
A Year in Review: Dartmouth through the Seasons
It's officially 2020, and seeing as I won't be returning to Dartmouth until next September, I thought it would be fitting to reflect back on my past year (most of which was spent on-campus). The year began with walking through the snow to attend North Park's Harry Potter event in January and ended with tearful goodbyes in November. Here's everything (I can fit) in between!
- No. 1
Winter
Not to anyone's surprise, snow was a common sight most mornings of my winter term. I fully embraced the season and took skiing lessons every Saturday with my freshman year roommate. Besides a minor fiasco where I lost my phone on the mountain (a stranger kindly and miraculously returned it), I enjoyed every second! My older sister, who lives in Boston, also visited me for the Winter Carnival, which this year, was Ice Age-themed. We looked at the ice sculptures, climbed the Baker-Berry tower, and I showed her the skiing skills I had learned at the Dartmouth Skiway.
- No. 2
Spring
In the spring, it became warm enough to study outside, which is something I love to do. Sitting on the patio of Haldeman, I frequently worked on my coding assignments and read my physics textbook while people walked to and fro to class. I also attended some cool events, such as a talk by Margaret Atwood, one of my favorite authors! I bought a copy of her novel Alias Grace as a companion to my worn-down The Handmaid's Tale. There was also an organic chemistry symposium held for my organic chemistry professor in honor of his retirement. A few of my classmates and I attended, and while most of the technical knowledge flew right over our heads, we did enjoy seeing a few photos of our professor as a Ph.D. student.
- No. 3
Summer
Back to (summer) school! Sophomore summer finally rolled around and it did not disappoint. Weeks were full of Bachelorette viewing parties, trips off-campus to Vermont, canoeing and kayaking, Wednesday farmer's markets, and a lot of sunlight. It was also my first ever term without a class with a laboratory component, which meant an extra four hours a week of free time. As It was gearing up to be full-blown 2020 presidential campaigning season, I attempted to attend a few for a better understanding of each of the candidates' platforms. After narrowly missing being allowed into a Joe Biden event, my friends and I made sure to line up early to hear Pete Buttigieg speak. We even got a photo with him!
- No. 4
Fall
Fall is always one of my favorite terms at Dartmouth, for many reasons. Firstly, the campus looks as gorgeous as it's ever been a few weeks in, when the foliage is at its peak. Although the sights just walking from class to class are striking enough, I also hiked Gile Tower for an aerial view. Fall is also a time of festivities — from the homecoming bonfire to FoCo's Halloween transformation (see above). Finally, with a new class being welcomed to Dartmouth, everything feels a little different — different enough to keep you on your toes while maintaining a comforting familiarity. As a junior, I took on new leadership roles with student organizations, mentored freshman through the GIS LLC, and started teaching music lessons with Musical Empowerment.