts of fun stuff in there.”

What is a course or assignment that has stood out for you? His English teacher during sophomore and junior year was Sangyeop Kim. “You can say he has overhauled my way of reading ... looking for subtext maybe more than plot. Two years with him transformed my reading and writing and appreciation of literature.”

On growing up in Sweden: He says Sweden has struck a balance — “life, leisure, work, health, social support networks. It’s a wonderful place to live.”

On being in the United States: "The U.S. offers a level of openness to ideas. ... I love that people want to help, enable you to do things. And Loomis is built for student initiative.”

On valuing physical presence: “For example, meeting with someone in person as opposed to a Zoom call. Or having a teacher explain something at your desk rather than at a whiteboard. Those gestures of personal connection matter. They show the person you are communicating with is going out of their way to convey something to you. When you feel valued in a conversation or a form of communication, you are more receptive to it.”