Hi, my name is Liliana (or Lili, for short) and I'm a '26 from Hawaiʻi! On campus, I can be found performing with my dance troupe, hanging out with friends, and testing out food hacks at Foco. I also love collectible stickers, iced matcha with peppermint syrup, cute dogs on the streets of Hanover, and ultra-specific Spotify playlists. Excited to share my Dartmouth journey with you all! :)
Aloha and welcome to my blog! My name is Liliana and I am a '26 from Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. This is my very first blog post, and I'm beyond excited to share more about my Dartmouth journey, and myself! Below,, I present you with an acrostic poem-inspired introduction, encompassing my interests and involvement (I), name (N), fun facts and tidbits (T), roots (R), and things I'm currently obsessed with (O):
INTERESTS AND INVOLVEMENT: When I'm not studying or in classes, I can often be found hanging out with friends (favorite spots include the Green, the Native American Program Lounge, and FFB, aka First Floor Berry), dancing with my hip-hop dance troupe, finding new music to listen to, and exploring new food places to eat! I'm not an incredibly outdoorsy person, but I do greatly enjoy the beautiful nature that the Upper Valley has to offer. During my first year at Dartmouth, some of my favorite experiences were hiking Gile Mountain in the fall, ice skating on Occom Pond in the winter, and laying out on the Green in the spring! Coming from a place that is practically warm year-round, I've always appreciated the sun, but experiencing warmth after a long winter is a joy unmatched.
NAME:Back home, having a long middle name is nothing out of the ordinary, but when I tell my peers here that my name is 14 letters long, I am often met with awe. My middle name is Kamaleionālani, which in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (the Native Hawaiian language) means "beloved child from Heaven". I have a bracelet with my name on it that always reminds me of home when I start to miss it.
FUN FACTS AND TIDBITS:Rapid-fire fun fact time! I am studying economics and sociology, I'm terribly lactose intolerant (but still consume excessive amounts of dairy), I play the New York Times games as soon as they come out at midnight, my favorite music artists are Lorde and beabadoobee, and despite being from Hawaiʻi, I unfortunately cannot surf if my life depended on it.
ROOTS: I was born in California's Bay Area and lived there until I was eight years old, when my family moved to Hawaiʻi (and where we've been ever since). My mom is from Hawaiʻi and my dad is from California, so I'm lucky to have experienced both of the places that raised them! I more strongly identify with Hawaiʻi as home, especially since it's been so long since I've lived in California. Sometimes it's hard to fathom that I go to school ~5,000 miles away, in a time zone 6 hours ahead of my family!
CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH: Good News by Mac Miller, Reservation Dogs (Hulu) and Derry Girls (Netflix), Starbucks iced pumpkin chai with 2 shots of espresso and oat milk, gold necklaces and rings, hot sauce on everything, seeing my friends after a summer without them, getting ready to Cass Elliot & The Chicks, the daily soups at Collis, napping on my fuzzy rug, the color red, and the crisp autumn air.
Thank you for reading, and I'll be back soon to share more of my experience here at Dartmouth! <3
The "Why Dartmouth" supplement was the hardest for me to write. How would I explain all the reasons I loved Dartmouth in 100 words? I chose Dartmouth because of how the people and campus made me feel. Dartmouth radiates excitement.
Planning on visiting Dartmouth as a prospective student or an interested person wanting to see our beautiful campus? In this post, I share insider tips to ensure your visit is fulfilled!
When I was in high school, applying to college seemed to be the hardest and scariest thing. I had no clue what to expect at all. So, I decided to share my thought-process regarding choosing to go to Dartmouth!
