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 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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I took this class because it was the final culminating experience for my Chinese language major. Professor Ericson gave really engaging lectures that made it feel like he was reading us a story. As a capstone project, I wrote a 20-page paper about imperial Japan's use of visual propaganda in Manchukuo, analyzing primary texts in Chinese and Japanese.
This class explored the economics behind the gender gap, child penalty, and labor market discrimination. My favorite part was the MBA-style class study, which focused on the rationale behind Patagonia’s generous parental leave policies. Professor Olivetti was so helpful and held frequent office hours. Definitely take this class, even if you aren’t an economics major.
Eat Dinner with Me at the West House Pop-Up Restaurant
Every Dartmouth student is placed into a housing community before they get to campus. There are six houses: Allen, East Wheelock, North Park, School, South, and West House. A majority of Dartmouth students live with members of their house unless they are part of a specific Living-Learning Community or choose to live off-campus. Each house also leads unique programming curated by a House Professor and an elected executive board of students.
I am part of West House, which has a significant housing cluster near Tuck Drive. Upperclassman housing is contained to Butterfield, Fahey-McLane, and Russell Sage. Right now, I am living in Butterfield Hall. Underclassmen housing is located in French and Judge Hall. These are often called the "River dorms" since they are close to the Connecticut River.
Programming in West House ranges in scale, including academic events like study sessions with free snacks to professor lectures on topics like "War and Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine" and "A Discussion about the Discovery of Phosphine on Venus." There are inter-house competitions where students vie for a House Cup and community-wide dinners with food catered by local favorites like Big Fatty's BBQ and Peking Tokyo. Finally, West House sponsors some student travel, with popular options including watching a Broadway show in New York, cheering on the Boston Bruins hockey team, and rooting for Dartmouth's football team against Harvard. Read more about housing communities from fellow bloggers Garrett '26 and Kabir '26.
My favorite West House event of the year was the student Pop-Up Restaurant this April. I heard about the restaurant from my friend Ben '26, who was my leader during a Green River Ledyard Canoe Club spring break trip. Ben received $1,000 from West House to prepare a four-course tasting menu and recruited four student chefs to help him plan. Each chef created a dish that spoke to their unique heritage, as an Italian-American, Polish-Korean, Mississippian, or Vermonter. The restaurant's sign-ups were competitive, with over 170 students vying for 50 spots. Selections were randomly generated, so I was lucky to get a spot!
The day of the event, I found myself itching to get back into the kitchen, so I asked Ben if I could stop by the Aquinas Catholic House on campus to help cook. I spent three hours assisting as a sous chef, helping Noah '27 tend to his pot roast and folding mandu dumplings for Nico '26.
A couple of hours later, I headed to Fahey Lounge with a hungry stomach. At first impression, I was blown away by how professional the event was. The lounge was transformed entirely with dark lighting, fairy lights, beautiful flower centerpieces, and white tablecloths. The student servers, dressed in black and white attire, seated us, handed us professional menus, and cleared our plates. I eagerly dived into the four-course tasting menu with Sydney '24 and Amanda '23 as my fellow diners.
Course 1:
Bruschetta: Maple Brook Farm Burrata and a Garlicky Tomato Spread on Homemade Ciabatta
Course 2:
Mandu: Korean Dumplings filled with Dangmyeon Noodles, Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Tofu
Main:
Mississippi Pot Roast Style Beef served on a bed of Cheesy Grits with Mushrooms and Onions
Dessert:
Apple Pie with a Cabot Cheddar Crust served with House-Made Maple Ice Cream
I finished my meal content and full. I appreciate West House for making this happen and for the student chefs who spent hours preparing, shopping, cooking, and cleaning. This was a great event to cap off a difficult midterm week and bring out the community in full force, which is the magic of Dartmouth's housing community program.
As a second-year at Dartmouth, I've embraced leadership roles that foster community, creativity, and support! Here's a look at how each role has shaped my journey.
