New blog, who dis?
Hello! You may have noticed that I've been out here posting about eclipses and fantasy football drafts without really introducing myself. I'm doing this slightly backward, but here's the obligatory introductory post: My name is Vanessa Pius and I'm a first year Admissions Officer here at Dartmouth. I'm originally from San Diego, CA and I've lived in New England going on five years. I help maintain this blog, so you'll hear from me from time to time about the admissions end of things.
- I'm currently resisting treatment for a Sriracha addiction.
- It's a mild secret that I love contra dancing (a very New England-y type of social dance).
- My colleague Ali and I check our horoscope every morning -- we're both Virgos.
I found my way to McNutt Hall just this past July, and it's kind of wild to think I've only been a resident of the Upper Valley for two months. Like our '21s, I'm brand new to Dartmouth and am learning a lot about campus culture and the way things work around here alongside them (and more often than not from them). I was drawn to Dartmouth for many of the same reasons students come here: the value of a rigorous liberal arts education, a desire to be constantly surrounded by New England nature, and a faculty truly committed to the dual mission of higher education: teaching and scholarship.
As for why I got involved with admissions, I love working with high school students, and the feeling of helping families navigate what can be a really challenging and stressful time -- if I can make this process a little less murky and maybe even a little more fun, that makes me really happy. I also am really excited by Dartmouth's commitment to making this excellent education -- and all the opportunities that come with it -- accessible to underrepresented and historically underrepresented groups. We're hard at work making Dartmouth a place where first gen students, students of color, LGBTQ students, low income students, and students who live in rural areas can thrive. Stick around for advice, challenges, photos from the road, and more from McNutt and beyond! Keep an eye out for more AOs blogging and our student blogger cohort, starting up very soon!