Athena is a Yestermorrow 24’ woodworking alum who we were lucky to have as the Woodworking Teaching Assistant this past winter of ‘26. We asked her to reflect on her return to Yestermorrow and here’s what she had to say:

Two years ago I took a semester off from college and participated as a student in both the Woodworking Certificate Program and the following Advanced Woodworking Certificate Program. My world expanded exponentially in those four months, and those experiences have remained some of the most amazing and life changing I’ve had so far.

This past winter I got the opportunity to return to Yestermorrow as the teaching assistant for both certificate programs, and I was yet again struck by what those intensive months offer.

In returning, my hope was to further my skills on a technical level and gain confidence in myself as a maker. It was a whole new experience to be at Yestermorrow in more of a teaching role. I was amazed by the ways I had to think differently in order to offer information and skill help to others. Being in that role solidified my understanding of concepts and practices in ways that just physically doing does not fully allow for, and left me with the increased confidence I was searching for. It brought me immense joy to witness others learn and fall in love with this craft that has given me so much even in the short time I have been engaged with it. 

The people and the valley itself contribute to the wonder of the time as well. There is a unique intimacy to learning in community with others, and that is something that makes these programs so special. Day in and day out we looked out for one another, got excited about each other's projects, gave an extra hand where needed, and made space for inevitable frustration. Beyond the shop, we spent evenings and weekends watching movies, playing games in the library, sledding down the hill behind campus, playing frisbee, going to the sauna, and–when Vermont began to thaw–jumping in the river and going on creemee outings. It is the most human, grounding thing in the world to spend the days working with your hands and living in community, surrounded by woods and rivers, watching the seemingly neverending snowfall turn to the first gentle and later bright and undeniable colors of spring. 

I am indescribably grateful to have been a part of this particular class community, as well as to have returned to the Yestermorrow community as a whole. The individuals who took these courses, as well as the woodworking faculty and individual instructors who came through, made my first experience of being in a teaching role feel comfortable and so fulfilling. 

The gratitude I have for Yestermorrow, for the woodworking certificate programs, for the valley, and for every person I have met in this world is immense and ever growing.

By Athena Baker-Cogan