Hi everyone! I'm Oscar, a '28 from Flushing, NYC. My academic interests are a mix of the arts (studio art, graphic design), the sciences (psychology, biology, sustainability), and maybe even anthropology? All of which I'm thinking of merging with a major in Cognitive Science with a focus area on Design. Outside the classroom, I'm passionate about giving back to my community, fiber arts, and em dashes. Welcome to my blog—I'm excited to explore Dartmouth together!
COSC 1 was the most challenging but rewarding class of this term. I had minimal coding experience prior to this class, but the course is manageable because of all the support available. COSC 1 is one of the largest classes offered at Dartmouth—a total of 200 students split in two sections—but there was always ample help from Professor Vasanta's classes and concept hours and the TA team's recitation and office hours. I enjoyed that assignments had creative flexibility—I recreated "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book cover, wrote an adventure story, and made games for assignments.
I had completed my language requirement by taking CHIN 4 in my last term, but I was interested in further pursuing Chinese through CHIN 22. CHIN 22 is very similar in structure to CHIN 4—small class size, vocabulary exams, and drill sessions. I was lucky to take CHIN 22 with the Beijing Normal University's exchange professor, Professor Yin, who often adds color to lessons by explaining cultural element of China. Some interesting topics we've discussed include the effects of China's One Child Policy, transportation regulations in Beijing, and the symbolism of snow in Chinese culture.
With the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI), why learn design when ChatGPT can create it for you? CSDA 21 (Computer Science/Digital Arts 21, previously known as COSC 21) argues for the importance of human agency in design (and why AI-generated designs are flawed). Using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects, we explored a range of topics, including typography, poster design, generative AI, and motion graphics. Professor Mahoney is an incredibly supportive teacher with deep knowledge of the creative industry—make sure to go to office hours if you take the course! As CSDA 21 was my first digital arts class, I’m excited to explore the department more!
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month @ Dartmouth
What is AAPIHM?
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), which honors the history, culture, and experiences of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. For the past few weeks, the AAPIHM planning committee has been designing a series of programs to bring AAPIHM to campus. From enjoying cultural snacks at our Kickoff Night Market to hearing about Asian American studies at the Asian American Futures panel and watching AAPI student performances at Pan Asian Community Culture Night, there were a variety of tasty, educational, and fun events planned throughout May. Come along as I explain the process!
What Did The AAPIHM Planning Committee Do?
AAPIHM planning committees started early in the winter term, where our first task was to decide on an overarching theme. After lots of brainstorming and tournament-style deliberation, we landed on "Folk/Lore". Here's a short excerpt of the committee's description from the AAPIHM 2025 website:
"Folk/Lore signifies our focus on the AAPI community at Dartmouth as a strong, expansive, and proud community on campus (Folk), while maintaining an emphasis on the stories, experiences, celebrations, and histories of the AAPI diaspora (Lore). We pay homage to the traditions, stories, and people who came before us, while also seeking to fervently push forward as a community."
As we progressed through the winter term, we worked more closely in subcommittees, divided into event planning and marketing. I was part of the latter, where our responsibilities included developing marketing materials, designing merchandise, and helping spread the word. After a whole term of meeting, planning, and organizing, we developed the series of events displayed in the calendar below.
What Happened During AAPIHM?
I'm glad you asked! The AAPIHM planning committee was responsible for a series of events, including our Kickoff Night Market, Keynote Speaker Series, and Pan Asian Community Culture Night. All photos below were taken by Phoom Sirimangklanurak '28. Here are a few highlights from the events I attended:
05/02 | AAPIHM Kickoff Night Market
To kick off AAPPIHM, we hosted a street festival inspired by Asian night markets. Mass row, the street in front of the Massachusetts cluster, was lined with tents where we handed out Hawaiian Sun Pass-O-Guava Nectar (a passion fruit, orange, and guava drink), Banh Mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwiches), Turkish Delights (various Turkish sweets), and Buldak Carbonara Noodles (a spicy korean instant noodle brand) among other AAPI snacks. There was a live DJ set, free merch, and free food—what better way to start off AAPIHM?
There were tons of people…
…plenty of food (pictured are samosas, a South Asian deep-fried pastry stuffed with potatoes and peas)...
…and lots of friends!
05/06 | Keynote Speaker: Zaina Arafat
Our keynote speaker for AAPIHM 2025 is Zaina Arafat, a LGBTQ Arab-American fiction and nonfiction writer. I had the opportunity to listen to her speak about her experiences as a queer person of color and as a creative in our current political landscape. Her keynote speech was then followed by a fireside chat Q&A, where we dove deeper into her stories. I also received a signed copy of her book, You Exist Too Much, which is my current summer read!
Zaina's Fireside Chat with two student moderators
05/23 | Pan Asian Community Culture Night
Pan Asian Community Culture Night was a series of student performances held in Collis Common Ground. From energetic dance numbers, student DJ sets, and creative singer-songwriters, there was something for everyone, reflecting the diversity of the Pan Asian community on campus. Pan Asian Community Culture Night was inspired by the Dartmouth Asian Organization's Culture Nights, building upon the legacy of Dartmouth's Asian community.
We started with the Rockapellas, the oldest female acapella group at Dartmouth
Followed by many talented student performers,
A captivating sonic experience
And closed off with Raaz, the South Asian fusion dance group
05/30 | Collis After Dark x AAPIHM Closing Event: Karaoke & Raffle
For the last event for AAPIHM 2025, the planning committee collaborated with Collis After Dark, an organization that hosts late-night events on weekends. As with any AAPIHM event, there was plenty of food, specifically a variety of dumplings from a local New Hampshire restaurant, Happy Dumpling. Between karaoke songs, prizes ranging from LEGO sets to iPads were raffled off to the audience.
Besides events planned by the AAPIHM committee, the calendar also includes programming from a variety of AAPI student organizations, including:
Hōkūpa'a's (the pan-Pasifika student organization) Lei Day, where they taught the campus to share and make flower lei (garlands).
The Thai Student Organization's Songkran, the Thai New Year Festival, is known for water fights that symbolically wash away the past year.
If you're interested in serving on upcoming AAPIHM committees, keep a lookout for applications at the end of the fall quarter and get in touch with Pan-Asian student advising at the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL).
It was a short application, asking why you're interested in joining the committee if you have any early ideas for events, and to explain any other commitments for the upcoming terms. Planning for AAPIHM spans two terms: the winter term, during which we organized events, and the spring term, during which we carried out those plans. So, although being a part of the committee isn't an intensive commitment, the duration of the programming is something to keep in mind. At Dartmouth, it's very easy to overload your plate, so these applications are helpful for students to reflect and weigh whether they can take on an additional responsibility.
If you're interested in fun events, cultural exchange, and having a great time, I highly recommend joining a planning committee. Being a part of the AAPIHM planning committee has helped me feel more connected within the Pan-Asian community at Dartmouth. Not only have I built relationships with many other AAPI students, but I've been able to learn about their cultures and share parts of my own culture in turn. The AAPIHM planning committee has been an incredibly affirming experience, and it's set the ground for me to feel more culturally connected on campus. Coming from a predominantly Asian neighborhood, I was initially nervous about attending a predominantly white institution, but with the AAPI community on campus, and especially AAPIHM, I still feel connected to my cultural identity hundreds of miles from my hometown.
Despite Dartmouth being on the periphery of the broader Northeast region, its access to major transportation hubs makes travel stress-free. But, how can students without a car see the rest of New England?
