Hi! I'm Lauren, a '26 interested in biological anthropology, classics, and global health! Originally from Long Island, NY, I grew up spending every free moment swimming in the ocean. Going to college in NH was a shift away from that; however, I frequent the CT River during the warm seasons! Outside of academics, I am a tour guide and am involved in paleoanthropology research, Global Health Fellows, Camp Kesem, and First Year Trips. I can't wait to share my Dartmouth experience with you!
Academic Program
Anthropology major concentrated in Biological Anthropology, Classical Studies minor
Latin 1 is the first of three introductory Latin courses at Dartmouth. The class is split into small teams; students complete coursework as groups. I cannot recommend taking Latin enough: the classes are tiny, the professors are fantastic, and some even bring their dogs to class (check out my blog about Dartmouth's Latin dogs). I finished the introductory Latin sequence, fulfilling my language requirement. Now, I am continuing to work in the department as a Learning fellow—a student who has already taken the class and attends class to facilitate group work.
After taking Latin 1 in my first term, when it came time to pick my writing seminar (the second required portion of the first-year writing sequence), I naturally chose the course themed on the Greco-Roman world. This course was incredible and was seminar-style, so we discussed readings, went to the Hood Museum of Art, and presented on a feature of art in Pompeii that we found particularly interesting.
My first anthropology course! This archaeology course introduced me to the field of anthropology and archaeology at Dartmouth. This course was lecture-style, with different lectures on everything, including the evolution of religious thought, human sacrifice, and Stonehenge! The professor was incredibly engaging, and we even got to pick lecture topics during the end of the term.
SummerWater Mill, NY
I spent my summer at home, working on my family's vegetable farm. I also started working as an Admissions Communications Intern for the Admissions Office!
Anth006 was my first biological anthropology course! This course was incredible; this introduction course delves into the concentrations within anthropology and everything from the first life on earth to applied anthropology today! We also often had guest lecturers, from visiting professors to graduate students, who would speak about their concentration and research.
Fossils, fossils, fossils! Our professor is a renowned paleoanthropologist, so the course focuses on fossil traces of human ancestors and relatives. Human Evolution is a lecture-style course, but every Friday, we go to the paleoanthropology lab to handle casts of fossils—which we were introduced to during lectures. These fossils are also our primary form of assessment, as we were assessed on the fossils in culminating lab practicals. It is incredible not only to learn about the discoveries that shape our understanding of human evolution but also to engage directly with replicas of them.
Anth017 course focused on individuals' experiences of illness. Our professor was a medical and psychological anthropologist, so it was interesting to hear about the intersections of her research and our course's themes. Throughout the term, we discussed various topics like illness behavior, the culture of biomedicine, and structural violence. We had daily readings and three full-length texts—which we read throughout the term. Our final project was a gateway to delve deeper into the course's themes. This opportunity was particularly enriching as it allowed me to integrate my URAD research into the course seamlessly. This personal connection made the final project a truly enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
The Sixties was an incredible Humanities course taught by a Religion professor. Each week, we broke down a year of the “long sixties”—starting with JFK’s assassination in 1963 and ending with Nixon’s resignation in 1974. We learned both about the history and the culture of the decade. My favorite part about this course was the emphasis on the music of the "long sixties." We listened to the top 30 songs for each year of the "long sixties," and now I have a fantastic playlist from all of the songs I have discovered due to this class (some Don McLean, Simon & Garfunkel, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, The Supremes, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and so many others)!
The beginning of another fall quarter has come and gone, which means I have another—incredible—First-Year Trips experience to recount.
NOTE: throughout this post, I will use a variety of acronyms, abbreviations, and nicknames that the First-Year Trips program uses. I will have a brief dictionary at the end of this post for your reference.
"First-Year Trips" (FYT) is an orientation program for incoming first-year and transfer students. The program sends students on a 4-day, 3-night camping trip in the Upper Valley. Upper-level students at Dartmouth lead the trips, so someone like me—who loves trips and undergoes safety and outdoor training—will "lead" these trips in pairs as "trip leaders" (TLs).
My lovely co-TL: Evan '25
I went on FYT as a first-year student on a canoeing trip on the Second College Grant in Maine. Last year, I was a trip leader for an Ecology trip and had an amazing time, which you can read about in my blog posthere. I was a trip leader again this year for a paddleboarding trip and had a blast with my co-TL and trippees (first-year students on trips).
