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!
Coming into Dartmouth, I knew I wanted to explore the creative writing department and this poetry workshop was a great way to do that! We studied well known political, love, and ekphrastic poems and wrote our own work every week. I really appreciated the small class size the classroom became a safe community for sharing my work, and I was able to get individualized critiques from Professor Francis.
Introductory writing classes are required for every Dartmouth student, but there are a wide range of topics, which makes finding an interesting course super interesting. My class focused on the American education system and gave me a ton of freedom to choose my paper topics.
Media and Politics was a writing intensive class which fulfilled my first year seminar requirement. While honing our writing skills, we studied the impact of news media, advertising, and messaging on campaigns and policy making. The class inspired me to continue exploring the government department, where I eventually declared my major.
I was raised Christian in a small, very church-centered town in South Carolina (literally the main landmarks of my hometown are the Methodist and Baptist churches). Coming to Dartmouth, I knew I wanted to continue to explore my faith, but I wasn't sure what that would mean. Because the vast majority of my home state identifies as religious (80%!) my experience with Christianity on campus has been much different than my childhood. However, I've found that the intentionality that's required to pursue religion in college leads to a super rewarding experience! Additionally, before I go any further, I want to acknowledge that Christianity is certainly not the only faith practiced at Dartmouth (check out links to other religious affinity groups here!) and that my experience on campus is undoubtably influenced by the status of Christianity in the US.
Before I even arrived on campus, I filled out an online form which told Dartmouth about my religious affiliation and allowed that information to be shared with affinity groups on campus. At the beginning of orientation, an upperclassmen member of the Christian Union reached out over email and introduced me to the organization. Throughout orientation week Christian Union hosted events and information sessions on the many ways to get involved in Christian life on campus. Throughout my freshman fall and winter, I stayed active in Christian Union by attending Bible studies, social events, and group worship sessions. At times, college life gets super hectic and it's difficult to prioritize going to events, but each time I do, I really enjoy the community and sense of peace I find.
In addition to my personal faith practices, I've also participated in more academic explorations of Christianity. Dartmouth's religion departments is excellent and classes entitled "Religion and Social Change" and "God and Darwin" have both been great for pushing the bounds of understanding. The Tucker Center is an additional space on campus which aims to be inclusive and supportive of all students' spiritual journeys. They offer moderated discussions, a full-time chaplain, and most recently hosted a virtual MLK Day celebration.
As I mentioned, there are many faiths practiced by Dartmouth community members, so I don't want to generalize my experience. However, I do feel comfortable in saying that however you choose to practice (or not practice) faith on campus, there will be people to accept and support you through that journey.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
