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.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of sitting down for a dinner with Hōkūpaʻa, the Hawaiian/Pan-Pasifika student organization on campus. We wanted to celebrate at a pretty great crossroads moment for us: the '20s were in town for their own commencement and graduation ceremony (two years late but better late than never!) and a couple of incoming '26s from Hawaiʻi were visiting campus as part of the E.E. Just Program (for underrepresented students in STEM fields—check it out!). But sitting at a table with students who were the seniors when I was a freshman and yet also with students who will be freshmen as I'm a senior? Just a tad overwhelming.
As I tiptoe increasingly closer to the start of my senior fall, I am pondering how I want to maximize my last year as a Dartmouth undergrad. And moreover, I'm thinking about how all of you—whether you're about to apply to Dartmouth, you're an incoming first-year, or you're years away from hitting the "Submit Application" button—can make the most of Dartmouth. After a bit of reflection, I think I've figured out where I went right and where you can go right-er (more right? more righteously?).
From the start, I can't emphasize enough: take classes outside of your academic interest bubble. Doing this early on can only help you, as you figure out what niches you like and explore what Dartmouth has to offer. There's arguably always room for exploration, but when it comes to your academic course load, you have maximum freedom during your first year. Some of my friends found their academic passions in their sophomore and junior years, and trying to switch your majors then is a bit more of a hassle as you try to get all the required courses under your belt by graduation. I applied to Dartmouth with interests in government, ancient languages, and public policy, and am now looking to graduate with a double major in linguistics and Indigenous studies. Maybe you're dead set on a given field, but that shouldn't stop you from wading into the water of Dartmouth's expansive offerings—you're not getting the full experience if you stop at the door!
On another note, I truly think everyone should join and try one new student org or club per term. Especially when you're a first-year. If at all possible, take the fall term to try as many things and meet as many people as humanly possible. Even though you won't continue with certain commitments, having had the experience of those early endeavors and introductions was such a great way to kick off my time at Dartmouth. Think of putting yourself out there early as a way to jump into cold water rather than slowly wade in—get acclimated in 3x speed, you'll thank me later.
I don't have a lot of regrets about my time at Dartmouth, even if I didn't quite follow my own above advice perfectly. But that just goes to show you that the range and nature of your Dartmouth experience is virtually limitless. While all of this is just advice drawn from my own reflections, and there is no perfect way to experience Dartmouth, I still can't encourage you enough to frontload your college experience with as many little episodes of taking-the-road-not-taken as possible.
At the same time, you shouldn't be leaving your comfort zone to such an extent that it's overwhelming! I couldn't have tried all the things I did if I didn't find a home base and community to be rooted in. That home base can look like your first-year floor, the DOC, your sports team, an identity-based organization, or even your First-Year trip. Keep one foot anchored somewhere and then chase the rest of Dartmouth—you won't regret it, and you'll have way more stories to tell. Thank me later. I hope this helps you wherever you're at in your college journey! Until next time!
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.
