Hello! My name's Griselda Chavez & I am a second-year student from Southern California. I am majoring in Economics modified with Public Policy and double minoring in Human-Centered Design and Environmental Science. At Dartmouth, I have been involved with Dartmouth's Center for Social Impact, the Rockefeller Center, the Dartmouth, and People of Color Outdoors (POCO). Stay tuned to learn more about what Dartmouth has to offer and how as a first-generation college student I have navigated college.
Academic Program
Economics Modified w/ Public Policy, Human-Centered Design, Environmental Science
Although the topic and issues were not completely new to me, I was able to learn more about why current immigration policies existed and the history behind several immigration policies. I absolutely loved the class because Professor Kim was passionate about the course, and the numerous readings we were assigned were very insightful and encouraged class discussions.
The course centers on the educational issues of public school systems and how by creating certain policies or programs we can improve schools and use them as a tool to promote social mobility and equity. The students who took the class were always very passionate to discuss and came from a variety of majors and educational backgrounds, thus enriching class discussions. Furthermore, I loved that Professor Wheelan encouraged us throughout the entire term to "think outside of the box" and inspired us to continue pushing for more change.
During the spring term, I was very confused as to what major I wanted to pursue and decided to give economics an opportunity, never expecting that I would enjoy it. Professor Petre did an amazing job of demonstrating how economics could and is used for social issues like environmentalism, minimum wage, and discrimination. Learning about the concepts and employing them was very important to me because I felt like I could learn how to best help communities.
It's been a while since I have shared my class schedules, so I wanted to share my winter courses! This winter, I'm taking three courses, which is the average number of classes students take at Dartmouth. Two of my classes are within the Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies (LALACS) Department, and the other is in the Comparative Literature Department (COLT).
One of my LALACS courses is Comparative Comparative Perspectives on the US-Mexican Borderlands, and the other is Crossing Over: Latino Roots and Transitions. The class on US-Mexican Borderlands focuses on understanding the history and impact of the US-Mexican Borderlands through an interdisciplinary approach. I am deeply interested in the migration of people, so I wanted to ensure I furthered my knowledge on how the border has been contested or has influenced the policies set by the US government. Moreover, I believe the topic to be especially important as there is increased attention on borders in policymaking.
For one of our classes, we went to the Evans Map Room, which hosts a boasting collection of maps, to analyze numerous maps depicting the US-Mexican borderlands: a great history lesson about the Europeans' and US' interest in Mexico for minerals and railroad construction.
Whereas one approaches borders through history, the other class approaches borders through literature and stories. Crossing Over: Latino Roots and Transitions is mainly discussion-based, where we read novels from authors who discuss the different forms of crossing, like life to death and crossing the US-Mexican Border. I greatly enjoy all the books we have read thus far, like works from Toni Morrison, Javier Zamora, and Justin Torres. In reading novels, we can note the differences and similarities of stories about crossing, providing us with a greater context of migrant lives in the United States. I truly love how these two classes complement each other and focus on intersectional identities like race and gender.
Lastly, my COLT class is titled Environmental Crises and Human Rights. It is also cross-listed with the African and African American Studies Department (AAAS), meaning the class is also offered under another department. Through this class, we analyze various texts and media that discuss the ongoing environmental crises and human rights violations in Lake Chad, Indonesia, the DRC, and more. This course particularly intrigued me because of its focus on understanding climate migration and defining what it means to be a climate refugee. This is also a discussion-based course; the professor will facilitate and guide our conversations, but all students will engage in sharing our analyses.
The class content is incredibly pertinent, and I appreciate that the professors prioritize meeting with their students outside of class to continue the conversations.
One of the staple characteristics of the D-Plan is the off-term, a term in which you are not taking classes! Most students at Dartmouth will take at least one off-term, and this winter happens to be my turn! What will I be doing?
It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I wrote my first end-of-fall-term reflection. It felt like only yesterday that I stepped into my dorm room this September, eager to reunite with my friends.
