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, going on walks with friends, and spending an excessive amount of time in Collis. I also love collectible stickers, ultra-specific playlists, free verse poetry, and iced tea. Excited to share my Dartmouth journey with you all! :-)
The Undead South: Horror and Haunting in U.S. Southern Literature explores the southern gothic trope in books, television programs, films, and even video games! This is an upper-level English course, so many of my peers were upperclassmen majoring in English. Despite this, the professor, Professor Taylor, made the space so inviting! I wrote my final paper on hospitality in the American South, where I had the opportunity to engage Get Out (film, 2017), Swamplandia! (book, 2011), and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (video game, 2017). I'd highly recommend taking this horror-themed course in the fall, when the leaves change and there's a certain spooky Halloween chill in the air!
Gender Topics in Native American Life taught me so much about indigenous communities other than my own! Professor Powell was so knowledgeable about the topic, and I especially enjoyed how she encouraged students to lead discussions and drive the conversation. My favorite part of this course was my final project, where I synthesized art pieces from indigenous Pacific Islanders outside the gender binary (māhū, in the Hawaiian language)!
Paris in the 19th Century was my first-year seminar! In this course, Professor O'Rourke taught us how to truly examine Parisian art from this era. Having no experience in art history, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to understand how special the art pieces were – but, I can confidently say that I want to visit Paris now. At the end of the course, we each gave a presentation! Mine was on Mary Cassatt and her portrayal of the upper-class female experience. Her Impressionist art was so beautiful, from her pieces on motherhood, to friendship, to liberation.
SummerOʻahu, HI and Atlanta, GA
I spent the summer after my first year at home with friends and family! People really mean it when they say that your first year of college goes by in a flash. When I wasn't working part time at a local coffee shop, I visited Kauaʻi, lounged at the beach, saw The 1975 in concert, welcomed the new ʻ27s from Hawaiʻi, and was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding! In July, I also had the opportunity to intern in Atlanta, GA with College Horizons, a non-profit dedicated to helping more indigenous students enroll in & graduate from college. I attended their program for high schoolers back in 2021, and this time I helped run the program itself! I'm so grateful to College Horizons for such a wonderful experience.
Sociological Classics is exactly what it sounds like. We read some of the most fundamental sociologists, like Marx, Durkheim, Du Bois, and Weber. Professor Dixon was easygoing and approachable - I remember on the first day of class, we introduced ourselves and he asked us to share "what we're watching". (I think he was looking for some new show recommendations!) From the start, I loved this course and looked forward to it every time we met. I also loved that we didn't have a final...just a project! I finished mine on the couch at home!
Introduction to Environmental Science was actually held in the same classroom as Sociological Classics, so I instantly knew I'd love this class. Dr. Chaudhary and Dr. Peach co-taught this course – I enjoyed having two professors because their teaching styles were different, but they worked together well! Having taken an environmental science class in high school, I was worried that some of the content would sound too familiar, but I was wrong. I learned so much in this course about not only the fundamentals of environmental science, but sustainability, economics, social justice, and different cultures around the world. Dr. Peach was also my faculty of choice for Dartmouth's "take your professor to a Pine lunch" program!
Morality and Political Economy was my first government course beyond the intro classes, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous on the first day… but Dr. Clark has such a special way of making students feel at ease. His passion for this subject stuck out to me so much that I attended office hours after the very first class meeting—I had so many questions already! My favorite part of this course was how we got to engage with the Political Economy Project (or PEP, for short), of which Dr. Clark is the director! Throughout the term, we attended several PEP guest speaker events, which greatly enhanced the content we learned in class. From Abrahamic religious texts to modern-day criticisms of capitalism—this course was constantly teaching me about how people, throughout history and around the world, have attached moral significance to their economic activity.
At some point during early 2023 I applied on a whim to be an Orientation Leader for the Class of 2027 ('27s). I was unsure what my responsibilities would be, but my lack of knowledge was overpowered by my excitement to help a new class get adjusted to life at Dartmouth. Getting settled into college is no easy feat, and I owe a lot of gratitude to the Orientation Leaders that I met when I was arriving on campus for the first time — they were the folks who helped me remember why I chose to come here in the first place.
I arrived on campus on August 28, just a few days before the majority of the first-years would move in! For the next few days, the OLs were hard at work, training and preparing activities for the 14 days. (O-Week isn't just one week - it's more like two!)
The orientation leaders (OLs), clad in bright green matching t-shirts!
The beginning of orientation was certainly the busiest time - and not just for Orientation Leaders. On one of the move-in days, Hanover decided to grace us with downpouring rain. I have no words to describe how badly I felt for the families that day, but at least they'll have a move-in story to cherish forever (and hopefully laugh at later on). Students were busy with name tag making, first year trips, bingo, s'mores, shopping shuttles, and so, so many icebreakers. One of my personal favorites was: "if you were a non-electric kitchen appliance, what would you be?" Strange, I know - but I find myself identifying with that thing that slices hard-boiled eggs.
Some of the OLs, ready to welcome '27s with uplifting signs!
My personal favorite activity: free late-night s'mores at Collis!
As the two weeks closed out with days less and less busy, I found myself feeling so very appreciative for the people I had met. When I first walked into training on August 28, I knew about three people in the room. By the end, we had all bonded so strongly over the common goal of providing guidance and support for the new first-years on campus. In addition to just fellow OLs, I was also able to meet so many '27s from all sorts of backgrounds! Although we may not remember each other's names, I'll always be grateful that I was able to help at least one person feel more comfortable here at Dartmouth.
Orientation seems corny, but there is so much dedication put into it. Prior to being an OL, I had no clue about the hard work put into O-week behind the scenes! This was an experience that's brought so much value to the way in which I navigate and explore Dartmouth for myself!
This fall, Dartmouth provided me with incredible opportunities to get involved in politics. I registered as a New Hampshire voter, joined civic organizations, canvassed, and more! Read on to follow my journey leading up to Election Day!
Some of my rising senior friends from New York have been in contact with me since graduation, and I've compiled a list of FAQs that might help you better understand life at Dartmouth!
