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.
Hi everyone! I sat down with Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Kate Featherston & President of Dartmouth's QuestBridge Chapter Damien Solinger Jeffers to discuss Questbridge Match Day at Dartmouth.
GG: I remember all of the different feelings I had as Match Day came closer and closer. With Match Day here, I think a lot of students are asking themselves the same question: what actually happens if you don't get matched on Match Day?
KF: Great question! The good news is that you still have an opportunity to apply to the 40+ wonderful QB partner institutions (and maybe add some others to your list!). Not matching with a school doesn't mean that you won't be accepted in another application round. The QB Match is incredibly competitive, and we regularly accept more QB Finalists outside of the Match.
For Dartmouth, you have the option to "flip" your application into the Early Decision or Regular Decision rounds if you don't Match. Check out this webpage for more information on how that works.
DSJ: Admissions and financial aid officers have to make very difficult decisions on those few matches that are given out. But Match Day isn't really the end! Several people choose to use their QB application for Early Decision and get into a great school that way. I tried again via QB Regular Decision. In the end, I actually was accepted to 5 of the 6 schools I applied to and received a few generous financial aid packages. When I remember how sad I felt having been passed over for the match, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't have more faith in myself back then.
GG: Absolutely. Have confidence in yourself! When I didn't match, I forgot to consider how incredible Questbridge Regular Decision would be in my application process. To clarify for everyone, if you're applying to Dartmouth through Questbridge via Regular Decision, do you need to resubmit an application? And what about interviews?
KF: No need to resubmit your application if you listed Dartmouth on your Match List. We already have your QB application on file and will automatically consider it in the Regular Decision round. Make sure to check your portal to ensure you have completed all the required supplemental materials. If you didn't initially rank Dartmouth but want to apply RD, you can add us to your QB Regular Decision Form to have your QB application forwarded to us.
Alumni interviews are available to QB applicants who apply via Regular Decision. Alumni interviews at Dartmouth are optional and are distributed based on alumni availability in your area. If you are contacted by an alumnus to interview, I recommend taking them up on that offer! It is a great way to continue to learn more about Dartmouth and to meet more members of the community. Here's a resource with some tips on how to best prepare for an interview.
GG: After being accepted, the prospect of finding your communities at college is always a new, exciting process, but understandably can seem intimidating. How can new Questies become a part of and get involved with the Questbridge community at Dartmouth?
DSJ: I'm actually really happy that you asked this question. As someone who didn't match—and as this year's chapter president—I love to stress that this community is inclusive of all Questies (and our non-Questie Besties)! Frankly, the easiest way to get involved is to subscribe to our email roster. If you got into Dartmouth at any stage of the QB application process, you will be invited to join the roster at the end of your senior year via an email sent out by QuestBridge.
We also have more creative ways of getting people connected through informal recruitment. We've had a table set up at the club fair and we have a group chat every year, which is usually pretty active from March through September. The best part of our informal recruitment is that we're also really welcoming to First Generation and/or Low-Income (FLI) students that didn't go through the QuestBridge process. It's refreshing to be able to hold events for all FLI students that really are student-led, and I love seeing all of my FLI friends!
GG: I know that the Dartmouth pace is really different from what most of us are used to during high school. What are some of the support systems that exist to help out Questies and other FLI students at Dartmouth?
DSJ: At first, I struggled to figure out how to take control of my own education. While I felt fairly prepared for the coursework, I had so many different interests. I was only sure that I was going to major in geography, and I had no idea how my Dartmouth experience was going to be holistic! I believe that the most important thing that helped me out was the First-Year Student Enrichment Program (FYSEP) run by the First-Generation Student Office (FGO). It gave me an idea of how things work around here, but it also helped me make meaningful connections with other FLI students. Even though we came from different states or countries, it meant the world that I had people I could connect with. These people are the support systems that I rely on. This peer support is only strengthened by ongoing programming by the FGO, which also serves as a sort of central hub to discovering the specific campus resources that you need.
All the FLI friends that I have really helped to guide and support me so that I can stay healthy in every way and take charge of my own life. Especially during my first two years, these were the people who inspired me to keep going.
Coming back from Spring break usually means coming back to an entirely different campus than the one you left in the Winter – but that was not the case this year! Read on to hear more...
Many small classes at Dartmouth are seminar-style and are the cornerstone of the intellectual exploration and intentionality that define the learning experience at Dartmouth.
When I was in high school, applying to college seemed to be the hardest and scariest thing. I had no clue what to expect at all. So, I decided to share my thought-process regarding choosing to go to Dartmouth!