Trips occur during new student orientation week (o-week) and are sent out in staggered sections: sections A-D, all leaving on successive days after move-in day. Once first-years arrive on campus, they will be greeted by H-Croo (Hanover Crew)—people dressed in flair, singing and dancing. H-Croo is responsible for coordinating gear and getting all trippees excited for trips!
H-Croolings: Jon & Emeline handing out gear and Alysha on stage!
This year, I had a few friends on H-Croo, so it was fun to watch Emeline, Jon (my co-TL from my Ecology trip last year!), and Alysha sing and dance. After we got our gear and food organized (thank you, H-Croo!), we headed down to the Ledyard Docks to receive our paddleboards.
Making sure everyone has the correct paddle height
My trip took place very close to Hanover, as we were at a Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) cabin on Gilman's Island—about a 20-minute paddle downstream from campus.
We stayed in a cabin, meaning we were not sleeping outside in tents or under tarps. Incoming first-year students can indicate their comfort level outdoors when filling out the First-Year Trips preference form. My First-Year Trip—when I was a first-year student—involved sleeping outside under tarps. My ecology trip (sophomore year) had me in a farmhouse with running water, A/C, and cell phone service. This year, I landed somewhere in the middle with a cabin and outhouse—with his and her privies! I truly appreciate how broad the FYT options are; the DOC makes a point to ensure there are FYT options for any experience/comfort level.
We cooked all of our food outside!
On the first day, we settled into our cabin, played games, and did light paddleboarding around our island. The second day consisted of us paddling downstream for about an hour to see the Wilder Dam. We had a perfect day weather-wise and floated down the river. As we paddled, we found a variety of rope swings along the Connecticut River, which some of my adventurous trippees tried out.
On the third day of our trip, we paddled upstream back to the Ledyard Docks on campus and prepared to head to the Sklodj—also known as the Dartmouth Skiway, Dartmouth's ski mountain. On the third day of all the individual trips in a given section (for us, section D) go to a Lodj, either the Sklodj (the Skiway) or the Lodj (the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge). Due to our proximity to the Dartmouth Skiway, we were bussed to the Sklodj for a night of good food and meeting other trips from section D.
The paddle back to campus!
My friend Trudy was a Sklodj Crooling, and in my previous two years on trips, I was at the Lodj (not Sklodj), so I was super excited to go to the Sklodj. Many fun traditions—which I cannot tell you about—occur during the Skodj/Lodj portion of trips; it is routinely a highlight of my FYT experience.
One tradition that takes place at the Sklodj and Lodj is the "sunrike" (a sunrise hike). Unfortunately, my section at Sklodj could not sunrike, as there was a threat from a local bear pack. Both times I have sunriked for FYT at Mount Moosilauke, it has been foggy (proof here). I did not get to redeem myself this year with a non-foggy sunrike, so hopefully I will try again for a non-foggy sunrike next year on trips. Without having to wake up early to sunrike, we slept at the Sklodj and were welcomed back by H-Croo the next morning.
Emeline Moss from the "Office of Welcome Back" and Doctor Jon Pazen (missing) from his position as the "PhD of t-shirts."
I cannot recommend the FYT program enough for incoming first-year students. Meeting classmates and exploring the Upper Valley before starting classes is amazing—and first-year students meet upper-level students through trips who can provide guidance throughout their first year.
The stars were so clear you could easily spot the constellations!
Quick terminology recap:
DOC: Dartmouth Outing Club, the giant, powerful organization that makes trips possible
Trips: the orientation camping trip that Dartmouth students go on
Trippees: first-year students (or transfer students) on trips
TLs: trip leaders, upper-level students leading the trip (me!)
Croo: support crews of various sorts, organizing logistics of trips
Croolings: the individual members of croos
Flair: the amalgamation of all of the craziest Halloween costumes and bright clothes you own. Croolings are often seen sporting flair.
Sklodj: the Dartmouth Skiway, where trips sections go on the 3rd and 4th day of trips
Lodj: the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, where trips sections go on the 3rd and 4th day of trips
Sunrike: sunrise + hike = sunrike, an option for students to hike the Skiway or Mt. Moosilauke to see the sunrise.
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
