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Diana D'Souza

Class of 2023
Student smiling for photo holding Dartmouth pennant over head

Bio 

Hello friends! My name is Diana D'Souza, and I'm pursuing a double major in Government modified with Economics and Chinese. On campus, I'm the summer Co-President of Women in Business and a Chinese language research assistant. I'm also involved in the Dartmouth Outing Club and recently led a fishing first-year trip at the Boston Lot Lake. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Academic Program 

Government, Economics, Chinese

Favorite Thing Right Now 

Scoops ice cream

Hometown 

Edison, New Jersey

Pronouns 

She/her/hers

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Diana's D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallHanover, NH - On Campus

      Favorite Class: Comparative Literature 1: Read the World

      I ended up taking this class for two reasons. First, I needed to fulfill my CI requirement; second, my friend was also taking it. Regardless, it ended up being my favorite class fall term. Professor Washburn is an engaging, spontaneous professor and we studied everything from memes to The Tale of Genji. By the end of the term, I found myself to be a more confident and humbled writer.

    • WinterHanover, NH - On Campus

      Favorite Class: Chinese 22: Intermediate Modern Chinese

      This was my second time taking a 9 am class with Chen Laoshi. She is understanding, funny, and always eager to help. Even though this was a fast-paced class with daily quizzes, weekly tests, and new vocabulary sets every other day, I became extremely close with my classmates and more excited about learning the language. We ended the term over a feast of dumplings Laoshi prepared!

    • SpringEdison, NJ - Remote Learning

      Favorite Class: Religion 26: Islam in America

      Because this term was online, I used my extra time to study a subject that has always fascinated me. Professor Ayubi was incredibly accommodating by allowing us to complete work at our own pace. The most memorable parts of the class were examining anti-Muslim materials during a virtual tour to Rauner Library and exploring Muslim punk rock through the movie Taqwacores.

    • SummerEdison, NJ - Remote Internship

      My summer plans were derailed due to the pandemic, but Mr. Forbes, a Dartmouth alum, graciously allowed me to intern at his consulting firm. Over the course of two months, I became a master at navigating Microsoft Visio and writing grant narratives. I also lifeguarded the 5am shift (pain) at my local community pool.

    • FallEdison, NJ - Remote Learning

      Favorite Class: ENGS 12: Design Thinking

      Students at Dartmouth say ENGS 12 will change your life, and I'm one to agree. Professor Robbie helped me rethink and redefine my approach to creativity and radical collaboration. After the class, I became involved in the design community, participating in the Designation, 3 Day Start Up, and Tuck's entrepreneurship program, TuckLAB. I'm even a TA for the class now—oh, how the tables have turned!

    • WinterEdison, NJ - Remote Internship

      In hopes of studying abroad, I declared a five-year d-plan. I'm still a '23 at heart, but I'll be graduating with the '24's. I ended up working at my local newspaper, TAPinto News, and continuing my linguistics research with Professor Donahue.

    • SpringEdison, NJ - Remote Internship

      With the help of the Magnuson Center, I landed an internship at Q30 Innovations, a medical device company. As a law development intern for Mr. Greene, a Dartmouth alum, I compiled a 20-page patent portfolio and provided recommendations for FDA clearance. I also took part in two Rocky programs, RGLP and MLDP.

    • SummerHanover, NH - On Campus

      Favorite Class: ASCL 70.18: Social Revolutions East and West

      Professor Dorsey is by far my favorite Dartmouth professor. He hosted in-person office hours every Friday, where we talked about anything from Japanese healthcare to craft beer to our personal lives. The class was an absolute blast, in which we dissected comics and listened to Japanese folklore. Class highlights included a field trip to a nearby Japanese Zen garden and a zoom call with Japanese folklorist Nakagawa Goro.

    • FallHanover, NH - On Campus

      Favorite Class: ECON 77: Social Entrepreneurship

      This was my hardest academic term to date, but I’m extremely proud of my work in this class. Over ten weeks, Professor Samwick challenged us to design a financially viable social enterprise. My team ended up creating BayStay, a one-stop service for homeless individuals in the Bay area to locate a new roommate and temporary communal housing. The best part of the experience was getting to interview leading experts on homelessness and pitching our business model to an angel investor!

