Hi there! My name is Kiara Ortiz, a '24 from New York! I'm interested in studying Neuroscience along with Public Policy on the pre-health track. In my free time, I like to read sci-fi, play board games, and brag about my (supposedly) awful science puns. If you don't find me lost on the Green, I'm probably playing Werewolf or Trivia on Zoom with other '24s. Stay tuned to learn about the Dartmouth community I fell in love with and more about our virtual reality!
Academic Program
Intended major: Neuroscience; Intended minor: Public Policy
On December 12th, 2019, I had just finished a student government meeting and was waiting eagerly at my laptop. The ticking of the clock grew louder and louder, and my heartbeats were getting quicker and quicker. My palms grew sweaty as I waited for 4:00 pm, the time Dartmouth College decisions would be released. 3 more minutes. I anxiously paced around the empty classroom. 2 more minutes. I sat down and refreshed my laptop. 1 more minute. Kiara, you got this. 30 more seconds. No, you don't!!
I was beyond nervous to read my decision letter. Was I good enough to get into a school of this prestige? Did I spend enough time on my essays? Did I even submit my application correctly? My timer went off. The time was 4:00 pm. I logged onto my Dartmouth portal, having had to retype my password a couple of times because my hands were so shaky. I clicked on the update….and the words "Congratulations!" appeared in the first line. After causing chaos around the school building and calling every single one of my family members, my next instinct was to log onto Facebook to meet other QuestBridge finalists who would be my classmates for the next four years.
QuestBridge is a non-profit organization that connects high-achieving students with low-income backgrounds to fantastic institutions of higher education. QuestBridge not only offers a separate application process but educational and career opportunities as well. However, what I found to be equivalently important was the tight-knit community that came along with it. From random hikes to late-night study sessions, us Questies remained connected and created strong friendships. Even one of my floormates is a Questie! When asked about his experience, Ravin '24 recalls:
"The first person I physically met was a QuestBridge student...and as an introvert, it was comforting to see a common face in a sea of unknown. It was a lot easier relating to people from similar circumstances as me, who shared my ideas and passions."
But even further than the '24s, the whole Dartmouth chapter on campus, composed of QB students from all class years, have created a strong, unbreakable bond. I saw this first-hand at our welcome event on October 3rd. The chapter president, Damian '23, starts off by introducing all of the executive officers and the QB admissions officers, then gets us excited for the rest of the year! From Q&A sessions to fundraising events, the Dartmouth QB Chapter is ready to maintain the closeness of the community and provide us a second home.
There are not enough words for me to express my gratitude to be able to partake in such a beautiful community. To all the Questies on campus, thank you! For all of the prospective Questies, we are ready to welcome you with open arms (*cough come to Dartmouth *cough)!
Dartmouth Questies showing some fun personality in this magnificent screenshot!
As a member of Dartmouth's Native community, just a few weeks into my sophomore summer, we've been busy revitalizing our community and making Dartmouth, once again, feel like home.
Dartmouth just resumed in-person tours for the first time since the winter of 2020! We had a fantastic opening week of welcoming visitors back to campus to explore the beautiful grounds and meet our fantastic tour guides.
Whenever you ask a Dartmouth alumnus about their favorite term in college, many of them will tell you sophomore summer. Here are some of the activities I am most looking forward to this term:
Being back on campus, especially seeing all the faces, familiar or not, somehow help me return to a certain sense of normalcy. Little by little, I'm getting there. And maybe, it's okay if the feeling of complete normalcy is still far down the road.
