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.
I first heard about the Shattuck Observatory during my sophomore summer. Shortly after, the observatory was closed for some time, so I never got to explore. However, the stars aligned this week, and I participated in an observatory viewing hosted by the Women in Science Project (WISP).
The observatory is located at the edge of campus, up the road from the Alumni Gym and near the Big Empty Meeting Area (BEMA). Shattuck is one of the coolest-looking buildings on campus, as evidenced by this shot of the iconic dome against the night sky.
The tour started at 8:30 pm and was led by Professor Hans Mueller from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. I have often walked past Shattuck Observatory but never stopped to wonder what was inside. I was blown away by each room that I entered. For starters, the observatory lobby featured several professors' offices! A plaque on the lobby wall also showcased the observatory's founding date in 1854, making it 170 years old!
As I later learned from Professor Mueller, Shattuck is the oldest scientific building on campus. He also showed us a picture of the observatory from the 1900s. Not much has changed since then, though a Robert Frost Statue has replaced the gazebo pictured on the right. Another notable difference is that the dome of the observatory was replaced. It actually originally rotated on cannon balls.
The next part of the tour took us to a small room on the side of the lobby. This room exhibited two small telescopes used to tell time and a collection of grandfather clocks. Professor Mueller joked that the room had been converted to an office, and he sometimes feared knocking into a telescope if he leaned too far back on his chair.
Next, the group headed up the stairs into a dark room with a massive telescope. The room was initially dark until Professor Mueller turned on a red light. He explained that it was best to use this particular light to protect the telescope. I couldn't help but admire how massive and beautiful the telescope was in the dim lighting. Professor Mueller pointed out some challenges of maintaining the telescope during the New England winters between hibernating squirrels, chipped paint, and collecting dust. I thought it was fantastic, regardless.
Unfortunately, we had picked a cloudy day, and not a single star was in sight. However, getting inside the observatory is not usually part of the tour, so I was grateful for the opportunity to even get to the top floor. The best part by far, though, was when Professor Mueller started tugging on a small crank accessed through the ladder to the left of the telescope, revealing a sliver of the sky.
The tour was still not complete! For the last part, the group went to a small shed where most public observations are held. Graduate student Luca walked us through the mechanics of the mirror telescope, which was smaller in size than the telescope in the observatory, though more precise and easier to control.
The mirror telescope was also connected to a computer system, which allows observers to blow up images of stars and planets. As Professor Mueller explained, conducting research with these instruments is difficult given the New England weather. But astronomy at Dartmouth reaches all around the world! Dartmouth has timeshares in Arizona and South Africa, providing better viewing settings given the clearer skies and limited light pollution. He also mentioned that researchers can request digital files from the Hubble telescope.
The Shattuck Observatory is a fantastic resource for students interested in studying physics and astronomy at Dartmouth. It's also a great way to learn more about the stars and admire some constellations with friends. Read this article from Dartmouth News to learn more about how the observatory is used in research and class settings.
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
Unlike some other universities, many of the STEM lecture classes at Dartmouth require concurrent enrollment in a laboratory section. What is it like navigating that time as a student?
