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.
After participating heavily in interfaith activities with the Tucker Center during my first year at Dartmouth, via the Living Learning Community (LLC) and the alternative spring break trip, I am having a good time in my paid role as a fellow this year.
Like anything worthwhile, this position is a bit of a time commitment, but generally I find it managable to still achieve balance. In this role, part of my time is diverted to three main types of meetings: one with other Tucker fellows, another with ambassador representatives from faith groups on campus (known as Tucker Council meetings), and weekly meetings with my supervisor.
Part of my role as a fellow—and therefore participating in the ambassador council—is acting as a liasion for campus faith groups; this means I maintain communication, develop a connection with the groups and representatives, answer questions, and am part of the funding approval process for groups. Currently I am the liasion for Shanti, the Hindu student organization, and the Morning Glory Community Fellowship, an interdenominational Christian group influenced by African-American worship traditions.
During the first Tucker Ambassador Council meeting of the fall term, we met in the main entry way of the Tucker Center to have concentric circle greeting exercises.
The other side of my role relates to my specific fellow position where I lead the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. I played a key role in choosing where to have the trip this year (New Mexico!), helped craft the trip application, build awareness about the trip and application via promoting the application, and hosting information sessions. Currently I am in the part of my process where my supervisor and I read the applications, decide who to interview, interview, and then choose who we are selecting for the trip. This has certainly kept me on my toes since some of the turnaround times are reletively short; for example, I have three days to read a whole bunch of written applications! However, I am learning some great skills with this type of work and learning more about my peers here at Dartmouth.
In the winter term, I will be heavily involved with planning intentional weekly group meetings, which means creating activities to form a group bond, establish group expectations, and also having educational components. I will also be working the logistic side of things as group members give input to the exact sites we visit, so I help with reaching out and determining feasibility.
After six terms in a row and the interfaith alternative spring break trip, I will be excited to take the spring term off!
As a second-year at Dartmouth, I've embraced leadership roles that foster community, creativity, and support! Here's a look at how each role has shaped my journey.
