Hi! Welcome to the blog! I'm from a small suburb in South Carolina, just outside of Augusta, Georgia, so I'm excited to document my first New England winter! On campus, I'm involved in club water polo, the America Reads program, and research in a computational neuroscience lab. In the classroom, I'm super excited to find a balance between STEM and humanities by focusing on both English and pre-med classes. I hope you enjoy following along as I explore all that Dartmouth has to offer!
Academic Program
English with focus on creative writing (also on the pre-med track)
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!
Coming from a boarding school, I didn't get to work during the weekends. Coming into Dartmouth, I was excited at the prospect of being able to finally get into the workforce. There are many reasons why you would want to work.
My faith is a very important part of my identity. Starting in the fall, I decided to join two Christian groups: Christian Union and Apologia, the Christian thought magazine on campus.
Long time no see, Hanover. How long has it been? Six months and three days? Not that I've been counting, of course. Oh, who am I kidding? I couldn't wait to see you again! How have you been?
The reason I tell this story is to pretty much show that Dartmouth is somewhat of a "nerd sanctuary" — a place where people can do whatever and explore whatever passion they want.
My friends and I had a board games brunch at the dining hall, with many of the games rented from Jones Media Center. It was a highlight of the term — when else can you play Cards Against Humanity with nine friends while enjoying brunch?
With the decade (and year) coming to an end, I thought I would do something fun and look back on everything that has happened this year for me at Dartmouth!
Sometimes I crave homemade Chinese food, which was part of my daily life for 18 years. Luckily, the Dartmouth Chinese Culture Society and the Office of Pluralism and Leadership Asian American Mentoring Program organized a dumpling making event!
This is a post for my blog but also a letter to my future self so that I can remember the strategies I used to make my first term at Dartmouth a successful one.
What happens when you don't want more coffee and you're too far away from your bed? Here is a list of my favorite places on campus to take a quick nap.
A few of my teammates and I after practice!
We have practice and team dinner every Sunday night!
