Thanks for the reply. I figured I could make it work, although I'm not actually sure what I learned from white Vermonters. I've been trying to think of this, but nothing exactly comes to mind. I really want to finish this secondary too, since UVM is one of my top choices.
Another thought that randomly came to me is talking about my experience working "as a ski bum" which I did for a little while after college. I've always been a person who is "looking towards the next thing" which is good because it keeps me ambitious but often leads to me not fully appreciating the moment. While bumming it out a bit, I met a ton of people who were just truly content with their situation. Sure we might not have had prestigious jobs or anything, but we were in an awesome location, living a life that a lot of people dream about. I was often thinking towards the future, while they were just happy being in the mountains. I've been trying to adopt their viewpoint a little bit, while still working towards my goals of course. Not sure if that would work, but its a thought.
