Hello there! My name is Joanna Jou, a '26 from El Paso, TX. I love Hanover sunsets, relaxing out on The Green, and Still North Matcha w/ honey + almond milk. I'm beyond stoked to have y'all follow along as I create my own version of Dartmouth!
Academic Program
Major in History; Double Minor in Government and Religion
A discussion-based class co-taught by two notable professors in the Russian and German translation/scholar community. We read a series of poems and short stories written by poets who lived under totalitarian regimes (specifically in Germany and the Soviet Union) while examining the role poetry played in communicating trauma and the living of life.
Coming in with no economics background, ECON 1 is an introductory class that explores how individuals and firms make independent choices, how it is reflected in the market place while analyzing it through consumer and producer perspectives, and exploring the theories involved in resource allocation and output determination. Taught by the amazing Dr. Ha Yan Lee, her dedication to the class and her students made me excited to come to her lectures, office hours, and to continue taking classes in the economics department.
As a freshman, we are required to complete a seminar course as part of our first-year writing sequence. With a variety of departments to choose from, I elected a course on the Green New Deal with the history department since I wanted to explore the department a little more. As a discussion-based class, the way Professor Link structured his course and how he led discussions undoubtedly became the highlight of my spring term; not only did I learn some history and improved my writing along the way, but it also encouraged me to pursue the history major (and more classes with him).
SummerEl Paso, TX
Back home for the summer in Texas as I spend time with my family, focus on my mental and physical well-being, and start a new role with the Admissions Office as an Admissions Communications Intern!
Initially taking this course to fulfill my distributive requirement, I ended up really enjoying ANTH 50.49. Although I am a self-proclaimed museum enthusiast, I didn't think to inquire about the development or evolution of museums, which is why I thought this course would also be interesting to take. Nevertheless, Professor Meredith Ferguson '08 did a lovely job in shedding light on various angles in the museum world such as its natural history, curating/conserving, "heritage", repatriation and restitution, and public trust. In addition, we wrapped up the course by finally thinking about the future of museums, and their representation in society today.
I initially took this course purely out of interest as I didn't have any prior experience with the government department. Nevertheless, Politics of the World is the reason why I've decided to pursue a government minor. Taught through a comparative lens, I quickly realized that much of my academics interests lie at the intersection between comparative politics and international relations; thus, this course served as an intellectually stimulating and enriching experience, which made it a highlight of my winter term.
Coming into Dartmouth from a small middle/high school where I practically grew up with the individuals I graduated with, I felt a bit anxious about how I would make friends or even start up a conversation with someone; I've thought of myself as an extroverted introvert, but wanted to work on this aspect of myself in college. Nevertheless, fall term definitely taught me that you can meet new people anywhere, but especially from the classes you take. So, this term, I was excited to see what new friendships I would make given the new set of classes. Here are a few names of the new friends I've made this from the classes I've taken so far:
MATH 3 (Fall 2022): Although math is not my strongest suit, the most rewarding part of this math class was the people I've met. During the first week of class, Austin, whom I randomly decided to sit next to, became one of my good friends as we immediately hit it off despite never meeting him before; we are also in the same economics class this term so it's great to have a friend in the class (and legend has it that he also sits next to me there). Although a packed class of 40 students might seem like a lot of people, I have found some of my favorite faces around campus to be my classmates who sat in the same row as I did in this class!
COLT Poetry After War (Fall 2022): This discussion-based class of around 8 students really showed me the meaning and value of a small student to faculty ratio. Although this class was once a week, I found this class to showcase the duality of Dartmouth's small school setting transpired through the meaningful conversations with my peers outside of class as most were '23s and have shared wisdom with me on their Dartmouth experience. I also found out that Amanda, who was also in this class with me, would also be going on the winterim break trips with me, so I appreciated that there was someone I already knew also coming onto this trip with me
WRIT 5 (Winter 2023): The first-year writing requirement caps each writing class at 16 students; therefore, the classes are expected to be pretty small with all your peers being first-years. Just last week, I grabbed dinner with Jillian after bumping into her outside of class in which we decided to grab a meal and got to know a lot better. The universe definitely brings people to you, and one way is definitely inside the classroom.
P.E Spin (Winter 2023): My friend Carrina briefly mentioned that her friend Lauren had signed up for the same spin class as me, so when Lauren introduced herself to me, I immediately recognized her name and mentioned that we shared a mutual friend. After a few weeks, our small talks at spin turned into long conversations walking from our dorms (she lives in the building next to me) to spin as a new friendship transpired. Lauren is one of the kindest humans at Dartmouth, and I'm so thankful that our spin class brought us together.
In all, I've grown to the newfound appreciation of expanding my horizons in not shying away from the new faces I meet; there's no limit in how many friends you can make. I'm still learning to still not feel intimidated by the people I do want to get to know better — it doesn't hurt to try, and I find it to be a rewarding experience!
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
