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!
Should we commit a small wrong to save many? Equality or equity? What does it mean to practice effective altruism? I know, very philosophical questions yet that’s the whole point. This class was a crosslisted course between the Government and Public Policy departments. I greatly enjoyed this discussion led class as we talked about issues regarding immigration, the meaning of work, and technological regulations in the labor force. The readings were a usual amount for a Government course as it averaged to about thirty pages per class. I was able to make new friends based off of our class discussions which helped make the class feel more collaborative. Professor Rose was always open to meeting outside of class for office hours and encouraged participation in an effective manner. Walking away from this course I am able to talk about current issues from various philosophical viewpoints.
This past week, we stayed with host families in the one and only Orvinio! I truly loved the opportunity to live in a small town with Italian families. My mother's family comes from a small town in Mexico so visiting this beautiful gem in the countryside of Italy reminded me so much of the endless summers I had with my family back home. This trip was a great opportunity to practice our Italian and simply learn about the slower tasks of day to day life.
Orvinio is about an hour drive away from Rome; it is also much cooler and calmer so a great change of pace. Similar to other travels, no students were responsible for the planning or logistics of the trip as it was all done by our amazing support group: Professoressa Nancy, the Dartmouth faculty lead of the program, and Vincenzo, our Academic Programs International (API) director.
During this time of year, eggplants are extremely popular in Italy. So for today's lunch, we had eggplants with fresh tomatoes and cheese. I am very grateful for the opportunity to eat and live on a Mediterranean diet. To be honest, it is a big adjustment from the heavy meat presence that is in Mexican food, but I am very grateful for being shown how to use so many different fruits and vegetables in creative ways. Another insight I have been impressed with is how caring and attentive the program has remained to food allergies. We have several people on this program that have either a peanut allergy, are vegetarian, or don't eat pork, and our program directors always find restaurants to ensure that we can all eat together on group dinners.
We learned a lot of artisanal practices this past week in Orvinio. We had a beer, cheese, and cream making workshop. In the photo above you can see my good friend Bella, a Dartmouth '28, making a cream at our host family's home. Our host family owned a flower farm so everyone was able to make creams from the natural oils of their flowers, which was a lot of fun.
And lastly, we went on two hikes during our stay in Orvinio. The first hike was a moderate one to a nearby waterfall. The one that my best friend Alexa, a Dartmouth '28, and I are getting prepped for in the photo above was a hike to a nearby lake. As someone who is a bit more on the outdoorsy side, it was a lot of fun being able to be out and about in nature with friends. You can take the girl out of the woods but I guess you really can't take the woods out of a Dartmouth student. As someone who did not grow up spending the most time outdoors, I have to say that Dartmouth does an amazing job making sure that no matter your background or skill level, the outdoors are made extremely accessible.
The view of Orvinio from the top of our hike was a great reminder of how lucky we are to be so close to nature back home at Dartmouth.
Overall, I greatly appreciated Orvinio as my Italian is now at the level of holding basic conversations with the locals. I learned how to play rock, paper, scissors with some of the children, and also simply learned solid life advice from some of the older women and men that would welcome us around the city.
When I first arrived on campus, upper-level students eased my fears with their confidence and care. When invited to apply as a Dartmouth Bound Leader, I jumped at the chance to do the same to students starting their own college journeys.
Thinking about studying abroad? Seriously, you should! Beijing has been one of the highlights of my Dartmouth experience so far. Keep reading to hear about my trip to the iconic Great Wall!
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.
While the Hanover community is always strong and thriving, it's hard to imagine what it's like when you are thousands of miles away from The Green. Read on to learn about my Dartmouth life in Rome, and the community within Dartmouth while abroad.
I've just finished my first four weeks as a Concord Monitor news intern, having delved into journalism in ways I couldn't have without the help I received from Dartmouth's Center for Professional Development.
