In this article, the author narrates her experience of meeting a Montessori kid for the first time and shares the characteristics she observed in Montessori students. The author was working as director of academic resources in university housing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and met Jason, a pre-med sophomore who was the resident assistant. Jason gave her the idea of what a Montessori kid is. It was about kids being free to move around the room and make choices about what to study on any given day. It was about hands-on activities as a foundation for abstract learning. Jason explained to her how Montessori made use of bead chains as math materials in making algebra "pathetically easy." The author observes that what all these students had in common is something she sees as an almost ineffable quality--a unique combination of a questioning habit of mind, an emotional sturdiness, and a special kind of groundedness that comes from knowing one's self and trusting one's own abilities.