Aloha to the page of a wanderlusting writer juggling college life and several other hobbies into an eternally-short 24-hour day. I hope to shed light on the Dartmouth experience as I explore the brave new world of Hanover, NH and everything going to college here has to offer. In my free time, you can find me trying to learn a new language or building the perfect Spotify playlist (alternative/indie, anyone?). I hope you enjoy!
Taught by Gordon Henry, an Anishinaabe poet and author, this class taught me to explore Indigenous storytelling within digital contexts. I took this class with only seven other classmates, allowing us to really engage with films, comic books, and television shows in Indigenous languages or produced by Indigenous artists.
Taught by Timothy Pulju, this class taught me how to identify and understand how languages evolve over time and why. I analyzed and reconstructed fictional languages of imaginary nations in order to understand the link between language and culture, and ended up having such an appreciation for the complexity and beauty of language's place in history!
Taught by Lindsay Whaley, this class let me discover a newfound love for ancient apocalyptic literature. We analyzed ancient texts and compared them to modern apocalypses, looking at the zombie apocalypse phenomenon and other apocalypses in pop culture and comparing them to the ancient tradition of writing apocalypses. Additionally, I learned the Greek alphabet and now I can even stumble through ancient Greek passages.
FallNew Orleans, LA
Favorite Class: Native American Literature and the Law
Taught and organized by David Peterson, this class let me get into the shoes of a real linguist as we did fieldwork (virtually!!) with the Zophei language. I learned how to describe a never-before-learned language's phonology (sound system), how to characterize its grammar and words, and ultimately got to present my research to experts in the language family around the world in a workshop at the end of the term!
WinterHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Native American Literature and the Law
Taught by N. Bruce Duthu, this class taught me how Native literature can provide lens by which to evaluate, critique, and ultimately revise Federal Indian Law. During this class, I read works by Native authors like Tommy Orange and Louise Erdrich '76 alongside the opinions of definitive case opinions in American law and explained how literature can be a catalyst for Indigenous sovereignty.
Supervised by N. Bruce Duthu, I spent this off-term performing research after being awarded a Sophomore Research Scholarship to study contemporary Hawaiian cultural and linguistic revitalization. I studied 19th-century newspapers and contemporary Hawaiian texts in order to understand how Hawaiian language revitalization both past and present has advanced and continues to enable a contemporary bodied Hawaiian politic of sovereignty.
Taught by Laura McPherson, this class taught me about how languages create meaning through words. During this class, I learned how to analyze different languages' morphological processes and compare different approaches within the field as to morphological structures.
Taught by N. Bruce Duthu, this class offered me a glimpse into the lived realities of Native people in Indian Country Today. I learned about the economic, social, cultural, and historical roots for the struggles of Indigenous people today within the United States, and was able to write about the contemporary battle for Native Hawaiian visibility and Hawaiian sovereignty.
Taught by Laura McPherson, this class taught me how to engage in language documentation and how, as a linguist, we can put our skills to use to help communities seeking to document and revitalize their languages. I worked on the Satawalese language, spoken on the island of Satawal in the Federated States of Micronesia. Ultimately, my team created two dictionaries - one in English, one in Hawaiian, a website, and several materials that focused on the Satawalese tradition of wayfinding and non-instrumental ocean navigation.
Taught by Charles Eastman fellow Sunaina Kale, this class taught me about the role of sound in delineating, conceiving, and comprehending relations between people and the land in Indigenous musical traditions. Over the course of the class, we discussed Indigenous musicians, listened to music from Native peoples around the world, heard from masterful Indigenous musicians, and ultimately presented a project that creatively analyzed a song of our choice. My project focused on the song "Ask Yourself" by Foster the People, and I wrote a poem that integrated aspects of Indigenous languages and worldviews to answer questions posed by the song.
This term, I formally began the research process for my upcoming honors thesis in the Linguistics department on Hawaiian semantics! While living in Hanover, I also began working as a Senior Fellow with the Admissions department—a position I will be holding for the entirety of my last year at Dartmouth.
Marking not only the midpoint of my first winter term on campus but also the halfway mark for freshman year of college, Dartmouth had its Winter Carnival. With an action packed itinerary, temperatures below zero, and a fresh half-foot of snow on the ground, I couldn't have asked for a better way to destress in the heart of #midtermszn.
The week leading up to Winter Carnival weekend was really a blur. I don't remember the midterm I took, nor the hours of studying involved, or the hundred plus pages of reading that kept my afternoons and evenings in the library busy. I typically find a spot in Novack Cafe if I can find one — Novack is a student favorite this time of year, in no small part because of the Starbucks drinks, wonderful staff, and ridiculously delicious caprese sandwiches. Honestly, tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella? A killer combo that words can't describe.
The days leading up to the Friday that kicked off Winter Carnival were all about the snow melting, but just as Winter Carnival kicked off, we had a solid twenty-four hours of snow almost as if they were scheduled. I had about a week of wearing my Vans, but it was back to boots. Made for a cool walk home, though.
We love fresh snowfalls.
The Dartmouth tradition of the Polar Plunge — jumping into a hole in the ice at Occom Pond, freezing water and all — was unfortunately cancelled because of some situation with the ice, so I spent Friday with my friends drinking lots of apple cider. The next day things went into full swing, and I was pleasantly surprised by a little groups carving ice sculptures on my way to Collis for breakfast. A couple walks later, after they finished, I managed to snag a picture of my favorite one. And I will most definitely be doing this with my friends next winter.
I think this guy is a hydra. I also think he's beautiful.
Later that evening, I had the opportunity to go to Winter Whingding, a performance at the Hopkins Center headed by the Decibelles, an all-woman a cappella group, with features by all-men a cappella group the Chords and dance group Sugarplum. Students get to go free, so we enjoyed an economically sound and extremely entertaining Saturday night watching some of Dartmouth's biggest talent (especially my friends that performed — you guys did amazing). Made my Winter Carnival.
My friend Elsa led Drops of Jupiter by Train...she's beyond talented!
On Sunday, just two days prior to the New Hampshire primary, both Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang made visits to campus in the afternoon. Taking off time from studying, I took the time to see Andrew Yang at the top of the Hopkins Center in a little rally. Being in New Hampshire during an election year puts a special spin on the Dartmouth student experience, and while it's taken me a while to take advantage of the little window into American politics just a walk away from dorm, I was happy to finally engage with something so important to the national stage so close to the place I now call home.
Managed to grab a pretty decent seat, too.
Winter Carnival was a beautiful way for me to spend time with friends in the middle of 20W's latest and greatest challenges. Between essays and exams, I found the perfect space on campus to not only stay warm, but celebrate this season in a festive spirit that doesn't require any specific holiday — just a love for Dartmouth. A hui hou.
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
