Kiara Ortiz

Dartmouth’s students are unique to me. Not only do they create diverse intellectual environments, but one of growth. The friends that I have made here are all passionate about something and strive to fulfill their goals. I have friends who are involved with the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, pursuing their passions of social justice. I have some who have already begun conducting their research projects in psychology labs. I even have some who created their own podcasts! Being around them fills me with the same energy to pursue what I’m aiming for. The friends here are the ones who are helping to push me to achieve my goals. Whether it be through lunch dates at FoCo, strolls across Occom Pond, or meetups in the library, I can always count on my friends to help me through those "sluggish" moments. 

At Dartmouth, I have yet to experience a shortage of support. My dean is always available for virtual meetings to talk about academics, social life, and offer professional or emotional support. My faculty adviser, as well, has helped me when I felt lost about course selection and encourages me to keep going when times get tough. And we even have pre-health advisers that you can set up virtual meetings with any time to help develop plans for your future, such as internships, research opportunities, course selection, and more!

Why go to college? Why Dartmouth? Why study neuroscience or public policy? When feeling unmotivated and experiencing those waves of self-doubt, I reconnect with why I chose to come here in the first place. I take a pen and post-it and write my end goals, my dreams, and my aspirations. Virtual college is tough, but it is a step closer in the direction that I want to be in. And when we say "the world is your oyster", Dartmouth is MY literal oyster. It is a place where I chose to be, so I’m going to take advantage of the available resources. I have a wall of post-its above my desk so that I can keep them in the front of my mind to help me persevere!