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.
As the College prepares to roll out decisions this month, meet a few students I interviewed as you begin imagining what your Dartmouth could look like!
Meet...
Eli Bailit
Why Dartmouth? - I have so many reasons for why Dartmouth, but I think of this one moment I had in April on Admitted Students Day: I still was not fully decided where I was going. I showed up and my tour guide was wearing a cow onesie, and that was a sign for me that this was the type of people I want to surround myself with. Obviously, it's an academically rigorous place, but also the fun vibe I got from that day made me think "I'm sure this is where I want to be"; this is what pushed me over the edge.
Favorite Class So Far - I'm taking CS 1 "Intro to Programming and Computation" right now and I am absolutely not a STEM person, but I just wanted to take the class out of interest and I honestly really enjoy it; I find it so interesting that it works that part of my brain that's detail-oriented and problem solving. I probably will not pursue CS but I really love how I can just take that class and explore for that interest.
Campus Involvements - I'm involved with a lot of the arts on campus — I'm a member of the Dartmouth Cords, one of the acapella groups; I'm also in a play right now [Pretty Filthy], which is a lot of fun. I'm also involved with Hillel on campus.
Rachel Kabala
Why Dartmouth? - I chose Dartmouth because of the academic rigor it has to offer and the D-Plan, which is really flexible in terms of my academic ambitions; and at Dartmouth, I found community when I visited for Admitted Students Day. I was also part of Dartmouth Bound, so I had the opportunity to meet a bunch of other current Dartmouth students; I heard their perspectives and narratives of the College, and I really felt like I belonged here and that this was my home.
Favorite Class So Far - My ENGS 12 "Design Thinking" is my favorite class because my advisor teaches it, and the class pushes me to think beyond my comfort zone while being a better critical thinker. We use real life applications for our projects, which I find fascinating.
Campus Involvements - I'm involved with modeling for Black Praxis [a fashion show for Black people and empowering Afro culture], FYREE (First Year Research for Emerging Engineers) and we are currently working on redesigning the engineering path (curriculum) so the incoming potential engineers [the '27s] don't have to take certain pre-reqs since we realized that people are dropping the entire track because the pre-reqs can be overwhelming and demanding. I'm also involved with the Dartmouth Powerlifting Team that keeps my body moving.
Walker Ball
Why Dartmouth? - My parents met at a small liberal arts school, so I was always [kinda] gearing towards that. All the other schools on my list were various northeastern small liberal arts school, so when I first visited Dartmouth, I got here and was like "oh my gosh" because it was everything I wanted in a school in terms of connections to the outdoors [my dad hiked the Appalachian Trail, so it was always a dream of mine to hike through the AT] and I just really liked the idea of going to school along a place so close to my heart. Their commitment to liberal arts isn't one you find at a lot of big schools, so it's a combination of that (commitment to liberal arts), location, the way it frames academics for its students. I'm a STEM guy, but I really didn't want to go to a school that made me study only computer science. So, I'm really looking forward to taking philosophy and music courses in the spring even though I'm a CS major.
Favorite Class So Far - I'm taking CS 30 "Discrete Mathematics in Computer Science" right now. The most impressive part about it is the teacher: Professor C is just such an exhilarating professor and shows so much passion and effort; he's a combination of fun and engaging, and also holds you accountable [you gotta stay on top of your stuff if you want to learn], and it's rewarding because of it. Discrete Mathematics is not something I expected to be passionate about, but it's just the way the class was framed, and how he connects it back to computer science.
Campus Involvements - I'm in acapella [the Cords], and also on the Ultimate Frisbee Team — I've never played Ultimate Frisbee before coming here so I was nervous going into that, but I played sports throughout high school so it's been a really nice outlet to learn a new sport with all these amazing people and that sense of community.
Chelsea Mills
Why Dartmouth? - I come from a suburb in Maryland and I hope to live in a busy city later, but I thought Dartmouth's location was the perfect opportunity to live in a rural [wood-sy area] that allows me to explore a different side of myself and how I view the outdoors — I've really come to like hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities here. In terms of the community, since the school has a small population, the people are really willing to get to know each other on a deeper level and connect with each other despite cultural [or background] differences.
Favorite Class So Far - SOCY 2 "Social Problems" is an intro class that focuses on current social problems that arise [and the origins of them], and how those problems connect to my current everyday experiences. I really like how immersive the class is since it's based on group discussion with my peers and their own experiences.
Campus Involvements - I'm in Foundations for Social Impact (with the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact) [a program that allows first-years to be immersed in Hanover and the Upper Valley with non-profits within the area]. I'm also in a club called Camp Kesem, which is an organization that organizes a summer camp for kids whose parents have cancer — the people who do the program are really nice so I like the community. And, I'm a student blogger for the admissions office called People Places Pines.
Lucas Filippone
Why Dartmouth? - I grew up in Los Angeles [in the city] so I was looking for an alternative experience for college — somewhere that has seasons, trees [like a forest], and snow. I was looking at the east coast to start with, and Dartmouth just made a lot of sense since I'm also an Eagle Scout so I've done hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, and camping, and has become a big part of my identity; being connected to nature was a big part for me too, and it's a great school.
Favorite Class So Far - I've really been enjoying poetry. I got into it initially since I write lyrics, I figured it would help me with my lyrics, but I'm learning a lot about its own stand alone art form. So, last fall I took "Remains, Ruins, Repair, and Rapture," which is about poetry in Detroit in the 1960s, and now I'm taking a writing seminar with the same professor called Rethinking Ecopoetics.
Campus Involvements - For fun, I do a lot in the arts [theater, singing, make music on the side, acapella (Dartmouth Aires)]; I like to stay artistically engaged within extracurriculars and on my own.
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!
