Ei! My name is Antônio Jorge Medeiros Batista Silva (yes—four last names!) and I'm a '25 from Governador Valadares, Brazil. My journey to Dartmouth has crossed two continents, three countries, and over 10 schools—and I'm a strong believer that everyone's path to the Big Green was unique in a way. At Dartmouth, I study Linguistics, Native American & Indigenous Studies, and Spanish. I am passionate about social justice, language-learning, and the oxford comma!
This class is an introduction to the Spanish minor and major courses and, although I did not expect to particularly like it, it not only turned out to be my favourite but it made me start considering a degree in the department!
In this class, we analysed different productions of Latinx American theatre. Prof. Analola Santana was probably the best person I met this year at Dartmouth. Being her student was a very important experience as I try to navigate my potential majors and minors.
In this class, I was able to carve time out of my busy Dartmouth schedule to study and learn my Indigenous language: Krenak. With the help of Prof. Gokke, all students were encouraged to develop a final project that spoke to their community's needs for language learning and revitalisation. It was an extremely important class for me, not only academically, but also for my personal healing process.
I had the honour of spending my sophomore fall in Madrid, taking part in the Spanish FSP. There, Prof. Martín was not only a great professor, responsible for my favourite lecture of the program, but also an incredible company throughout our classes and in-country trips. Great way to wrap up my Spanish minor, honestly!
This was my second class in the NAIS department, and thus it took me one step closer to wrapping up my major. Nonetheless, it was Prof. Powell's genuine charisma and caring personality that made it my favourite of the term!
This course was definitely life changing! Prof. Pochedley, a visiting post-doc of the Potawatomi nation did a great job at keeping the students engaged while teaching us to see the land we inhabit as a source of knowledge and spirituality. In a majority Indigenous classroom, we got to develop individual projects related to our traditional homelands, learning to navigate the world through Native world lenses.
Prof. Gómez is one of those profs I've always wanted to take a class with. His work with the Horror genre in Modern Spanish literatures amazes me, and it was an honour to guide in-class discussions and develop my own research on the themes of science, testimony, and fear.
LING54 is an umbrella course: the actual content of the course may vary each year, but it is the common letter-number code to refer to the course taught abroad by your accompanying Dartmouth Linguistics professor. In this year's Linguistics Foreign Study Program (FSP), LING54 was a 'Language Documentation' class, wonderfully taught by Prof. David Peterson.
Before this class, I had no idea what visual and cultural studies actually encompassed. Every chat with Prof. Broner opened my eyes to a different analysis or method for interpreting literature, and for that, I feel truly lucky! We got to discuss films made by Indigenous women from all over Latin America, exposing the class to distinct ways of interacting with and stewarding the environment.
When I applied to Dartmouth back in 2021, I had no idea that I would end up spending about a quarter of my college time away from campus. As many of you—readers of People Places Pines and potential applicants—I love Dartmouth for its unique sense of place. Being on campus, you are surrounded by a natural landscape that most college students elsewhere have to travel hours to see. The College's location was most definitely one of the aspects that brought me to apply here Early Decision. But, as much as I wanted to fully immerse myself in the Upper Valley's picturesque environment, I couldn't let the many opportunities to go abroad that Dartmouth offers its students pass by. I needed to find balance, a way of exploring the outside world without letting go of the precious, yet limited time I have left to appreciate campus.
My first time abroad through Dartmouth was for my Hispanic Studies Foreign Study Program (FSP). I kickstarted my second year of college by diving deep into Madrid, where I lived for three months. And, honestly, the backpacking my partner and I did through Europe, starting from Madrid, at the end of my program, was the most adventurous and fun trip I've ever taken!
The end of your second year as a Dartmouth student is usually a special landmark. For the following Summer, your class can stay on campus taking classes. It's an amazing opportunity to bond with your class year, and enjoy sunny weather while you can. I, however, opted to not take part in Sophomore Summer—as we call that academic term you spend on campus. I had received an amazing grant to develop Indigenous language learning support materials back home in Brazil, and I knew that I wouldn't regret prioritizing that experience over staying on campus.
View from my flight to Rarotonga, capital of the Cook Islands
In my third year at Dartmouth, I went to Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Cook Islands as part of the Linguistics FSP. Although I struggle to rank all of these experiences, for they were all amazingly transformative to me, I do think that the time I spent down there was the most I advanced in my academic and professional goals. As a linguist in training, I am passionate about language revitalisation—and the Māori are experts on that, and impressively willing to share their methodologies, histories, and experiences.
Now, for my last Summer as a Dartmouth student, I am interning at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. I would not have been able to take on this position without the support I received from the Native American & Indigenous Studies department. At Dartmouth, financial accessibility is always a priority. Throughout my FSPs, I was able to not worry about affordability, since your financial aid package is adapted to proportionally cover any extra costs that might be implied in the program abroad. And, finally, for internships, there are multiple departments (like Native American & Indigenous Studies), offices (like the Office of Pluralism and Leadership), and centers (like the Center for Professional Development) that offer financial support for students to undertake unpaid or low-paid jobs when they are not enrolled in classes
As an international student, I was hesitant to join Greek Life, but I found a welcoming community. Now, as a junior, I hope to help others find their place too.
For those who want to attend medical school after their undergraduate education, the infrastructure of a "pre-med" track is an important factor when choosing a school to apply to. Here's how the premed experience has been for me at Dartmouth!
This is my fifth term at Dartmouth! Read on to learn more about how my low-income background has played a significant role in my transition to Dartmouth over the past year
