Hey all! So excited to see you here. My name is Sydney and I'm a '24 passionate about energy, education, the environment, and economic policy. I grew up in Southern California, but have also lived abroad in Gibraltar, Spain, and the Philippines. When not blogging or working at McNutt as a Senior Admissions Fellow, you can catch me involved in the Dartmouth Energy Alliance, Energy Justice Clinic, and Greek Life. I hope my blog can give you a window into Dartmouth from a student's perspective.
Academic Program
Majors in Economics and Environmental Studies, Minor in International Studies
Taught by Professor Tine, this class focused on many interdisciplinary topics within the field of education. I loved learning about the significance of early pre-K interventions on long-term behaviors, the layered complexities of the American public school system, the neuroscience behind how the brain processes new information, and much more!
As someone interested in international studies, this course opened my eyes to the complex world of global health – both the biological and social sides of achieving equity. I found this class especially applicable given the COVID-19 pandemic and often transfer knowledge from Global Health & Society into my everyday life.
Searching for Justice is a perfect blend of studying literature and law. Highlights from this course include an op-ed I produced on anti-Asian hate crimes and a fictional short story adaptation based on Japanese internment camps from Korematsu v. United States. This first-year seminar exposed me to many different court cases, and I’m now strongly considering a future career in law!
SummerClaremont, California
I spent my summer back home in Southern California, working at my high school alma mater as a Summer Fellow for their Junior Scholars program. I had a wonderful time designing curriculum for the Journalism program, planning activities for middle schoolers, and providing support in the dorms. I also spent quality time with my cousins and bonded with family by the beach.
I am an aquaphile, a lover of all things related to the water. This environmental studies course on Marine Policy was perfect for me because it dove into how humans have impacted the oceans. From coastal development to deep sea mining, we explored how to think like a policymaker and consider the many different stakeholders involved in global marine issues.
Wow, the Practice of Science Policy and Diplomacy was a blast! I was eager to get to class early every day for this Public Policy seminar. Professor Burkins introduced me to writing effective policy memos, participating in a Model Arctic Council simulation, and presenting our SDG 7: Affordable & Clean Energy recommendations with a state coalition.
Energy Justice examined issues of culture, power, and inequity in the necessary shift away from fossil fuels. Taught as a Social Impact Practicum, this class deepened my interest in pursuing a career in energy and environmental law. During junior year, I’m excited to continue working with Professor Kelly as a Presidential Scholar researching justice and accountability in corporate energy systems.
During my Sophomore Summer, I really enjoyed studying food systems and accessing Dartmouth’s Organic Farm as our lab for Professor Ong’s Agroecology course. It was an incredible New England summer experience learning to visualize data in R, conducting fieldwork outdoors, and working as a team on scientific research projects. A term highlight was tasting freshly tapped maple syrup from Dartmouth’s very own Sugar Crew!
I was one of six Dartmouth Economics exchange students at University College London this term. All four of my modules—UCL’s equivalent of classes—gave me a new perspective on Economics and Geography through a British lens. Economic History was my favorite as we studied industrialization, the demographic transition, and the East Asian economic miracle after World War II. I grew a deep appreciation for how the events of our past can offer important lessons for us today and into the future.
WinterNew York, New York
Since Dartmouth students typically spend their Sophomore Summer on campus, the D-Plan allows us to take a different term off to develop personally and professionally. I spent my off-term working as a corporate legal assistant intern at a law firm in New York City. It was such a thrill to live and work in the Big Apple! With many fellow Dartmouth '24s also in the NYC area, my days out of the office were full of yummy food, catching up with old friends, and exploring iconic city sights.
Drawing upon disciplines like law, psychology, and popular culture, Writing and Speaking Public Policy was all about becoming more persuasive communicators. Professor Kalish provided us with such thoughtful, detailed feedback on our assignments and arranged for class field trips to the Jones Media Center and Hood Museum of Art. I especially enjoyed the flexibility offered for our small group media campaign project, where I created a children’s book on the benefits of bringing universal pre-K to New Hampshire.
SummerMystic, Connecticut
During my junior summer, I interned as a Yale Conservation Scholar at Mystic Aquarium. Working in the Education & Conservation department, I mentored high school interns about marine science communication and public engagement. Besides attending weekly professional development workshops with the Yale School of the Environment, I also helped out with summer camps, traveling classroom programs, and citizen science projects.
