Mucho gusto! Let's get to the fun stuff first. I love journaling, dancing in the gym, and being outside in some sunshine. I am from Tucson, Arizona and a '28. I am a proud first generation and low-income student who comes from a loving Mexican and Native American family. An early riser and bubbly personality are some ways to describe me. So before you leave, welcome to Dartmouth! I am Dezstany and I hope you join me on this journey into the woods!
This course was one of the reasons I chose to apply early decision to Dartmouth! I know, how could one course even influence such a big decision? Hearing Professor Duthu describe cases regarding the dispossession of Native tribes, the cultural tensions that many Native youth experience because of the effects of the Doctrine of Discovery, and economic development issues amongst many Native reservations made me edge out of my seat with excitement. The description did not disappoint because although it is one of my earliest classes, I always find myself running to class to learn something new. Professor Duthu presents in a way that wakes you up, makes you laugh, and encourages you to ask some pretty tough questions about tribal regulations. It has been extremely interesting how "bullets of the past are hitting present targets", meaning that many federal policies that happened decades ago still have very noticeable impacts in Indian Country (land in which tribal members own or previously occupied). I love being able to schedule office hours for any leftover questions. Would definitely recommend it!!
Lotería! The name of a traditional Mexican lottery game played during holidays. My final project was presented through the form of Lotería. In this class we analyzed the political and economic settings that domestic laborers and caregivers face within the United States and in Latin America. I really valued the different students that the class attracted as we all became extremely close in the ten weeks we worked together. This class was both an Art and Culture Identity credit so our assignments were extremely interesting as we got to do a lot of interactive learning with movies and plays!
I remember walking into my first-year dorm and being a little nervous. As a first-generation student, this was one of those moments I was counting down the days till. That spark of opening the door and seeing the space that was going to fill the late-night yap sessions, calls back home, and so many other core memories was just a doorknob away. A small L-shaped room was waiting for me behind that heavy brown door.
I was blessed to walk into a space with two big windows and a cute rustic chimney. I was lucky enough to have such an honest, caring, and supportive roommate who made the room ten times better. Not only was my roommate such a crucial part of my first-year housing experience, but also my entire building. Wheeler is a part of the South House housing community and is reserved as a first-year residential space. During the fall, students would get together before football games to host tailgates. Throughout the entire year, I enjoyed being able to walk into Wheeler and say hello to whoever was passing by.
Wheeler was an amazing location as it was a few steps away from the library, the Green, and Dartmouth Hall. The placement became very helpful for early morning drill sessions, late nights during Homecoming (the first-year bonfire in the fall) or the Snow Ball fight (open to all students in the winter term), and midday meetings at Novack.
See if you can find Wheeler!
As the end of the year approached, more and more people began to talk about storage. Being from Arizona, I planned on storing a significant amount of my belongings at Dartmouth. Storage appointments become available during week 8 of the spring term, and I highly recommend booking as early as possible. I ended up packing up a few days before my storage appointment. It was definitely a little stressful, which could have been avoided if I had packed a little earlier, but now I know!
I was able to purchase boxes on campus at the Hinman Mail Centerfor a relatively decent price. Thankfully, I was able to store most of my clothes in six boxes, and the other major item I had to put away was my refrigerator. I was fortunate enough to live on the first floor of Wheeler, which meant I had to walk down one flight of stairs to store my items. My friend group and the general Dartmouth community were beyond supportive of helping me move. I was able to borrow a friend's car to help move bigger boxes, and as people I knew passed by, they would be more than willing to help.
Overall, there are numerous places on campus where students can store their items, so finding a physical storage space is not a major concern.
In celebration of the new Attitudes of Coexistence exhibit at the Hood Museum of Art, artist Choe U-Ram spoke at two artist talks I attended. Read on for highlights from the experience!
