Sophie spent winter and a bit of spring with us in ‘26, completing both the Woodworking Certificate and the Advanced Woodworking Certificate. This summer, we asked her to send us a reflection on her time learning at Yestermorrow. Here’s what she had to say:

When I think back on my time in the woodworking certificate program at Yestermorrow, what stands out most is not just the furniture we built or the skills we learned, but the people we shared the experience with, and the way we all grew together over those four months. From day one there was a sense of community that made Yestermorrow feel special. Felling the tree was more intense than I realized it was going to be. We were forced to work together with people we’d met the day before. We came from different backgrounds, with different levels of experience, but we quickly learned that woodworking is not something you do entirely alone. Whether it was helping someone troubleshoot, helping with a glue up or offering a design opinion, there was always someone willing to help. Especially in the advanced course, we created an environment where mistakes became learning opportunities instead of embarrassments. I really loved our library hangouts, our creemee runs and our jumps in the swimming hole across the street. The people I met at Yestermorrow will be in my life for a very long time, I can feel it.

As my skills developed, so did my confidence. Each project gave me the opportunity to reiterate the basic skills but also build upon them and expand. Woodworking taught me that work done well takes time and patience. There are no shortcuts to craftsmanship, only practice, persistence, and attention to detail. The lessons I learned in the shop extended far beyond woodworking itself. I learned the importance of organization, of asking for help, of thinking ahead and how to pivot when things aren’t going to plan. This course is emotional; it's intimate and it demands a vulnerability that I did not expect. I’m so glad that I had the privilege to make mistakes, to be angry and to be forced to figure out a plan B–even though it was frustrating in the moment.  

One of the most memorable parts of the experience was watching the seasons change around us. The Mad River Valley is a gorgeous backdrop that we took full advantage of. We played pond hockey, went sledding, had intense soccer matches and drove to go ice skating in Fairlee. We enjoyed cold plunges at the punch bowl and walked through the beautiful woodlot behind campus. We arrived smack in the middle of winter and left as spring was beginning to wake up. The changing landscape became a backdrop for our own transformation. The trees shifted colors, temperatures rose, and daylight changed, while we gradually became more capable, knowledgeable and confident.

Yestermorrow is a place that values learning through doing, and that philosophy shaped every day of the program. There was a sense that everyone—students and instructors alike—was engaged in a shared pursuit of improvement. The instructors challenged and encouraged us simultaneously, creating a balance of accountability and support that helped us push beyond what we thought we could accomplish. I had never done a creative deep dive like this before. I didn’t grow up around anyone handy and I’d never used heavy machinery before coming to Yestermorrow. This course gave me the confidence to push into areas that I’d previously written off as “too hard.” Thank you for making my world bigger.

-Sophie Chehab, 2026 woodworking + advanced woodworking certification student