I traveled to Southern Africa for the first time with Dartmouth’s Environmental Studies FSP. From conducting research on invertebrate diversity in the Namib Desert to speaking with community members at Uibasen-Twyfelfontein Conservancy, we studied Namibia's socio-ecological systems. Highlights from this incredible trip include experiencing game drives at Etosha National Park, discussing ecotourism at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and learning about Namibia’s integrated coastal zone management approach with government officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Econometrics was a pleasant surprise! While I came into this statistics-heavy course without a Stata coding background, Professor Fetter’s amazing explanations helped me feel confident about the new material. I learned so much about the assumptions required for causality and now feel equipped with the analytical tools to evaluate Economic research papers in an entirely different light.
I've taken nine classes (three/term) ranging from international development to education to economics. I can't believe this term will wrap up my freshman year. Come learn about my English, psychology, and math classes I'm taking this spring!
Although three classes per term may seem like not a lot, don't be deceived! Dartmouth's 10-week quarters tend to fly by. Class material is quite extensive, but fortunately my schedule is spaced out so all three of my classes fall on the same three days, leaving my Tuesdays and Thursdays completely off to study. In addition, none of my classes happen super early in the mornings, so I like to use my mornings to catch up on work or sleep in.
ENGL 7.55: Searching for Justice (LIT)
This first year seminar teaches us how to compare the concept of justice in American literature and law. Professor Chaney has provided thoughtful, personalized feedback on all of our writing assignments. Just like my winter Writing 5, this class is composed entirely of freshmen, so I've enjoyed getting to know my fellow '24s during our synchronous meetings and Friday smaller discussion groups. Six weeks into the term, we have read literary and legal texts grappling with topics like racial discrimination, the death penalty, and indigenous land rights. I am certainly learning to think like an analytical scholar, and am currently working on my op-ed on the Senate's passage of an anti-Asian hate crime bill.
PSYC 1: Introductory Psychology (SOC)
The study of how the mind works is absolutely fascinating! I took this class because I never had the chance to take AP Psychology in high school and thought PSYC 1 would be a comprehensive introduction to psychology. On Mondays, we hear from guest speakers and take notes for weekly interview reflections we complete in our Wednesday TA groups. On Fridays, we complete lecture quizzes on topics ranging from consciousness to psychological disorders to human social development. Professors Wheatley and Wager post asynchronous lectures for us to watch on our own time. We also have the opportunity to earn extra credit "T-points" by participating in cool psychology studies! Before last week, I had never gotten my brain scanned in an MRI before, but did so for the first time in Dartmouth's Brain Imaging Center in Moore Hall. In fact, did you know that Dartmouth was the first college to have its own functional brain imaging center dedicated to cognitive neuroscience research?
MATH 10: Introductory Statistics (QDS)
Introductory Statistics is the equivalent to AP Statistics in high school. So far, we just finished up our midterm; Professor Kaveh has covered topics like the binomial formula, normal distribution, correlation, standard deviation, and elementary probability theory. He's been extremely nice in staying behind to review problems from our in-class quizzes in real time with us and answer additional questions. I've learned a ton of new Excel functions and grown much more confidence in my abilities with statistics. MATH 10 has been my first quantitative class in college (after taking very social science-heavy classes throughout my fall and winter terms). As a prospective Economics and Government major who just took six social science heavy courses in a row, I wanted to receive my "10 requirement" (which could also have been satisfied by ECON 10, GOVT 10, PSYC 10, or others) in a non-social science department. While I've loved all the courses in my D-Plan thus far, the beauty of Dartmouth is that our flexible liberal arts curriculum allows us to explore a variety of classes ranging from math to English to psychology all in the same term.
As I head into Week 7 with midterms completed, I'm planning to spread out my study schedule for my upcoming finals over the final stretch before summer break begins. Thanks for checking out the blog and come back soon for more Dartmouth-related content!
I enjoy studying for my classes inside Baker-Berry Library.
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
After returning from an enriching study abroad program, I'm diving into a bustling spring semester here at Dartmouth. Here are my four courses I'm taking this term!
