"Winterim:" What does it mean?
"What do I do now?!"
For me, the fall term was a term that was scheduled and busy! Most days were planned out thoroughly on my trusted Google calendar. With the ten-week term instead of the semester system, this required a more planned-out approach. Looking back, I am extremely blessed to be surrounded by the community that I was in. Flying back home to the other side of the country gave me a lot of time to think about my first term at Dartmouth.
Coming back home to a setting that did not require my days to be as planned and allowing my brain to slow down a bit, I have to admit, it did feel a little odd. I wanted to be productive and plan for summer while also giving myself a break.
As a first-generation student, I am very lucky to have access to the career development resources within the First Generation Office. After a zoom meeting with Janice Williams, the Associate Director of the office, I certainly felt much more confident about moving forward in my career search. I was able to access a list of contact information of other alumni who have pursued a deeper dive into the government or legal field. Thanks to that, I have already scheduled calls with three alumni to see what their typical work day looks like. This shows how eager alumni are to enhance the Dartmouth community. This tight community is not uncommon, as I have heard that Dartmouth alumni are very supportive of various career paths.
Yesterday, I spoke with an alum who worked in the maintenance of bilingual education services in California. As a Mexican American myself, I was really impressed to see the wide range of issues that Dartmouth alumni are making a positive difference in. We talked about how it is experiencing Dartmouth as a first-generation student, funding opportunities, and the adjustment from super sunny places to the snowy woods! It was an amazing conversation.
After that call, I worked on my study abroad application! This summer, I hope to travel abroad through the Italian Full Immersion Rome Experience, also known as FIRE. Thankfully, there is still quite a bit of time left on the application, as it is not due until the beginning of February.
I appreciate how supportive Dartmouth is in career exploration. There are many funding opportunities through the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, the Rockefeller Center, and the Guarini Institute of International Knowledge. I have noticed some students come to Dartmouth with a general idea of what career they want to pursue; do not worry if you are one of them because I was definitely that type of person (or at least trying to be). However, Dartmouth has a beautiful way of showing you all the different possibilities that are available. If you let it, the professors that guide you, the centers that fund you, and the community that motivates you may transform your future plans into something more than you could have planned!