Hi all! Welcome to my very public blogging page! I am Toni Fabian '25, the middle child of my family, from a small town in sunny Southern California. I plan to study economics and human-centered design. I am passionate about culture, educational equity, and social justice. I will be writing about all things Dartmouth, from the infamous FOCO cookies to the resources and opportunities offered here on campus. I am truly so excited to bring you along with me while I navigate my college journey!
Academic Program
Intended majors: Economics and Sociology; Intended minor: Human-Centered Design
Each week I was responsible for completing problem sets, quizzes, classwork, and discussion boards. Every week we related what we learned in class to the real world. For example, we read about food banks and their past struggles with efficiency. As a class, we discussed solutions and delved deeper by asking questions and collaborating with each other. I loved this class a lot because Dr. Petre made learning really fun and is so kind! I learned a lot of information ranging from different elasticities of demand and supply to the indicators of poverty. This class was awesome!
For my FYS (First-Year Seminar), I took a history course called Gender and Urban Transformation (9L slot). Our class discussions drew from primary sources and historical analyses that dabbled on gender and its intersection with race, sexuality, and class in the development of U.S. suburbs and cities. Essentially, we explored urbanization and suburbanization as a multi-gendered process. I developed my research skills as I drafted an annotated bibliography, book review essay, and prospectus on the Chicano Movement's impact in the realm of higher education from the 1960s to the present in California, Texas, and Chicago. I learned a ton, I am so happy that I took Professor Rabig's course!
Sociology 1 is the introductory course for the Sociology major, and I loved this class so much! We had a ton of class discussions and the material was very insightful. We were assigned a term-long discussion group, and my group leader was so kind and knowledgeable. We analyzed and discussed the reasons behind class stratification, power dynamics, and social and economic inequalities in society. This class has truly helped me further develop my sociological imagination and changed my perspective in life. :)
For the entire summer, I interned for Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano (SJC). Breakthrough SJC is a non-profit organization situated in Southern California that aims to close the achievement gap for underrepresented and underserved students. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have served as a teaching fellow this summer and for Dartmouth's support in preparing me for this amazing and unforgettable experience!
I am writing this blog post as I finish up the first week of my fall term. I want to use this blog post to reflect on the busy start of my term. Firstly, I arrived at the College on Sunday at approximately 2 am. It was a long day given that I traveled all the way from Southern California to Boston and then took the Dartmouth Coach to the College. Personally, it was very difficult to carry my suitcases up four flights of stairs. However, my friends were waiting for me in front of the Hopkins Center (where the Coach drops students off) and helped me move my two humongous suitcases to North Mass.
The next day was very busy because I had to carry all of my items from storage and move them into my new dorm room. I was very stressed out because there was a lot to carry. However, I received support from a friend that I met in my Introductory to Sociology course and another friend that I met last fall while waiting for my coffee from Novack Cafe. The reason why I want to write about them is because of their kindness and genuineness. I am forever grateful for the people that I have met at Dartmouth during my first year and their willingness to help me when I was struggling with this new shift in my academic journey.
Moreover, I want to talk about the amazing professors that I met during my first year at the College and the continuation of my relationships with them. I utilized my first week to catch up with my Economics 1 Professor and talk to her about my summer adventures and my future academic goals after my undergraduate education. In addition, I love all the courses that I am taking this term. I will make sure to write in more detail about the lessons learned in my classes in the near future. Thank you so much for reading my first blog post of the fall term and I am very excited to write more about my sophomore year!
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
After returning from an enriching study abroad program, I'm diving into a bustling spring semester here at Dartmouth. Here are my four courses I'm taking this term!
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum pushes students to explore new departments and draw connections between seemingly disparate disciplines. Come explore my Economics, Physics, and Asian, Societies, Cultures, and Languages classes!
