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.
My language journey at Dartmouth started the summer before matriculating (starting courses) and at that time I took a written Spanish placement exam. During orientation week I also took an oral placement exam to try to get the most accurate placement for my abilities and background with Spanish. I landed right around the end of the introductory sequence, so a quick conversation at the end of my oral exam determined that it was best if I took Spanish 3. I recognized that I come from a background with several different Spanish teachers over many years who had a variety of styles and that this would not necessarily lead to a smooth transition into the Spanish courses at Dartmouth. Be kind to yourself and try to be open minded when realizing that you might have some knowledge gaps in some areas, as in try not to compare yourself to your peers—everyone brings something to the Dartmouth experience and that varies widely.
I was also aware of some study-abroad options before coming to Dartmouth, so during my placement process I had my eye on the Santander, Spain LSA (language study abroad). The thing about a LSA as compared to a LSA+ is that if you are overqualified, you cannot go on the trip, so that is part of why I was okay with being realistic about my abilities and accepting that even though I had prior experience with Spanish, I still had room for growth. LSA options are for when you are still in the beginning of a language at Dartmouth, whereas LSA+ is if you are more advanced in your proficiency of a language, which can come from taking more courses at Dartmouth! An interesting exception to look at is the FIRE study abroad with the Italian department—it does not require prior courses in Italian.
I was accepted into the Santander LSA program, so that worked out well! Currently, in my spring term, I am taking a drill to prepare for the LSA this summer even though I am not taking a Spanish course. Drill is basically a time to work on the grammar and vocabulary skills in a conversational context outside of class time multiple times a week. In my case drill is three 50-minute blocks on set times and days each week.
*For an overview of all of the pathways based off of your language background check out this page from the registrar.
As a side note, the photo I used for this post is from a trip I took with my high school to Costa Rica last summer for Spanish immersion.
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 an interesting.
As an international student, I was hesitant to join Greek Life, but I found a welcoming community. Now, as a junior, I hope to help others find their place too.
Coming back to Dartmouth for my senior year, I have been loving pursuing my major. However, what I love about the liberal arts education is that you can take classes for interest far beyond any classes in your major.
