Hi, welcome to the blog! I'm a junior from a small suburb in South Carolina, just outside of Augusta, Georgia. On campus (and virtually), I'm involved in club water polo, the America Reads program, and the TAMID student consulting group. In the classroom, I'm super excited to pursue my interest in improving the world through public policy by studying the intersection of government and economics. I hope you enjoy following along as I explore all that Dartmouth has to offer!
In high school, I played tennis and basketball, swam, and ran two half marathons, so I came to Dartmouth knowing I wanted to stay active and that I loved being a part of a team. During the first few weeks of my freshman fall term, I went to a few club tennis and club basketball meetings, but I eventually decided that I wanted to try something new. Ultimately, I ended up sticking with club water polo, a choice that has made my freshman fall super fun!
A few of my teammates and I after practice!
Most club sports here at Dartmouth are open to people with little or no experience, and water polo is the same way – I came in not even knowing the rules! Many of the other girls on the team are played in high school and are really talented, but I've felt welcome and supported the entire time. There's also a wide variety in the amount of time commitment required for club sports here. Personally, I use sports as a stress relief, so I like that water polo is a high-commitment club sport. However, I also have friends that love the sports they chose because they only practice a few times a week. The fall is the off-season women's water polo, so I'm really looking forward to travelling for tournaments in the Winter and Spring terms. Also, between Winter and Spring, we will have a week-long training trip, which I've heard is fun, exhausting, and great for team bonding!
We have practice and team dinner every Sunday night!
Walking on to a high commitment, completely new sports team might sound intimidating, but the people I've met through water polo have made the steep learning curve worth it. The upperclassmen organize team bonding activities constantly and I've bonded with the fellow newbies as we've learned together. At team dinners, our conversations often drift from that day's practice to study abroad experiences to advice on which classes to take, so I've loved having the chance to bond with upperclassmen I wouldn't otherwise know. I love water polo (and club sports in general) because they have become a way for me to stay active and make friends at the same time! Even if you weren't into sports in high school, Dartmouth is a great place to try something new and meet great people along the way!
Therefore, to cap off my Dartmouth experience and final blog post, I thought I would share the most important lessons I've taken from the past four years.
Now, as I'm wrapping up the last days of my freshman year in college (UNBELIEVABLE), I want to share some things that I learned throughout my first year here as well.
A few of my teammates and I after practice!
We have practice and team dinner every Sunday night!
