Sam Eliot, one of the first College of the Atlantic (COA) staff members, shares his experience at COA. He played many roles throughout the college’s history, also teaching literature and serving as Academic Vice President. He describes his arrival to the college, including his initial hopes, expectations, and knowledge of other people at COA, through the conclusion of his time working for the college, reflecting on important lessons learned. He discusses early curriculum development at COA, attempts to recruit students, COA’s finances and development work, and the development of COA’s governance and decision-making structure.