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 week 8 of my fall term. This week was pretty rough, I got a really bad cough, but am recovering. I am resting a lot and taking care of myself given this is a new priority that I have set for myself this term. This past weekend, my friends and I went to a Thai Restaurant in West Lebanon, it was really good! I got Duck Noodle Soup and it helped me a lot with my current situation, lol.
Soup
This week was amazing, I am enjoying the nice weather, before the beginning of winter. The leaves are beginning to fall off their trees and I am really excited to soon obsessively order hot chocolate from Novack. This week, I focused on taking care of myself and putting myself first through meditation and reflection. During my first year, I think I in a way did a lot of activities that I don't think were that meaningful. I am learning to pick and choose the activities and the people that I want to spend my time with and live in the moment.
I think that I am becoming better with my time management, and will always be a work in progress. I am challenging myself a lot and am learning a ton, both academically and personally. I think this term is different from my past terms at the College in terms of being more comfortable with myself and being more outgoing. I have definitely grown a lot this term and pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I am really happy and proud of myself for being brave and not being afraid of letting my voice and perspectives be heard in certain settings. Altogether, this week was awesome! I look forward to writing more about any life updates next week! Until next week!
Dartmouth doesn't just care about the intellectual state of student minds but also their health and happiness. Through this week's monastic programming, I have found our commitment to mental health to be loud and clear.
