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 was one of the most eye-opening classes I've taken at Dartmouth so far. As the title suggests, it was an introduction to a sector of academia that I had absolutely no experience in. This class taught me more than just what literature exists about disabilities, but also taught me how to think through, see, and understand the world in completely different ways.
This was my very first Quantitative Social Science (QSS) class at Dartmouth, and it's safe to say it was incredible! We dove into all things data; how things are (un)protected, tracked, and several consequences of unsafe data collection on the human race. We had really interesting readings and projects, like our self-tracking and quantification project. I know I'll be using the lessons I learned in this class for the rest of my life!
One of the biggest traditions at Dartmouth is Sophomore Summer, when second-years choose to stay on campus and take classes during the summer between their sophomore and junior years. While there are plenty of fun things happening around campus, one of my favorite parts of Sophomore Summer was getting to be part of a summer performance group.
Most year-round performance groups at Dartmouth have only a few students from each class, usually around five or six. So, during Sophomore Summer, there simply are not enough people on campus to keep the groups running normally. Instead of giving up the chance to perform, the groups open their doors to the entire sophomore class! Students can audition for groups they may have never tried before, even if they have absolutely no experience. Each group takes around 40 to 60 students, so it is basically a chance for an entire class to become performers for the summer.
The first weekend of Sophomore Summer is filled with elaborate, completely student-run auditions. All five groups have rotating schedules, so you can try out for every single one if you want. By the end of the day, you find out which group you made it into, and from there, it becomes a real performance group with two to three practices a week, shows, solo auditions, and everything else that comes with performing.
I decided to audition for UjiMELT, the Sophomore Summer version of Ujima Dance Troupe. Ujima is a historically Black hip-hop dance group, and I had been a huge fan of them even before Sophomore Summer. There was just one small problem: I had never danced before.
Everyone say UJIMELT!!!
Needless to say, I was incredibly nervous walking into auditions. I was convinced everyone else would know what they were doing while I stood in the back trying to figure out which direction to move. But the audition was so much more relaxed than I expected. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and it genuinely felt like the goal was just to have fun and try something new.
When I found out I got into UjiMELT, I was SO excited. A few of my friends had also made it, but most of the group were people I did not know very well, which made me even more excited to meet new people.
Practices were definitely rigorous, especially during the first few weeks when we were learning entire dances from scratch. Our first performance was at StreetFest, a huge Sophomore Summer event where all the summer dance, a cappella, and improv groups perform. It was our first time performing together, and somehow, it went so well! By the end of the summer, we had performed in four different shows and even collaborated with other dance and a cappella groups.
Streetfest!
More than anything, I came away from UjiMELT with so many new friendships. I feel incredibly close to my fellow UjiMELTers, and it is kind of crazy to think that most of these people were strangers to me just a few months earlier.
Some members of the group are even planning to audition for the full-year Ujima Dance Troupe in the fall, which I think is so cool. For me, UjiMELT was the perfect way to try something completely outside my comfort zone, meet amazing people, and spend my summer dancing. I never imagined that I would be part of a dance group, but it has become one of my favorite memories from Dartmouth.
This fall, I'm interning at AGBO, an independent entertainment studio in Los Angeles. Here's what a typical day in my life looks like, told through photos!
Last September, a friend and I crafted a ten-item bucket list for our final year as undergraduates. It's the end of our senior spring now. These are some of the boxes I've checked.
