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.
As I get ready for classes to start again this week, I cannot help but get nostalgic over the memories I created this spring break. Just like winter break, for the spring all my friends had different plans. I managed to organise myself with some of them—specially international students, for whom it would have been too hard to go back home—to spend the break in New York.
It is no surprise that, after my first time there, New York already had space in my heart. The city is truly vibrant, diverse, and welcoming. Being able to go to the Big Apple every now and then has been one of my favourite things of Dartmouth.
This time, my friends and I shared an Airbnb in Brooklyn, allowing us to enjoy the city to its fullest. We started our break with a lovely stop by Broadway, where we watched my favourite musical: Chicago! As a prospective Theatre minor, this was a one in a lifetime opportunity. Dartmouth's proximity to big cities like NYC, Montreal, and Boston is a great asset of the College.
Later on in the trip, we also visited all main touristic attractions, such as Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, and a wide variety of museums: Guggenheim, MoMA, MET, etc.
View from the Brooklyn Bridge!
Now, as the new term starts, I feel more relaxed and ready for the intense courseload I signed up for. The quarter system at Dartmouth is a really good tool to plan yourself, fitting both your academic and personal social goals and needs.
Spring is going to be my last term as a freshman. For the next fall term, I have been accepted into an exchange program in Spain. If everything goes well, I will have the entire summer to prepare myself for this international experience. I am truly glad that I am allowed to choose which terms I want to be on and which ones I want to be off campus. Designing my D-Plan is a very unique and important experience for me, as it gave me a sense of independence I do not think I could have found at any other college.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