    • WinterHanover, NH - On Campus

      Favorite Class: GOVT 5: International Politics

      Given my areas of study at Dartmouth, it’s no surprise that I loved my introductory international relations course with Professor Powers. She did a great job helping the class transition to in- person learning by providing us with reading guides and laying out clear expectations in her memos. We used high-level theory to explain the motivations of terrorists and the likelihood of nuclear war. In my final paper, I presented my own analysis of why the United Nations was powerless to prevent Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    • SpringHanover, NH - On Campus

      Favorite Class: GOVT 86.27: Ethics of the Family

      In this upper-level government seminar, my classmates and I met once a week for three hours. Although it was sometimes tough to focus, I appreciated having the rest of the week to prepare and complete readings. During the term, we debated a range of topics, including whether the government should regulate marriage or whether having a nanny was inherently anti-feminist. Another cool aspect of the course was that the class was entirely driven by student discussion and debate. Professor Rose pushed each student to flesh out her thoughts through open office hours and writing workshops. Looking back at my final paper, I’m really proud of my newfound ability to argue complex philosophical topics in a clear manner.

    • SummerHanover, NH - On Campus

      While most of the ‘23s are off campus, I’m spending my junior summer in Hanover because I took a gap year! I’m spending most of my time this term as a Paganucci Fellow at the Tuck School of Business. I’m also working for Dartmouth Admissions and serving as Co-President of Dartmouth Women in Business. Even though I’m not taking classes, I’m definitely keeping myself busy!

    • FallWashington, D.C. - Internship

      I spent my off-term interning on the China desk at the U.S. Department of State (DOS). I loved being able to apply what I learned in class in a professional setting and getting to see diplomacy and foreign policy in action. Some of my internship highlights included volunteering for the first, historic Indo-Pacific Summit and meeting North Korean defectors. Still, I’m excited to be back at Dartmouth, taking classes again, after six months off!

Sites of Summer

From making pinch pots to going blueberry picking, there simply isn't enough time to explore Hanover in one summer. I'm really lucky for the opportunity to spend another summer in Hanover and would love to share some new memories with you all.

  1. No. 1

    Making a bear bag

    An image of trees in the woods

    Next month, fellow blogger Gavin and I will be leading a fly fishing trip for the incoming '26s! Making a bear bag was one small but memorable part of a ten hour session of trip leader training. The group worked in teams of five to hoist bags on to branches in hopes of deterring hungry bears. Although it's unlikely that Gavin and I will encounter bears on our trip, it was a really cool skill to practice.

  2. No. 2

    Visiting the rock climbing gym

    An image of the Dartmouth College Climbing Gym

    I had no clue that Dartmouth had a rock climbing gym until I saw a listing on Trailhead, the Dartmouth Outing Club’s digital platform of all upcoming outdoor trips. After the end of a long week of internship work, my friend Reina ‘23 and I headed over to the West End of campus to spend an hour exploring the gym. Rock climbing was unexpectedly harder than we anticipated, but we ended successfully climbing the beginner paths and fooling around with the weights. I’m not sure how many colleges have an indoor rock climbing gym on campus, but it’s definitely a gem to take advantage of!

  3. No. 3

    Taking weekly Woccoms

    An image of Occom Pond

    One of my regrets during freshman year was not taking the time to fully explore Dartmouth’s campus. As a rising fourth-year living near the edge of campus, I’m starting to take advantage of Dartmouth’s incredible scenery. At the end of the week, I love de-stressing with a walk around Occum Pond (“Woccom”) while chatting with my family on the phone and admiring the sunset.

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Posted 08/6/2022 at 9:32 PMAll List Posts

My Fall Highlights

Fall term was tough. These six memories made it worthwhile.

  1. No. 1

    Frisbee & Flair

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    The Chinese Language House has a surprising number of frisbee players in residence. One Friday evening, we banded together to help Daniel, Megan, and Yuliya dress up in flair, essentially crazy clothing, for their frisbee tournament. After being crammed into a room doing makeup and agonizing over what to wear, we took a family photo to add to the house collection.

  2. No. 2

    Yes, Goats

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    This is a shot of me hanging out with Preston and Peanut. The Programming Board will often bring a petting zoo to campus around midterms. Chilling with the alpacas and wild pigs is a great way to destress. 
     

  3. No. 3

    Harvest Dinner

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    The dining hall brings local farmers to campus and serves their fresh produce each fall. I kid you not, this was the best meal I have ever had at Dartmouth. Although I was most excited about the cheeseboard, I couldn’t stop myself from loading up on clams, brussel sprouts, baked potatoes, and two types of pie.

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Posted 11/15/2021 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts

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