Hello there! I am an avid doodler and caffeine addict who can be spotted 24/7 at KAF (the coffee shop in Baker-Berry Library). I've grown up skiing in the Rockies, so I'm a hype man for low temp activities like throwing snow at friends and carving ice sculptures (yes, I actually did that!). Aside from blogging, I am an economics teaching assistant, design mobile, web, and VR apps for Dartmouth's DALI Lab, and travel around with the fencing and debate teams for competitions.
Freshman fall flew by! While I unwittingly took some of Dartmouth's more difficult classes, I met so many amazing people and got to explore campus with a fresh set of eyes (I'd never visited before). I also got inspired (after taking my prof to lunch) to pursue a major in economics!
Winter was my favorite term freshman year, largely because I felt more settled into the campus rhythm and took awesome classes. Prof. Kalish (my Writing 5 -- a required class for all freshmen -- professor) was not only fun and insightful, but also made an active effort to connect with every student. It's one of the best classes I've ever taken.
In my opinion, Hanover is most beautiful in the spring: you see everything from fluffy snowflakes to vibrant blossoms. The weather kept me cheerful, even if spring was my most rigorous term. My favorite class was Econ 22 with Prof. Comin, who led a case-based course that helped us understand the real-world applications of what we were learning. He's also a super cool guy to chat with, and he's done fascinating research.
Most freshmen don't stay "on" their first summer, but I scheduled my D-Plan around my winter internship. Summer didn't disappoint: I love the new friends I made and the classes I took (and I also got super fit from attending two PE classes). Taking Drawing I was also one of the highlights of my summer. It's a lot of work, but I'd rather spend 10 hours on a drawing than 10 hours on a problem set.
I finally met the '22s!! (Seriously, you all are so cool.) This term, I took a class on game theory, which is basically a subject where we literally learn about games. While it was by far my most challenging class this term, I thought that what we learned was super rewarding.
WinterSalt Lake City, UT
This was my first "off" term since I arrived on campus! I interned for Cross Creek, a venture capital firm in Salt Lake City, Utah (my hometown!).
I could RAVE about public economics and Prof. Skinner for hours. While public econ wasn't easy, it challenged me to think critically about my political philosophies and about the economic theories I'd previously considered fact. Prof. Skinner was one of the most engaged professors I've ever had; he even recommended a few running routes to me!
The famous "Sophomore Summer" and my second summer on campus! I took an unconventional four-course term complete with Econometrics, Gender & Philosophy, DALI Lab Independent Research, and Independent Studies in Engineering! I had so much fun studying on a dock by the Connecticut River and having lots of gelato under the sun. :)
I had the opportunity of a lifetime to be an economic policy intern at the White House! I loved my job, met incredible people, and had plenty of time to Facetime my friends on campus.
This was such a fun winter! I went skiing with friends, spent a few weekends eating Chinese food in Boston, and to top it all off, I took my very first government class. I really loved learning about political science from a comparative perspective; specifically, how institutions can affect the way a society can vote or even organize collective action. I wish I'd taken more government classes earlier.
While I was physically camped out at home in Salt Lake City, Utah, I still spent plenty of time with friends (albeit over Zoom), and I got to know professors in office hours! I also had the rare chance to spend quality time with my parents and my dog while also learning a lot in my classes on business strategy (offered by the Tuck School of Business) and authoritarianism in Central and Eastern Europe.
SummerNew York City, Virtually
I spent the summer as an investment research intern at J.P. Morgan. My internship was completely virtual, but I still got to befriend my coworkers, and I'll be going back full-time after I graduate!
After six long months away, I finally came back just in time for the beautiful New England fall. I began writing my economics thesis in a difficult yet rewarding advanced econometrics class with Professor Staiger, attempted acting in a play, and learned about the nuances behind Adam Smith's "invisible hand" (which has become a caricatured generalization of his work). I even made a few new friends out of '24s from six-feet away!
WinterUniversity of Oxford, Magdalen College
I spent my winter term at Oxford studying economics and politics at the beautiful Magdalen College.
SpringOn Campus
I can't believe it's senior spring already! This spring, I'm finishing my thesis and taking classes on creative writing for fiction, costume design, and the economics of gender and family. Be sure to say hello if you're on campus (or Zoom)!
I've discovered more about the Hanover area than I ever this spring have thanks to one new activity: running.
Occom Pond fresh after an April thunderstorm
Alright, let me backtrack for a second and explain. Throughout most of my life, I've hated running. But about halfway through my winter term away from campus, I realized that my 9 to 5 corporate desk job was eroding away my physical strength despite regular exercise. I knew I needed to step up my classic workout routine a notch, so I thought, maybe I should take up running... I set a goal to train for a half marathon and started jogging (very, very slowly) around the neighborhood. Flash forward to when I got back to campus this spring, and I was still running.
At first, I jogged around the familiar parts of campus -- around the Green, down to the River, through that one trail around the North Park apartments... but familiar sights can quickly get old when you have to pass them every day drenched in sweat. A friend suggested I try running around Occom Pond.
I was hooked.
A quick running break!
The loop around Occom is almost exactly a mile, so it's great for tracking my distance as I go. Many students also walk their dogs around Occom due to its close proximity to campus (the pond is literally right next to the Choates). Trust me, running is so much better when you get to wave to dogs every few minutes.
But even Occom can get old, especially if you're like me and are not an innate runner.
Thankfully, Dartmouth is located at the intersection of many trails. Incidentally, I learned about many of these trails from Professor Skinner -- my public economics professor -- during an office hour. I took his suggestion and tried the four-mile Quinn and River trail loop with a friend (whom I had previously convinced to take up running with me this spring). It didn't disappoint. The trail runs under shady forest foliage, through the Mink Brook Nature Reserve, and finally along the Connecticut River.
It's stunning.
Running has helped me better appreciate one of the things that attracted me most to Dartmouth in the first place: the location. Dartmouth gives me no excuse to be lazy when there are so many scenic trails that run right through campus. Besides, a short run is a great study break and a perfect way to literally run away from my problem sets... (Yes, I definitely wrote that so that the title made sense.)
Catching dragonflies at the Organic Farm during my Agroecology lab, plunging feet first into the Connecticut River after class, and exploring the Upper Valley by electric scooter… all in one day! Welcome to Sophomore Summer.
I wanted to make my last blog post for this academic year about the places in the Dartmouth community that I will deeply miss and have made amazing memories with the wonderful members of this community.
Honestly, I cannot wait to be home. Although Dartmouth has been a home for me for the past nine months, the college experience is made of many ups and downs. Come check my first year wrap-up!
Alright, let me backtrack for a second and explain. Throughout most of my life, I've hated running. But about halfway through my winter term away from campus, I realized that my 9 to 5 corporate desk job was eroding away my physical strength despite regular exercise. I knew I needed to step up my classic workout routine a notch, so I thought, maybe I should take up running... I set a goal to train for a half marathon and started jogging (very, very slowly) around the neighborhood. Flash forward to when I got back to campus this spring, and I was still running.
The loop around Occom is almost exactly a mile, so it's great for tracking my distance as I go. Many students also walk their dogs around Occom due to its close proximity to campus (the pond is literally right next to the Choates). Trust me, running is so much better when you get to wave to dogs every few minutes.
