Welcome!! My name is Serena and I'm a '28 from New York City. I couldn't be more excited to be here at Dartmouth and share my experiences with all of you! I know I want to explore English Literature alongside a STEM discipline. I love to run, play volleyball, hike, knit, and read books! If you want to hear about a city kid's adventures in rural New Hampshire, follow along as I experience life in the woods!
In this dynamic class, Visiting Professor Vera Kallenberg taught us a survey of Jewish history and culture from the European enlightenment to the establishment of the State of Israel while also sharing her wealth of knowledge with us! Our small, seminar-style class lent itself to profound conversations around the difficult topics that arose during our discussions. From the Haskalah to discourse around the modern-day Israel-Palestine conflict, our class approached these topics with respect and care for one another. We read historical texts and fascinating personal narratives for homework, and then wove our knowledge about the past and present together in class discussions. What an incredible course!
I woke up on Monday, April 31st around 9am, excited for my first day of classes! I left my dorm room in Wheeler Hall and walked across the green to Collis Cafe, the dining area of the Collis Student Center, for breakfast with my friends! It was a misty, cool, and crisp spring morning!
I left Collis and went straight to my first class, Spanish 3 of the language sequence. I had all my three classes back to back from 10:10-1:55, so I went from Spanish to my English Literature class to my First Year Seminar. These classes will meet at the same time every Monday Wednesday and Friday for 65 minutes each. Last term I had classes that met on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours each. I love both types of schedules!
During my English class, Rise of the Novel, I encountered a surprise! It was my first time in Bartlett Hall, and I had arrived early to explore the building and have time to settle in before class starts. I ventured to the bathroom, walked in, locked the door, and hung my backpack and coat on a hook. I then turned my head and, to my utter surprise, saw a beautiful stained glass window. What a pleasant, intriguing, and thought-provoking piece of art to start off my morning! It seemed apt, as my mind was whirling over meaning and understanding before I had even stepped foot into my English class.
After all my classes I went to Foco, our dining hall, for lunch with my friends.
Yum lunch!
I then went for a shakeout run with my friends from the frisbee team! Read this post to hear all about the tournament we competed in during the last weekend of break! My legs were REALLY feeling it during this run. I had hobbled out of bed in the morning and limped around campus and slowly took on stairs whenever I encountered them (and survived/won the battle/fought to the top). The energy was electric and I loved laughing with my friends.
View of Occom pond on our roccom (run around occom!)
I stopped to do some dynamic stretching while my friends kept jogging!
We all stopped at Hillel to say hi to Rabbi Seth and Sam, a Hillel staff member. I picked up some merch and we ate some Israeli candy.
The Hillel building!
I went back to my dorm, showered, and then walked over to Baker Berry Library to study. I know what you're thinking: study what!?! It's only been one day! Well, us Dartmouth students stay busy and always learning!
Time to study in the library! This is the 1913 room in Baker Berry Library.
Here is the view of my dorm from the table I was studying at!
I then went to dinner with a big group of my friends and we all caught up after our spring break!
After dinner I went to the same study spot. My friend and trippee Julianna joined me and we studied together!
I left the library to hang out with friends in my dorm, and then went to sleep. What a successful and fulfilling FDOC!
During winter term, I participated in the inaugural program, Tuck Pathfinders, which connected first-year students with Dartmouth alums and provided us with career advice!
