Antônio Jorge Medeiros Batista Silva

To be honest, a lot of my time at Dartmouth is spent in my room. It's a me thing; I like my own space. My room is where I host my friends, hold study sessions, have Zoom meetings, etc. But, since returning for junior year, I have been exploring different spaces around campus. My favorite spot was hidden right in front of my eyes—especially great for studying. I come to FoCo (our main dining hall) every single day, but just now, I started using it for studying. In this corner, I get all the lighting needed to lock in and focus on my work, and there's still unlimited coffee!

This term brought along new connections. Both during the rush process of my Greek House—when we welcomed new members—and also in classes and clubs, I met great new people. Since my closest friend group is currently dispersed around the world—not that I'm complaining since they are all studying abroad in incredible places—it meant a lot to me to be able to build new friendships. This term in particular, I surrounded myself with friends I made who had—like me—just got back from an adventure. Some are dual-degree students from other liberal arts colleges who come to Dartmouth to complete their Engineering degrees. Others were abroad, and we finally got the chance to reconnect.

Finally, another spin in my Dartmouth routine took place in one of the clubs I've been a part of since my first year: the college radio. I am now taking on the role of project manager at our station, meaning I get to work closely with other radio leadership, as well as college staff whose work is to support us. It's been a great experience to get to know how the station is run from the inside, not only as a show host but as part of the backstage crew.

The sky is blue, often cloudy, but sunny for most of the quarter. And, oh boy! When the weather begins to chill down, there's nothing more comfortable than pulling out my sweater collection from the bottom drawer and bringing it back to my daily fits. It might be a me thing, but fall looks are my best looks…

A thousand new people for you to familiarize yourself with—a thousand new potential friends, teammates, coworkers, etc. I've been loving getting to know the '27s, and I enjoy seeing them find ways of making Dartmouth feel like their new home. The adaptation process is not always easy, especially if you come from a completely different reality—as in the case of Francisco, my "little" in the Dartmouth Brazilian Society. It's interesting how the big-little dynamics play an important role at this moment. I felt like I could truly offer my experiences as a resource to Francisco as he learned to navigate the college by himself.

During my first term here at Dartmouth (the fall of 2021), I found myself taking some unexpected classes. I wanted to get a real taste of the liberal arts education, and so I did by enrolling in classes I would have never considered taking before. "SPAN20: Writing & Reading," for example, was a game changer for me. It was there and then that I decided to take more Spanish classes, which now are building up towards a double major. I had hoped to take more of Prof. Pastor's classes as I progressed in the department offerings, but for most of my time at Dartmouth, she has been away on a sabbatical. Now, she is back! Just like the student body, Dartmouth's faculty is ever-changing. While you might not see your favorite professor every year, there'll always be a strong bond between you, your classmates, and the instructor—something I truly celebrate.