Hi, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. I'm excited to be back to taking classes after two "off terms" in a row! Outside of academics, I'm involved in Ledyard Canoe Club, the Dartmouth Organization of Rural Students, and Dartmouth Sports Analytics Club. I'm excited to share stories from my favorite place with all of you!
I took this class as part of Dartmouth's first year writing requirement. We read a pro cyclist's life narrative, discussed research papers on controversial topics in sports, and wrote our own papers on a contentious sports technology of our choice. I really enjoyed this course's emphasis on discussion, and the small class size!
This was my first class in the classics department, which was super exciting as a classical studies major! We learned about the ancient Olympics and the connections between athletics and other aspects of ancient Greek society. I loved the final project in this class, which involved creating an argument about how the ancient pentathlon was scored!
To conclude my language requirement, I took Latin 3! This class was super exciting because we began to read ancient texts and poetry. We also took a class trip to the Rauner Special Collections library so we could physically handle and read some manuscripts. And as an added bonus, Latin counts as a prerequisite for my classical studies major!
As a part of my language study abroad in Italy, I also took a class on Italian history and culture! We went on field trips to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, participated in walking tours of Rome, and watched a lot of great cinema in this class! I loved it so much that I decided to minor in Italian.
This class, in addition to being a pre-requisite for my major, was super interesting! I loved learning about archaeology through hands-on projects and lectures that felt like TED Talks.
My favorite course on my Italian LSA+ in Rome is focused on Italian literature, which we are studying in a reverse-chronological order! It has been incredibly fun to see different topics and styles evolve over time and to learn from the works of the best writers.
I’m absolutely loving this hands-on introduction to paleography, and the fact that my class meets at Rauner every day! I can’t wait to hear from our guest lecturers, too, and I’ll be sure to share those experiences on the blog. All in all, Latin 10 was a great way to get back into the language after a term away in Rome.
I signed up for this Latin class after the FDOC (first day of class), and I'm so glad I added it to my sophomore summer schedule! Our class is combined with GRK 30.08 History and Structure of the Greek Language, and it has been incredibly interesting to compare the ancient languages and learn a bit of Greek.
FallIvrea, Italy
This term, I'm interning with the Olivetti Leadership Institute in Ivrea, a small town in northern Italy.
WinterHanover, NH
For my second off-term, I'm back on campus! I'm keeping myself busy by working, spending time with friends, and working on my to-be-read list.
I signed up for this course to complete my final distributive requirement for graduation, and it has turned out to be one of my most rewarding classes! It’s been fascinating to explore a region of the world I hadn’t formally studied before. As a bonus, the lectures are incredibly engaging and I always leave class feeling like my perspective has been broadened.
Every Sunday this term, I've found myself at Thompson Arena fumbling with laces on borrowed skates and wondering (at least momentarily) how I ended up there. I've been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember, but before this term, I had never stepped foot on the ice myself.
I love watching Dartmouth hockey games when I get the chance!
Neither had nearly anyone on my intramural team. Aside from our resident figure skater, Emma, and former IM (intramural) hockey player, Anabel, we're all rookies. It's been a humbling experience, to say the least.
When I first mentioned forming a team to my friends, I was more excited about designing a logo and planning post-game dinners than actually playing. Dartmouth winters can be tough, and I've learned that having something to look forward to—especially something with friends—makes a real difference. I used that same line of reasoning to convince the rest of the team to sign up, promising them that skill (or lack thereof) mattered less than enthusiasm.
We took a commemorative team selfie right before our last game of the season!
In warmups each week, at least half of us end up on the ice—like, fully on the ice. We celebrate small victories to keep ourselves going: standing up without assistance after a fall, successfully blocking a shot on goal, or skating for a full game without a shift on the bench. We've learned how to laugh at ourselves and move on from somewhat embarrassing moments pretty quickly.
The nearly empty rink echoes with laughter, shouts of "Come on!" or "You've got this!," and the occasional off-balance "Woooaahhhh" as someone loses an edge and goes down. When I think back to this term, those are the sounds that will come to mind.
A few weeks ago, some of the team got together to cook a pre-game meal!
One of my favorite winter memories so far happened a few Thursdays ago. Four of us piled into a car between afternoon club meetings and office hours, drove down the road to Campion (a local rink located 10 mins away from campus by car), and managed to squeeze in an hour of skating practice before heading back to campus.
Emma and Jacob getting some extra practice in on their off-day. Impressive!
Seeing the rink filled with Upper Valley locals—from preschoolers wobbling to older skaters gliding confidently—made me realize that this new interest might turn into a lifelong hobby.
This is my first intramural sport at Dartmouth, and I keep asking myself why I waited so long to try one. When I'm on the ice, everything I'm worried about kind of slips away. All I have to do is focus on staying upright and moving forward. It's easy to stay within your comfort zone, but I'm really glad I pushed myself this term
Senior spring is here and it is surreal to reflect on how much my daily routine has evolved. We have just welcomed the Class of 2030, and I am so incredibly excited for the next generation of Dartmouth students to find their home in Hanover!
