Olá! I'm Luana from Brasília, the capital of Brazil. A couple of years ago I was, just like you, looking through this blog hoping to get to know Dartmouth. But now, I get to tell you why I love being a Dartmouth student! From the academic opportunities to the community, I'll show you how grateful I am to have chosen the College on the Hill. So, consider this an invitation to accompany me as this blog becomes your looking glass into life in Hanover.
As a bookworm who loved dissecting and analyzing novels or philosophical works, a writing class focused on classical literature with weekly discussions was the right fit for me. Between reading Sophocles, Nietzsche, and Rawls, I had the opportunity to reassess my approach to reading, deepen my interpretations, and improve my public speaking skills while broadening my recognition of the significance of critical thinking.
I'll be honest: Physics has never been my favorite subject, until now. This term I am taking Introduction to Physics, a course that has shown me new horizons of what science can do. This class wasn't about calculating the movements of falling objects, it was about mathematically comprehending natural phenomena. The grandeur of that became evident as my professor, an accomplished experimental physicist, would passionately lecture on kinematics, waves, thermodynamics, and more.
I went into the woods and explored the fantastical worlds of the Brothers Grimm tales. It was definitely a thrilling and meaningful experience to analyse Snow White's virtues and Little Red Riding Hood's morals as important pieces of European culture. In other words, I got to study my childhood fairy tales, journeying through their real-world impact on a sociological, psychological, anthropological, and historical perspective.
For this summer, I decided to go home! Along with enjoying family and friends, I had the opportunity to learn a great deal during an internship at one of Brazil's top financial services institutions. There, I supported strategic growth and market positioning initiatives, delivered analysis and recommendations directly to senior stakeholders, and designed and executed internal engagement strategies to enhance organizational alignment and employee experience across business units. I also used this time to travel a little bit, exploring some of Japan. All in all, it's been a wonderful summer!
Although it's called Dartmouth College, it should not come as a shock to you that our world-renowned graduate schools are part of the institution. One of them is the Tuck School of Business, a high-achieving community of business students that enjoys an exceptional alumni network and distinguished professors. With so many undergraduates hoping to participate in this inspirational atmosphere, Tuck created programs specifically designed for us. This spring term, I was fortunate enough to take part in one of them: TuckLAB Entrepreneurship, a 40-hour certificate program taught by MBA faculty that provided an introduction on how to build a startup from concept to final pitch, by learning and applying business concepts and principles in a startup competition.
Business analytics, marketing, strategic innovation, social entrepreneurship, ethics, and financial modeling are some of the courses we were immersed in throughout the term. These world-renowned MBA professors dedicated hours of their day to teaching undergraduates. And they did so with immense passion and excitement. It was a strong testament to Dartmouth's focus and dedication to its students, regardless of the level of the curriculum. Safe to say, these courses will have a long-lasting impact on my professional development.
Furthermore, TuckLAB offered incredible networking opportunities. The program was set up in part as classes taught by the MBA faculty, but also as a startup competition where exceptional Tuck Alumni were the judges. We met industry leaders, C-suite executives, and one billionaire, creating genuine connections and gaining insightful tips. The Alumni Network of the entire Dartmouth community remains close to it, constantly donating much more than funds, but also their time and dedication.
Friendships were also forged throughout the process. As we would separate ourselves into groups following startup ideas that interested us, we created real bonds where teamwork and dedication were essential for the success of the competition. Due to countless hours and weekends spent working together, friendships were born in my team, and we won the startup competition as a result!
My teammates and I are holding our Startup Competition award!
TuckLAB was a deeply enriching entrepreneurial road map that will be essential to my professional future.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
On the Beijing LSA+, we have real-world Chinese practice every Friday. Last week we went to two neighborhoods, Houhai and Shichahai, and wrote a photo log about our experience. Read along to see what immersive language learning here looks like!
