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.
How would you describe Dartmouth's sense of place?
Q:
How would you describe Dartmouth's sense of place?
A:
There are no shortage of words in mind, but those that come most quickly are picturesque, inviting, and more than anything like something out of a movie. This is an amazing question, and it's something that my friends and I are quick to point to whenever we reflect on our own journey of applying and eventually attending Dartmouth.
As someone who grew up on military bases and in neighborhoods ranging from those pretty rural to archetypal suburbia, Dartmouth strikes a very interesting balance for me. It's more rural than where I went to high school, and yet more varied culturally, linguistically, and socially because of how diverse the student body is. I've met more students that share my cultural heritage at Dartmouth than almost everywhere else I've lived (and I've moved something like thirteen timesǃ). At the same time, Dartmouth feels a lot more vibrant than some of the small towns I've called home, and to me it really exemplified the stereotypical picturesque college campus that I saw in movies and shows.
The sense of place is something that had me hooked when I first visited Dartmouth as a junior. I had visited a few colleges at that point, and Dartmouth was the one furthest away from home. On our drive to campus, we passed the beautiful White Mountains and crossed rivers and saw more trees than I'd ever actually seen before. By the time we arrived, I was entrancedǃ Though it is nestled away in the Upper Valley, having our student body clustered together on campus encourages us to find community in each other and in the gorgeous environment that surrounds us. I've been blessed with so many opportunities that I'd otherwise never be able to to engage in solely because my friends and I are all here in this new place. I've tried skiing on a ski lodge owned by the college just a few minutes' drive from campus, I've learned how to canoe, I've gone fishing and swimming in the Connecticut, and I've learned that I adore New England autumn and find few vibes more immaculate than studying in a beautiful library during a snowstorm.
How would I describe Dartmouth's sense of place? Like something out of a movie, welcoming and inviting even if you didn't originally think you were the type of person to try new things. Should it be safe and you be able, I can think of no better way to learn more about Dartmouth than to see our little campus in person — we can't wait to welcome youǃ
Why should you come to Dartmouth? While this question is one that I always anticipate being asked, my answer always changes—from our community, location, and resources there are so many reasons to want to call Dartmouth your home.
I thought about how I would attack as I paced from corner to corner, my head as vacant as an empty bottle. The crumpled-up drafts on the floor just added to my nervousness, but I needed to write a 'Why Dartmouth' essay. How? I had no idea.
I thought I'd use this blog post to share a bit more about Dartmouth's profound sense of place my first in-person (non-Zoom) term— particularly, the people, the place, and the pines.
This term, I've truly cherished the opportunity to live and learn on Dartmouth's 269-acre campus. Come follow along to learn more about what I've gained from Dartmouth's profound sense of place!
My personal visit to Dartmouth was a huge factor in my decision to apply, so in honor of Week 7, I hope this blog post can virtually illustrate some of what Dartmouth has to offer in seven images – worth 7,000 words!
