Howdy! My name is Crystal and I'm a '28 from 1899.2 miles away in Fulshear, Texas hoping to study Biology on the pre-health track. Outside of being on the grind in my classes at Dartmouth, I enjoy dancing (poorly and with dance groups on campus), cooking (microwave oatmeal), and taking Buzzfeed quizzes to find out what breakfast food I am. While I'll miss Bucc-ee's and brisket from my native state, I'm beyond excited to explore all that the woods have to offer! Hopefully I'll see y'all around!
The multiverse theory maintains that every decision we make leads to the creation of a new universe, resulting in an infinite number of universes. Well if that's the case, I'm glad that I'm in the universe where you decided to click on this blog post!
But let me not get ahead of myself.
Welcome to my blog! A native of Houston, TX (the other H-town), I'm excited to trade in my cowboy boots for winter ones. My family immigrated from a town in China called Hefei, where my parents grew up. As such, my identity is a mishmash of backgrounds that include my Chinese heritage and my Southern affinity for Whataburger (of which there are none in New Hampshire, yet). I'm currently typing this post from a super niche spot on campus, The Green, which is a short walk from my living situation in the River (more on that in a later blog). Despite my short time thus far on campus, I'm already discovering new favorite spots that will undoubtedly make appearances throughout the year!
This is me during a senior trip when we stopped by Bucc-ee's, an integral feature of the Texas landscape. #ifyouknowyouknow
Beyond the aspects of my life that are directly tied to my location, I have an ever-growing list of hobbies that make me who I am. It would take me far too long to talk about everything that I'm interested in, so I'll keep it short and sweet with a list:
Dance: I've been dancing for 14 years now, and I participated in my school's drill team. I just closed off dance group auditions, where I was ultimately selected for Sheba, one of the hip-hop groups on campus.
Hiking: I'm what I would call an "average avid hiker". Texas is flat so on the rare occasion that I do get to hike, I tend to go pretty hard. The average of my hiking distances hopefully makes up for my infrequency.
Food: A fan of eating and making, I run a food blog on Instagram. While I've been well-trained in Chinese cuisine, I'm always looking for a new culinary mountain to summit. Current project: handmade pasta.
One of the first pictures I took in the Northeast, I had to snap a pic of the INSANE croissant I had for breakfast at King Arthur Baking Company in Norwich, Vermont, a ten-minute drive from campus. Yes, it was as good as it looks in the photo.
Throughout my next four at Dartmouth, I hope to study biology on the pre-medicine track, but I'm also super excited to explore the wide breadth of courses offered here, from Ancient Medicine to Krieger's Virtual Girlfriend. I'm excited to map out my academic and extracurricular journey alongside you all and highlight all of the small things that make my Dartmouth experience truly what it is, ranging from study spots, to sunrikes (sunrise hikes), to seasons (we don't have those in Texas).
Dorm floor friends right after matriculation! West House, Best House!
But enough about me! Let's talk about you! Chances are, if you've read to this point, then I was in your exact same position a year ago. Now that I'm on the other side, I can assure you that everything will be okay and that I can't wait to serve as part of your guide to the school I now call home!
The bridge my First Year Trip group crossed right before reaching Moosilauke Lodge!
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
