Hi everyone! I'm Rika, a semi-international '28 from Japan, India, and Malaysia. I'm interested in studying women, gender, and sexuality studies, as well as public policy, global health, and biology while also being on the pre-health track! In my free time, I love to read books, cook and bake, play violin, spend time with animals, be sarcastic, and drink hot drinks (especially teas)! I'm so excited to share my exploration of Dartmouth with everyone :)
Sex, Gender, and Society is a class in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) department. It focuses on how gender and sexuality are represented in the media and explores different ways society shapes our perspectives. This discussion-based class features multiple group projects, which allowed me to meet and interact with many of my classmates, which was super helpful in my first term! Fun fact: this class taught me how to plan, film, and edit a podcast on campus!
In this class, we explored the different contemporary meanings of the 4 concepts; love, romance, intimacy and dating. What did they look like at Dartmouth? How were they represented or defined in scholarly research? Why are they important to the world and human interaction? Our classes consisted of thoughtful discussions, insightful lectures, and even primary research. The final project was a research paper that featured the data we collected as a class. It was a wonderful course that introduced me to the world of sociology and qualitative research!
This class was my first English/literature class and it was an absolute BLAST. Professor Jodi Kim provided us with so many interesting texts that explore the nuanced intersections of identity and sexuality, in various Asian American settings. Texts include M. Butterfly, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, and The Necessary Hunger. Our classroom discussions were lively, filled with new and contrasting interpretations of quotes. I highly recommend this class!
SummerBoston, Massachusetts
This summer term, I decided to stay with my parents, who moved to Boston at the end of May! I kicked things off by spending a few weeks training to become a certified nurse assistant (CNA), and after earning my license, I took some time to recharge. I reconnected with family, explored Boston’s best food spots, and went on a few spontaneous trips around the U.S. with friends! Definitely a refreshing and memorable summer!
This spring, I took one of my favorite classes yet: Gender in Science Fiction(WGGS 7.01.01). It was one of the First-Year Seminar options, which, combined with myWriting 5 course in the winter term, completes my track for thefirst-year writing requirement. While this class fell under the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studiesdepartment, which is right up my alley, I wasn't sure what to expect at first, as most of my experience with science fiction was limited to the popular dystopian novels I devoured in middle school; you guessed it! The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. Getting the chance to dive into a range of science fiction texts that explore complex themes, such as gender, sexuality, identity, and power, was eye-opening. Each week, we examined how science fiction can push boundaries, ask difficult questions, and imagine entirely new possibilities for what it means to be human.
We read a fascinating range of books, including Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, Martha Wells's Murderbot Diaries, and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Each work challenged us to think critically about constructed norms and the fluidity of identity. We also read powerful short stories like Octavia Butler's Bloodchild and Joanna Russ's When It Changed, which led to some of the most intense and engaging class discussions.
In addition to written texts, we watched a mix of science fiction films and television episodes, from Ex Machina and Terminator 2 to Her, Children of Men, and episodes from Black Mirror and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Watching Star Trek in particular was a highlight for me. It was so interesting to see how the show tackled issues of race, gender, and sexuality decades ago, many of which still resonate today. The way those conversations played out in a futuristic setting sparked a lot of debate in class, especially when we connected them to real-world social issues.
A few of the films we watched for the class!
One of the best parts of this class was how discussion-based it was. Every session felt like a collaborative deep dive into a new world, where we were encouraged to bring our craziest theories and biggest questions to the table. We weren't just analyzing stories—we were using them to imagine the future of gender, sexuality, and identity. We talked about what it means to create AI with consciousness, how alien societies reflect our own, and what authors might really be trying to say through their most imaginative thought experiments.
A presentation I made with my classmates about the book "Murderbot"
This course helped me see science fiction not just as entertainment, but as a powerful tool for social critique and exploitation. It was fun, fascinating, and completely different from anything I'd studied before. I left the class with a newfound appreciation for the genre and a great deal of curiosity about where these conversations might lead in the 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!
With so many undergraduates hoping to participate in the exceptional atmosphere of the Tuck School of Business, Tuck created programs specifically designed for us. I was fortunate enough to take part in one of them: TuckLAB Entrepreneurship.
