Hello! My name is Cal Shin, and I am a '27 planning to double-major in Economics and Philosophy. Outside of academics and blogging, you can find me drawing (perhaps even designing for The Dartmouth), hosting my radio show as a proud deejay at WebDCR, perusing the Free Market, or hanging out with friends. Ultimately, I am an artist and a storyteller. I hope you enjoy reading about my Dartmouth experience; the journey has just begun!
I took this course with Professor James Binkoski and loved it! I had never taken a philosophy course prior to Dartmouth, so this introductory course in the department was perfect! After all, it combined my interests of philosophy with time and time travel — at least, how time and time travel are depicted in the media. This course may initially seem to be on the more technical side, but Professor Binkoski made sure to break down the various time travel theories — various ways scientists and philosophers think of time and its supposed movement — in a manner that’s easy for anyone to understand. A very popular course overall; I am fortunate to have been able to take it during my first term here!
I took this course with Professor Ha Yan Lee and it was absolutely amazing! I had my initial reservations about this course, mainly because I knew a lot of my classmates would have had some background knowledge while I had none. Professor Lee did a wonderful job of breaking down concepts in a manner that, as she often put it, is easy for even “your grandparents to understand”. Even beyond the course, the level of care Professor Lee exhibited towards her students is significant. She’s one of the most popular professors at Dartmouth, and for good reason! I ate lunch with her at The Pine through the Take a Faculty Member to Lunch program, and she gave me tremendous insight and advice! Because of this course, I have been inspired to explore more courses within the Econ department and potentially major in Economics.
I took this course with Professor Jasmina Savic and examined how the vampire figure evolved over time, starting with Slavic literature, going through Dracula and Twilight, and ending with “vampire” political figures. I realized what the portrayal of vampires could tell me about the thoughts of that society, including the fact that the early notions of vampirism are akin to modern-day diseases. For my final project, I wrote a research paper comparing the gumiho (the Korean nine-tailed fox) to several Western vampires.
The Collis Center for Student Involvement(lovingly referred to as Collis) hosts a variety of programming for Dartmouth's student body. The center has smaller councils in charge of specific events, such as Collis After Dark, the Council of Student Organizations (COSO), and Programming Board. Collis After Dark focuses on hosting fun social events on Fridays and Saturdays, serving as an alternative to Greek-house-centered social events occurring on campus.
My friends and I have a tradition of never missing Collis After Dark's bingo nights. We became determined to win prizes ever since our first bingo last fall. Those wishes never came to fruition that year, so we decided to try again this year.
A flyer advertising Sur-PRIZE bingo!
During this year's first bingo night, some of my friends decided to arrive an hour early to claim a table near the announcer. I joined them as soon as I could, making sure to grab a bingo card on the way. Unfortunately, I accidentally grabbed a broken card where the sliders weren't working and had to switch it out for a new one.
The bingo rounds themselves were not going well, almost as if the broken bingo card was an omen. While I was a few numbers away from bingo, I kept getting regular bingo when the announcers wanted a special pattern as bingo, and no bingo when the announcers wanted a regular bingo.
I got a regular bingo! Unfortunately, we needed a diagonal bingo for this particular round.
As the remaining prizes decreased and the quality of the prizes increased, I started to resign myself to yet another prize-less night. Before I knew it, there was only one prize left: a mysterious box in the center of the table.
It was the final round. I slowly crossed off the numbers on my bingo card. Somehow, I ended up with one number remaining. If that number was called, I would get a bingo.
"I-" the announcer started.
I took a bated breath. My last number was I-23. The announcer saying the letter "I" was a good start.
Or so I thought. The number that followed was not 23. After a few more false alarms, the announcer drew a ball.
"I-"
I-23. Please. I-23. I-23 is all I need. My friends were watching me in suspense.
"I-23."
My jaw dropped. "Bingo!"
As I walked up to the stage, I felt exhilarating joy. Finally, I won something. And not just anything—I won the grand prize!
What are the prizes, you may ask? Historically, prizes have included plushies, burrito blankets, Legos, gift cards, maple syrup, and an iPad. One of my friends—who, up until that day, had also been as unlucky as I was—won several cardboard cutouts of Freddie Mercury. What would my prize be?
I slowly approached the lone box at the center. I unfolded the cardboard flaps, and inside sat another box: packaging for a pair of Airpods Pro Max.
That night, three of us managed to snag a physical prize. However, the real prize was the laughter we shared and the fond memories we made.
I'm certainly looking forward to more bingo nights like this.
As an international student who has lived in East Asia for her whole life, this is how I connect with my home cultures through student associations at Dartmouth!
New Hampshire is renowned for its breathtaking fall foliage, and this season, I finally checked off one of the top items on my bucket list: the Gile sunrise hike!
The Dartmouth Outing Club has been one of the pillars of my Dartmouth experience. This weekend I changed POVs and lived the adventure through the eyes of a leader.
