Hello hello! I'm Sarah, a '29 from Burnsville, North Carolina (about an hour outside of Asheville, NC). I'm a Questbridge National Match Scholar here at Dartmouth passionate about disaster recovery, climate resiliency, policy, and anything in-between. On campus, I'm involved in Ledyard Canoe Club, World Affairs Council (WAC), Radio News (WebDCRNews), and programming through the Dickey Center, Office of Sustainability, the Center for Social Impact (DCSI), and more! Reach out with any questions!
I was drawn to INTS80.06 as it was taught by Ambassador Jeffery Delaurentis, a career ambassador to Cuba and to the UN Security Council. Throughout the course, we explored the history of the international liberal order that the US created after WWII and where that same international sphere is going today---and if US leadership is necessary or guaranteed.
PBPL5 is offered through the Rockefeller Center, or Rocky, and taught by Professor Nachlis. The class explores the relevant policy issues of today and serves as an introduction to policy-making and the PBPL minor offered through Rocky. I loved PBPL5 because it introduces the way policy is designed, implemented, analyzed, and sometimes fails to show real impact on our lives today.
Also shoutout WRIT5 Authenticity, Society, and Self with Prof Lewis!!!
What defines a disaster? Who gets to recover in a disaster, and who decides what that looks like? Who or what is responsible for recovery?
These are the questions we asked on the first day of class in Anthropology of Disaster, and my answers have changed many times throughout the course. This class was also a Social Impact Practicuum (SIP) through the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact (DCSI), which meant we were doing community-based project work in the community! We worked with partners across Vermont who experienced flooding in 2023 and remain vulnerable. I loved this class, the content, and the opportunity to get more actively engaged in the Upper Valley.
SummerWashington, DC
I spent my summer interning at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington, DC. Interning at the GAO was such an awesome experience, and being in DC was awesome! Before this summer, I'd never really been in a city, and now I feel like a public transit expert. My internship was supported by Rocky and connections with Dartmouth Alumni.
It was the first day of orientation, and we were leaving Alumni Gym. By "we," I mean 1,200 first-year students, all swarming Foco (the main, buffet-style dining hall on campus). I couldn't think of anything worse than going to dinner with 1,200 people all at the same time, dreading long lines and a lack of seats. So, instead, a friend and I split off to Collis Cafe.
Collis is the Student Center, but it also houses Collis Cafe, one of many cafes on campus. I love Collis!
I had never eaten at Collis. Frankly, I had no idea what it was, how my dining plan worked, or what I could get to eat there. When we walked into Collis, we were the only ones. Sue, a friendly Collis worker, explained the meal plan to us.
The Ivy Unlimited Plan, the meal plan that all first-years are given, seems complicated at first—but you get the hang of it quickly. While you have essentially unlimited "swipes" into foco, you can also use a swipe as DBA, or dining dollars.
Swipes are also attached to time slots: Breakfast (7:00am-10:59am), Lunch (11:00am-3:59pm), and Dinner (4:00pm-9:00pm). Each meal swipe has a DBA equivalent: Breakfast is worth $6.25, Lunch is worth $8.50, and Dinner is worth $10.00. If you choose not to swipe into foco, as I often do, you can use your swipe anywhere else for the allotted amount—but only once within that time frame.
It sounds like I'm explaining a board game from hell, but trust me, it makes sense.
After learning of the food options at Collis Cafe—which change frequently, but usually include a special like a burrito bowl or pasta—we decided we would get a smoothie, since we had eaten just an hour beforehand.
Sue mentioned that the lifechanger, a smoothie made with strawberry, mango, banana, and guava juice, is a common favorite, so that was the smoothie we got.
They don't call it the lifechanger for no reason. I haven't been the same since.
Wow, I love lifechangers.
And you'd think I'm being dramatic, but it might be true. Throughout the year, lifechangers became my regular breakfast. In the afternoons, when my swipes were worth more, I could add protein powder to my lifechanger for a lighter meal and still keep it under a swipe. If I had gotten a meal elsewhere, maybe off-campus or at an event on-campus, I could use my leftover swipe for a refreshing smoothie.
My friend and I would frequently joke that we've had so many lifechangers, we've got to be at least 80% smoothie by now.
The lifechanger isn't the only smoothie sold at Collis Cafe: it's a full-functioning smoothie bar, with tons of ingredients you can pick and choose from. There are a few premade options, including the All Yellows (mango, pineapple, etc.) and the Green Smoothie (kale, apple, etc.), both of which are good. But nothing can compete with a lifechanger.
Maybe by now I've freaked you out with my smoothie obsession, but don't knock it 'til you try it! And don't worry, I've dialed back my smoothie consumption—especially during the winter, when it's maybe a little too cold (-5 F) to be chugging smoothies all day.
When you're on campus next, try the lifechanger. And if you're not a smoothie person, at least pay the Collis Cafe (or one of our many other cafes on campus) a visit. I was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that, near the end of the Spring, several of my friends told me they had never tried a lifechanger because they've essentially only eaten at Foco. Branch out! It might just change your life.
This is Jacob Berry '29, and he supports this message.
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Isabelle Sullivan '26, an environmental studies and geography major, showed me around her room, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
There was never a single "aha!" moment of clarity when I knew that Dartmouth was right for me, yet now, it is impossible for me to imagine having chosen anywhere else.
From a tight-knit study abroad cohort to intimate classroom moments and inspiring literary talks, French has grown far beyond a minor — becoming a thread that runs through the most meaningful parts of her Dartmouth life.
Green Key weekend at Dartmouth was filled with concerts, free food, live music, reunions, and spontaneous moments with friends. Read on to hear why this weekend reminded me what makes spring term at Dartmouth feel so special.
Amid the whirlwind of a ten-week term, the quietest moments — studying in the sun, cooking with a friend, running through Pine Park — turn out to be the ones worth savoring most.
