Greetings from the woods! My name is Gavin Fry, and I'm a student blogger with the People, Places, and Pines team. I'm a proud first-generation college student, carrying with me the full support of my crazy family. I plan to be involved with undergraduate research, outdoor activities, and club golf here at Dartmouth! You can find me geeking out about the weather, reading novels, and always drinking coffee (at any time of the day). So nice to meet you!
Academic Program
Prospective Environmental Earth Science Major with a Minor in Public Policy
Favorite Thing Right Now
My idea of starting a chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) here at Dartmouth!
Oh. My. Goodness. What a fun class this was! As a certified weather and climate geek, I was totally entrenched in everything we done in this course. From the labs and weather presentations to the "flipped" classroom experience, I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Dr. Osterberg's excitement for the course material made it that much more enjoyable! It was truly an extraordinary first-year course to take.
I’ve loved this class from beginning to end. For one, I enjoyed it because of the people in it, but I also loved it because of the content. Through frequent class discussion, I learned about the health of our democracy and the ways it is compromised. Very enlightening class!
Religion 5 was a quintessential liberal arts course that deepened my knowledge in a subject I thought I had all figured out. As a STEM-oriented student, this class offered the perfect balance to my spring term schedule. As a result of this class, I became more introspective of how I was raised, and I'm more grateful in my ability to be a free-thinker.
SummerOff Campus Internship - Princeton, New Jersey
This summer, I explored my future career plans by participating in a research internship with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University. I learned a lot about what I want (and what I don't want) in a future career, and I made so many awesome lifelong connections!
A course rooted in both philosophical theory and real, practical methods of becoming a better public speaker was the highlight of the term. Our class of 16 students grew to be a sort of "mini-family," and I'm so grateful for the connections I made. I completely changed the way I view public speaking and homed in on my own skills as a public speaker!
Once again, a course outside my major found its way into my favorite class list. This sociology course helped me better understand how children are viewed in society, the way sociologists study youth, and the major differences in norms around childhood around the world. Who knew there was so much to learn about youth culture!
The 2022 winter term, or simply 22W in Dartmouth lingo, was simply the most "where did time go" period of my 19-year life. It seems like an exaggeration, but I'm being genuine. Perhaps it's a combination of the days being shorter and the rigor of Dartmouth classes that make the days speed by, but I can't be for sure. All I know is that it seems like I time traveled through the past ten weeks. Now, when I go back and look at all the stuff I've done this term, 22W seems like it should have gone by much slower.
I started off this term hopping on a flight from Memphis to Boston in late December after saying goodbye (for the final time) to my nana who had raised me. She'd passed away on Christmas Eve this past year, but I'm certainly glad I was able to spend time with her while I was home. I knew she'd want me to get on with my studies and focus on the good fight, and that's exactly what I did. Before I knew it, winter term came in full force.
I began to appreciate the beauty of the upper valley in the wintertime. Although I was initially skeptical of how I would fare in a New Hampshire winter, I did just fine. I was able to dabble in snow photography which is something I'd been wanting to do for a while now. Also, I went skiing for the first time in my life with one of my good friends. What an experience that was! I also went on some sunrikes (quiz time… what does sunrike mean?) Hint: Previous blog post. Winter in Hanover is anything but boring. You could choose to be couped up in your dorm and complain about how cold and nasty it is, or you could make the most of it!
Me absolutely terrified at the top of a beginner ski hill.
One of the most beautiful sunrises I've seen, courtesy of a Dartmouth sunrike!
I also got to experience my first ever winter carnival! Whether it be admiring the snow sculpture, sipping hot chocolate by the open fire, or attempting to dive into a frozen lake (known as the polar plunge here), winter carnival was something else. Dartmouth truly does a good job at making lemonade out of the lemons that is a crisp winter. I loved every second of it!
Spy-themed snow sculpture for winter carnival this year!
Personally, I went through some things this term that I'll probably never forget. Nothing traumatic, but some of the circumstances I found myself in made me realize that I'm an adult, and the choices I make now have direct impacts on my future. Once I was able to realize this, I started focusing on the things that made me happy while still scrutinizing my academics. Something that truly helped me get through these tough times were multiple fishing trips through Bait and Bullet (mentioned in my previous blog post). On these trips, I was able to reconnect with my passion that is fishing (although this time it was through the ice!). I was also fortunate enough to meet people who I believe will be lifelong friends. I'm so grateful for my experiences with the Bait and Bullet club and it's leaders! I love you guys!
The overall theme of this winter, personally, was to realize when things get a bit out of hand and to combat that by focusing on the things that make you the happiest. For me, this was fishing trips, hikes, photography, and a bit of golf as well. Winter term was one that I will certainly never forget whether it be because of the highs or the lows. Nevertheless, I loved it.
Being a super senior ('23) is like being an incoming freshman ('28) in that you get to make a new set of friends. Luckily, Dartmouth is a small school with many social spaces students can tap into.
