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.
I don't think any place exemplifies the stereotypical college town like Hanover and our dear old Dartmouth. It just feels like college, and everyone I know has opinions ranging from strong to really strong about the different places to eat, hang out, and study. Of the places at Dartmouth that have the best vibes, my vote — without question — goes to The Hop.
The Hop is a place on the southern side of campus. It's hard to miss, and has quickly become one of my favorite hangout spots. Even though my dorm in the McLaughlin Cluster (Humanities LLC represent!) is located in the north part of Dartmouth's campus, I find that the trek is worth it.
The Hop — officially known as The Hopkins Center for the Arts — is the hub for a very substantial part of the entertainment scene on campus. Within the building, you have tons of different spaces for different artistic pursuits. There's a jewelry studio downstairs, practice rooms for piano, and the Courtyard Cafe (also referred to as The Hop whenever one of your friends asks where to eat — as if there's an answer to that question that isn't The Hop). At the beginning of the term, I got to watch the one-woman play And So We Walked, but until the end of Week 7, I was completely unfamiliar with the movies that The Hop puts on almost every weekend.
The Hop is basically an operational movie theater on the weekends, with the added bonus of massive student discounts ($5!) to watch popular movies that are both in theaters or brought in by popular demand. I had the opportunity to watch Academy Award Winner "1917" on a massive screen in the Spaulding Auditorium, with killer seats and a few of my friends.
Jumbo screen student discounts an Academy Award winner? Yes sir.
I was blown away by the movie, but the added bonus of an amazing ticket price and such close proximity (it's literally on campus) meant that it was a three-minute walk from Collis Student Center. That's a beautiful combo, and honestly too tempting for me and my friends — it makes for the perfect Sunday study break! It's easy to forget that so much exists on Dartmouth if you just reach out, but the even the simplest act of going to see a movie is enough to get us out of the Hanover bubble.
If you're ever on campus as part of a tour group or just simply scoping out the school, make The Hop a destination. Grab yourself a breakfast burrito (The Hop calls them "bobs") or the burger special. The chances you'll be even slightly disappointed are very, very low. And honestly, again, the place passes the vibe check.
Planning on visiting Dartmouth as a prospective student or an interested person wanting to see our beautiful campus? In this post, I share insider tips to ensure your visit is fulfilled!
Witnessing an eclipse was one of the most exciting days in my life to date, and a solid reminder of our place in this universe. Read on to hear about it!
