Welcome! I'm Olivia Koo '26, hailing from Los Alamos, New Mexico. I am studying biological chemistry on the pre-med track, and I'm excited to be supplementing it with music, as a classical pianist and singer-songwriter! Some of my favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos about video games, singing and playing my guitar, and reading New York Times op-eds. Look through my page for information about Dartmouth's pre-med track, STEM research, acapella/music, and study abroad opportunities!
Unsure whether I would enjoy the biology-heavy pre-health track, I took an intro biology class. I surprisingly found myself so invested each class—I didn’t think I’d ever be excited trying to determine if the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) had DNA or RNA, but here we are! I found it a great introduction to thinking processes at Dartmouth.
I loved coming to this class with its supportive environment! The professor's feedback really helped me improve in my writing. This course guided us through personal narratives and organizational writing while discussing what it really means to be authentic. It also introduced me to the library’s resources for writing and research!
This class was definitely not easy! The accelerated version of general chemistry, it was my first class at Dartmouth that used a textbook, and I had to adapt and learn how to use a textbook for a class properly. But that didn't mean I didn't have a good time! The classes were full of physical demonstrations, and I felt very supported in the lab and beyond.
This was the first group music class I took, and I loved it! Each class we'd move a little forward in time; one day we'd talk about medieval chants, and by the next couple weeks, we talked about Baroque music. We even got to observe original medieval music scores from the Rauner Library, and attend a performance of Baroque music by the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra!
Songwriting 1 was the first time I was able to work on something creative/in the arts at Dartmouth, and I really loved it! I got to learn how to improve my songwriting and get to know a community of fellow songwriters on campus. The class was both supportive and constructive, and I pushed myself to my creative limit with the assignment of writing one new song a week. This class inspired me to continue writing and being expressive, whether in an academic setting or not.
For one of my classes on the London Music FSP, I got to attend a myriad of musical performances in London and discuss them with my class! It was a once-in-a-life-time experience–getting to watch multiple operas, ballets, jazz sets, and a musical, as well as seeing beautiful performances from the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, and more, helped me grow my ear so much and my inspirations as a musician.
I took this class to learn a little more about the social landscape around medicine, and this class delivered that by a mile. From environmental exposure to racial inequities in medicine/health to the discussion of medicine itself as a manipulative tool in colonialist social structures, this class helped me rethink medicine and my role within it.
I've always found the presence of seniors as a freshman intimidating. Since high school, I've been inclined to put you all on a pedestal: the most experienced people on campus, those who know the ins and outs of school, who have their life figured out. Almost unapproachable.
But time after time, you've created a space where I feel as if I belong. With your support and experience, I felt as if I was learning the hacks to navigating the initially scary school of Dartmouth. During First-Year Trips, I remember sitting with '23 Croo members and Trip leaders, sharing their majors, their tips, and their reassurances that the next year would be filled with new experiences. In classes where I sat with seniors, their self-assurance and confidence amazed me—I always felt that I would be safe relying on them when asking for help with anything. In the clubs I've gotten to be a part of, such as the Rockapellas, I'm grateful for the seniors' leadership that allowed the entire group to run like a well-oiled machine—thank you.
Thank you for the memories, for inviting me to hang out at your apartment, for cheering me on when I got up on stage to play music. Thank you for always offering help—I never felt as if I was being a nuisance to you, and many of my questions were answered with more knowledge than I could need. Thank you for reaching out to have a meal when I wasn't expecting to sit with anyone.
Perhaps the most impactful takeaway I've made is realizing just how inspiring and unique every senior I've met has been. You each have a different story and different goals, and yet, your paths (if not their paths, their passions and values) seem to emit the same confidence. Whether it be watching a heartful original play, written for an honors thesis by a '23 theater major, or a science research project, with the students scrambling to gather enough evidence by the deadline, the passion in the work that you've poured time into at Dartmouth is so evident. I've loved listening to you talk about your senior theses as you were making them—I hope to see some of your thesis presentations this week. And as more performance groups send their seniors off with one last huzzah of a show, I know that everyone will miss you.
But I hope that wherever you go, success and happiness is in your path. Thank you for being the seniors for me—I hope that once I reach that point, I can do the same for future Dartmouth students as you all have done for me. Good luck!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
