Hello everyone! My name is Natasha Raman and I'm a freshman at Dartmouth. Although I'm undecided on my major, I am leaning towards something related to government, economics, and Asian studies. In my free time, I like to watch The Office, keep up with current events, learn new languages, and hang out with my friends. I am excited to explore my interests at Dartmouth and take advantage of the amazing opportunities offered here!
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder: A Summer Term Reflection
As I look at the calendar, it's hard for me to believe that summer is already over. Although I wholeheartedly welcome the beginning of fall and the cooler weather that comes with it, this summer was truly unlike any other.
To be honest, I was initially apprehensive about this summer. I was worried that being away from my friends and the campus would make me feel disconnected from the Dartmouth community. I quickly learned that this was far from the case. In fact, in some ways, I feel closer to the Dartmouth community than ever before!
For example, I got to meet so many other amazing '23s through the First-Year Fellows Program. This program, organized by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences, places first-year students in a public-policy related internship with a Dartmouth alumni mentor. I was placed at The American Leader, where I researched constitutional crises in American history. Usually, the program takes place in Washington, D.C. However, due to the pandemic, the program became fully remote. Even though the internship was remote, I gained so many valuable experiences from it. I especially enjoyed getting to know the other fellows, many of whom I did not know prior to the program.
A group picture of all the Fellows taken over Zoom
Another fun part of my summer was hanging out with my friends (remotely, of course!). Even though we are all living hundreds of miles away from each other, talking to my friends over Zoom transported me back to winter term when we'd sit on my friend's futon and hang out for hours on end as snow quietly blanketed the ground white. Admittedly, virtually talking to friends is not nearly comparable to physically hanging out with them. However, talking to my friends this summer has nonetheless been wonderful, and I can't wait to get back on campus to see them.
A throwback to winter term with my friends!
Saying that I miss Dartmouth would be nothing short of an understatement. I miss our beautiful campus, miss my friends, and miss the amazing professors who put their hearts and souls into teaching us. And while a pandemic is certainly not on my list of best things to happen in 2020, spending time away from campus made me realize just how much I can't wait to go back!
After walking around campus all day in eye-catching attire, we headed to a Murder Mystery night hosted by Phi Tau (a fraternity) in one of the tents scattered around campus.
My experiences this past week perfectly exemplify the strength and dedication of our alumni network and Dartmouth's level of involvement in the energy and environmental sectors.
As I write this I'm covered in my fluffy blanket, listening to a ~fall vibes~ playlist as the 36-degree crisp October air enters my room through my window. Obviously, fall in Hanover has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Dartmouth may be your dream school, and you might be over the moon with gratitude to be staying in a gorgeous autumn-leaf strewn campus beneath a perfect blue sky. But be that as it may, adjusting to college life right now isn't easy.
The idea for Give Essential—a nonprofit that connects essential workers in need of household items with donors who are able to support them—initially grew out of a Dartmouth class, Social Entrepreneurship (ECON 77).
This summer, I worked on an operations management research project that looked at how medical billing codes could be improved to avoid fraud or exploitation.
