Hi there :) My name is Bryanna and I'm a '23 who was raised in Singapore. On campus I co-direct Sugarplum Dance Team, am involved in the Dickey Center's War and Peace Fellows program, do oral history research on the Vietnam War, and am writing a history honors thesis on the Cambodian Genocide. In my free time, I work as a barista at a local cafe called the Nest, listen to The Daily, and watch Masterchef (I'm trying to get into cooking).
With only 12 people, this course was the perfect seminar style course to introduce me to the history department at Dartmouth. We learned about pre-Columbus America up until the American Revolution, exploring a vast period of American history that is largely swept over in high school curriculums.
As someone who hopes to attend law school one day, this course was the perfect introduction to legal jargon, briefs, and the like. Professor Kalish helped me improve my writing my leaps and bounds as we explored judicial philosophies, current Supreme Court cases, and court history.
Despite my inability to sing or act, I've always been a big fan of theatre. Quite frankly, this course is one of the reasons I applied to Dartmouth in the first place. We read plays written from the early 1900s up to Hamilton, engaging with each deeply through class discussions and essay writing.
This summer I interned with a food bank in Philadelphia called Philabundance through the Dartmouth Partners in Community Service (DPCS) summer internship program. Each year, students apply to be matched as interns with non-profits in San Francisco, Philadelphia, or Boston. I completed the 10 week internship remotely from Asia, working a 9pm to 5am shift 5 days a week. It was an incredibly timely experience, as I worked primarily on Philabundance's COVID-19 relief efforts.
First up, I have Zoom classes! I have classes from 10am-2:30pm most days, so I'll make myself a quick lunch to munch on in one of my later classes. One of the great parts of living in an off-campus house is having my own kitchen—I don't think I can call myself a chef quite yet, but I've definitely come a long way since moving in.
Next up, I got some training in! My three roommates are all rowers, so we have been cross training together. Biking in the Upper Valley is beyond beautiful and one of my favorite ways to work out -- there are lots of hills, though! Here is my roommate, Sophie, halfway through the Lyme Loop, which is about 40km. We biked up to Lyme on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut and then back to Hanover on the Vermont side.
I love making the most of the last days of warm weather here in Hanover. Here is my other roommate Margaret working on her Introduction to Neuroscience notes. I'm working on readings and notes for my class Gov 3: American Politics—this week we're learning about the judicial system.
Running into friends in downtown Hanover!
As per usual, the Green was looking absolutely gorgeous. Lots of students were out playing spikeball—not unlike what you would see on a "normal" fall day.
I ended the day with a Zoom with the newest members of my dance group, Sugarplum! We were so excited to welcome '24 babies to our little family. Fingers crossed that we can all dance together soon!
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
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!
