Welcome to my page, I am a '27 from central New Hampshire! I came to Dartmouth for the liberal arts curriculum, so I plan to explore the academic disciplines before deciding what to focus on. I am currently looking at environmental science and religion. In addition to blogging, I work as an Interfaith Trip Fellow with the Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Life. I enjoy mountain biking, running, skiing, singing, and drawing.
Academic Program
Intended: pre-health, anthropology, environmental studies, and religion.
This discussion and reading-based class was incredible and relevant! Content ranged from the historical impact of the printing press to AI in the workforce and transhumanism, and all of the topics were grounded in religion and some of the frameworks religion provides. I pondered on ideas from this class all the time.
I was captivated by the first class meeting of the term reading Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' and eventually chose to focus on it for my research paper at the end of the term. All of the readings captivated my attention, however, Kafka, Han's 'The Vegetarian', and Kristeva were the authors that made the biggest impression on me. The class discussions resulted in wonderful insights relevant to humanity at a macro level. My favorite aspect was our professor instructing us to focus on the ideas before picking apart the writing style.
This class made me think about the bigger picture of health in a systems focus. Ultimately this class helped me realize that there are a lot of structural health system challenges in the U.S. and around the world. I particularly liked learning about the histories and anthropological side of things. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were my favorite topic in the class because the frameworks are very limited, so some do not receive enough focus and funding.
My Spanish language study abroad was wonderful. In addition to improving my Spanish proficiency, I learned a lot about the culture and history of Spain- especially in the autonomous community (region) of Cantabria where Santander is located. My favorite class on this trip was literature, every class had a different theme relevant to the history and culture of Spain and this was explored with movies, videos, and readings that resulted in some great insights during class discussion. The homestay aspect and excursions bolstered the conversational and cultural aspects of the LSA.
This class sits at the center of the two interests that I have chosen for my modified major, anthropology and environmental studies. There are a few reasons I love this class. First and foremost, there is a SIP fieldwork aspect to it (I wrote a post about this!) which means I can experience local communities and have a tangible impact. Next, my professor has a wonderful design for the content and structure of the class. Also, I am genuinely excited to learn about the content and perspective this course utilizes by considering the many dimensions of disaster. I particularly like exploring the historical factors that turn a scenario into a disaster, and how that can be prevented.
Today I went to the Dartmouth Skiway Lodge (aka sklodj) for the first time, so I felt compelled to write an 'outdoors' post. Around halfway through my time at the lodge today, the snow started to lightly flurry (snowfall) and a little while later my phone started giving me weather alerts and then it was a whiteout snow squall. Today the only lift open was the two-seater and during the snow squall, I could not see clearly beyond the chair in front of me! It has been a rough winter in NH this year and by that I mean we have not had much snow. It has also been rainy; because I live nearby I also witnessed these patterns over winterim (winter break). This means that ski hills did not open until late December or January and not all trails are open. However, I am optimistic that in the next month a solid snow pack 'base' will form and more trails will be open. I have been skiing for quite a few years now, but Dartmouth is a good place to learn how to ski/snowboard even if you have never seen snow.
Close-up of Sklodj in a Whiteout Snow Squall
Me in Sklodj!
Something I think is important to note is that these outdoor activities take 15-30 mins or a few hours, not a whole day. This allows for time for other priorities like studying, sleeping, eating, and socializing.
I brought my mountain bike to school with me in the fall term but I frequently chose to run since it took less time. My first term at Dartmouth was also a learning experience for me in terms of figuring out how to reorient my time management skills, so a run was just easier. This picture is in Brophy Field, which is near the golf course and the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse, less than a mile from Hanover.
View from a Mountain Bike Ride
A view from one of my Occom Pond runs, I am not sure if it is a coined Dartmouth term, but I have taken to calling them Roccoms (pronouned rock-uhms)! If you are acquainted with the People, Places, Pines blog already then I am fairly confident you have come across the term Woccom :). Roccoms were my go-to when I had about a half hour of free time and enough energy. Frequently I like to do interval running (high speed then walk or jog) so this allowed me to see if there was any action in the pond.
Wildlife in Occom Pond
Note on affordability: If this is a consideration for you there are numerous ways to approach accessing things like mountain biking and skiing. The Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) has mountain bikes that can be borrowed, season passes at the Skiway are under $100 for first-year Dartmouth students, and if you are doing a PE ski course you get gear and can request discounts. You should be able to explore your outdoor interests regardless of your socioeconomic situation! PE fee discounts
Learn about the different programs Dartmouth offers prospective students to explore campus life, learn about Dartmouth, and enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to Hanover!
I took advantage of the crisp autumnal weather and vibrant foliage to explore beyond Hanover and cross off an item on my bucket list, just in time for Halloween!
SIP, or Social Impact Practicum, is a type of course that is offered at Dartmouth that centers around engaging with local community partners. I have taken two of these courses now and have found them to be enriching and interesting.
