![Emily Hemelt '25](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/blog_emily_hemelt.jpg?itok=QbWJw4he×tamp=1632239415)
![lone pine](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x236_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/bg/lone_pine_background_8.png?itok=A1WysLNs×tamp=1631653354)
Emily Hemelt
![Emily Hemelt '25](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/blog_emily_hemelt.jpg?itok=QbWJw4he×tamp=1632239415)
![Blog_3012 × 2194_drrupp](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/img_3063.jpg?itok=8qa7iSG8×tamp=1651462950)
An Ode to my Favorite Teachers
Every day at Dartmouth is a wonderful journey down a rabbit hole of curiosity. Sometimes, on the walk to class, during lectures, or while discussing intellectual concepts with friends, I marvel at the people around me, grateful to be at Dartmouth pursuing my interests. This week, I'd like to take a step back and appreciate one of the main reasons I am on the track I am on today: my wonderful teachers! The ones who laid the tracks for the course I'm chugging along now-the reason I'm so passionate about what I'm studying (because your teacher really does have the power to transform your academic journey, uncovering a hidden love for a subject!).
It all began when I walked into a sixth-grade classroom and was first exposed to the language of the ancients. With Mr. Hill, a dynamic character to be sure, I learned the basics of the language I would come to love. While the language was a taste I would acquire later in my academic journey, when Mr. Hill began discussing the myth of how the gods came to be, I was entranced. For the first time, I felt excited about what I was learning. I began reading the Percy Jackson series, a collection of fiction novels based off of mythology, and felt incomplete when I was without my current copy.
The next stop is high school, with the wonderfully enthusiastic Dr. Rupp! His overflowing love for classics and exuberance while teaching drew me further to the field. I remember in 8th grade, he mentioned that he was like the stingray from Finding Nemo who would help us explore the depths of the classical world. Taking his classes throughout high school, I dove deeper and deeper. Still enchanted by mythology, I also had an affinity for the stories of ancient heroic battles and was amazed to hear of the world's oldest computer (the Antikythera Mechanism! Look it up it's so cool!!). At the end of every translation class, I found myself on a cliffhanger, eager to attend class the next day to find out what fate held for our heroes in the next line.
At Dartmouth, every classics course I have taken has blown me away. Each one has been my favorite! With Paul Christesen in Antiquity Today, we compared ancient and modern cultures to learn more about the world around us. For example, we compared the violence of the ancient Greek theater (where killings were not shown) with the violence in today's media (movies showing killings) and learned that we as a society are actually more violent than we think. In my current classics course with Margaret Graver, we are studying the philosophy of happiness, as philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato did (to name a few). We've also questioned the meaning of happiness, how to get there, and how to stay there; what constitutes the good life and how do we evaluate if someone attains it? Developing answers to these inquiries has been an intellectual journey that's taken me far beyond my prior thinking when it comes to ethics.
Without these teachers, there may have been a roadblock in my path, or it may not even exist. So, I would like to thank all of you for leading the way, so that I can chart a path to a future I enjoy! Thanks for sticking with me!
Posts You Might Like
![Orange sunset over Tuck Drive](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/screen_shot_2024-07-15_at_9.42.44_pm.png?itok=GU1ixnAN×tamp=1721094188)
Reflecting on my sophomore year and how I feel about being halfway through my time at Dartmouth!
![Profile Picture](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_6959_2.jpeg?itok=8Ic27ok0×tamp=1717243884)
![5 sticky notes laying on a table with a stick figure drawing on each](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/unnamed_5.jpg?itok=7-pLgral×tamp=1721802532)
![Connecticut river](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/screen_shot_2024-07-11_at_12.34.54_pm.png?itok=Za7K_il9×tamp=1720715742)
Sophomore Summer has already defined itself by its exciting, unfamiliar experiences and the relaxed atmosphere of campus. With new classes and clubs in full swing, here is what I have been up to during this wonderful time on campus!
![Me! blog_828 × 1026_brendilou](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_1226.png?itok=U8hQQ4ev×tamp=1663881287)
![FIRE study abroad program at Rome](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/fire_1650x916.png?itok=cypHcxe5×tamp=1718399675)
In this blog, I would like to share some other academic-inclined ways that Dartmouth students spend their freshman summer.
![blogger_image](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/wechatimg3290.jpg?itok=_fEvVHFF×tamp=1695605711)
![An image of a map of Dartmouth College](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/unnamed_5_800x600.jpg?itok=aUgvuRDu×tamp=1721722730)
In the summer, prospective students might take the time to visit potential colleges and universities to apply to. But what are some things to look for as you peruse campuses and take in the view, especially during the summer? Here are some ideas!
![Olivia Koo - blogger](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/4b596702-2c48-4037-8b1f-db79eeb3e7b0_1_201_a_0.jpg?itok=9S9os9ML×tamp=1663532063)
![chem](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/img_4517.jpg?itok=lB6u7Onl×tamp=1718400172)
I'm now finally done with my pre-medical requirements and wanted to continue my recap of the whole journey!
![pic](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_1827.jpg?itok=BAuyur99×tamp=1665456638)
![writing essay in the library](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/screen_shot_2024-07-16_at_3.20.04_pm.png?itok=HQbcow8c×tamp=1721157629)
My first-year at Dartmouth has been a period of profound growth and self-discovery. It has challenged me to push beyond my limits, embrace my strengths and weaknesses, and navigate the complex web of opportunities that define college life.
![blogger_image](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/wechatimg3290.jpg?itok=_fEvVHFF×tamp=1695605711)
![a picture of a lufthansa airplane in Boston Logan with the setting sun behind it](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/img_3508.jpg?itok=5W4WA3HO×tamp=1718913460)
"What's your major?" seems like a pressing question for every freshman, but now that my freshman year is behind me, I know I shouldn't have worried as much.
![Kalina standing amidst the autumn leaves](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/kalina_duncheva_27_-_kalina_duncheva.jpg?itok=1Spk_Kot×tamp=1694612135)
![The white blossoms are sprouting from the trees on Ivy Lane in a depiction of spring blooming.](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/img_5246_1.jpg?itok=We2VabIP×tamp=1719527109)
Dartmouth has Distributive and World Culture Requirements, including the Writing classes, that are be fulfilled during your first year.
![Arianna smiling at the grocery store](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_7676_-_arianna_dunkley.jpeg?itok=eQQiMmwB×tamp=1694612412)