Sawasdee ka! I'm Memo, a '26 (thankfully), and I'm from the sunny city of Bangkok, Thailand. Despite being terrible at hiking and tolerating the cold, here I am in the middle of the woods. I'm leaning toward a CS modified with Digital Arts major and a QSS minor, but I have no idea. Simply put, I will be doing a lot of exploring. Fun times! Anyways, stick around and read my blogs. Please. I will keep you informed and well entertained. :)
Coming in with some Python background, I still find this class challenging. Yet, I always enjoy going to Vasanta's lectures and working on the short assignments with the help of the TAs. Awesome experience.
Professor Pierson taught the class really well—his lectures always start with a hook that keeps me engaged. Although the material is definitely more challenging than the prior class, I learned a whole lot more. My CS1 professor suggested we learn Java before taking CS10 (she even sent us resources for it!), but of course, I didn't. It was a language I continued picking up as I did my short assignments and PSETs with my partner. The workload is not light; however, I felt like everything was worth learning!
Honestly, I still can't believe that the '26s (graduating class of 2026) are no longer the first-year class. Time really does fly by when you're enjoying the experience, doesn't it? Arriving on campus as a sophomore, I felt comfort in knowing I made it back to my second home. It may sound a tiny bit exaggerated, but there's something magical about the campus at 9 p.m. on a Thursday (the time and day of my arrival).
Although I am now more familiar with the Dartmouth campus and our one-of-a-kind culture, there were various events that I missed out on during my first year here. My goal as a sophomore is to make the most out of each term and attend the activities I didn't get to. Luckily for you all, I'll be blogging about them too!
Inauguration of Sian Leah Beilock
Besides powering through my labs and assignments, I have been enjoying my first two eventful weeks. The first thing I did was laundry. It may sound like a rough start, but unexpectedly, doing laundry became my favorite chore when the Dartmouth Student Government helped make the services accessible for free! While I love folding clean clothes into my closet, I was much more delighted when I walked into the annual Community Lunch event. I was just trekking out of my dorm when I smelled the aroma of freshly grilled burgers. Of course, I swiftly joined the long lines of people waiting to enjoy their free meal at this grand cookout. On that same day, the inauguration of Dartmouth's 19th president took place! I unfortunately had a meeting during President Sian Leah Beilock's speech, but I did walk past the crowd in the middle of The Green. Exciting times indeed.
My friend brought his car up to campus this term, so he drove us all to the Norwich Farmers Market during the weekend. The market opens from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday, and you can actually walk there if you're determined. Although it was quite chilly, I still ordered an iced draft latte from one of the coffee shops there. There were stands selling bakery, fresh produce, samosas, and so many more—my personal favorite was a goat-petting corner! My friends and I sat at one of the wooden picnic tables and tasted fresh strawberries while listening to live music. It was refreshing, to say the least, and we all highly recommend a visit!
The weekend ended with Fallapalooza, a fall concert organized by the Programming Board. This term, we had Claire Rosinkranz! I didn't join the crowd of students in front of the stage, but I did chill on the big lawn beside the venue with a few friends. It was such an amazing way to end the night—just chatting about life and vibing to song after song.
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
