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.
My Final Term at Dartmouth: A True Liberal Arts Schedule
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum pushes students to explore new departments and draw connections between seemingly disparate disciplines. This spring, I am wrapping up my Economics major, Environmental Studies major, and International Studies minor with three final classes of my undergraduate career—exploring the Physics and Asian, Societies, Cultures, and Languages departments for the first time. Let's get into them!
ECON 64: Topics in Development Economics
This capstone course is the culmination of everything I've learned as an Economics major. Unlike my previous Economics courses, which involved exams, ECON 64 focuses on producing a comprehensive paper about access to opportunity and human capital in developing countries. I am particularly excited to apply my knowledge of the coding language Stata from taking ECON 20: Econometrics last term to conduct original empirical research. From identifying a topic to cleaning the data, each course component is challenging and requires lots of original thought. Professor Novosad has set milestones throughout the term to keep us on track, including an annotated bibliography, context and data section, literature review, methodology, and preliminary results. My own research will delve into the impact of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami on internal migration within Indonesia, exploring how natural disasters influence where people move.
PHYS 1: Understanding the Universe: From Atoms to the Big Bang, with Laboratory
Dubbed "Physics for Poets," PHYS 1 is the quintessential liberal arts science humanities course; no real math or hard science is required! We study the historical evolution of physical theories of natural phenomena from Greek antiquity to the modern era. For me, it counts as the science lab prerequisite and final class needed to complete my Environmental Studies major and graduation distributive requirements. Although I haven't taken a physics class since my sophomore year of high school, this course is designed for non-science majors; labs are engaging and involve exploring a classic experiment from the history of physics, from Galileo's inclined plane to Thomas Young's wave nature of light. We read primary texts from philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, and Kepler. Teaching at Dartmouth since 1991, Professor Gleiser is an expert in his field and was awarded the Templeton Prize for religion, science, and philosophy alongside past laureates Mother Teresa, Jane Goodall, and the Dalai Lama. He brings physics to life with live demonstrations of Galileo's laws of free fall, spectral lines, electromagnetism, and much more!
ASCL 10.01: Introduction to Chinese Culture
This course not only completes my International Studies minor under the World Language & Culture theme, but connects me more deeply with my heritage as a third-generation Chinese-American. ASCL 10.01 introduces Chinese culture through poems, stories, and films from 2000 BCE to the present day. So far, some topics we have covered include Confucianism and social relations, calligraphy, and traditional poetry. Professor Xie and Professor Wang have invited cool guest lecturers across Dartmouth, such as Gil Raz from the Department of Religion and archeologist Jiajing Wang from the Department of Anthropology, to speak about Daoism and early Chinese civilizations. The photo above was taken at a Lion Dance Show open to campus for the start of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), featuring the country's first all-female lion and dragon dance group. Fun fact: My Introduction to Chinese Culture TA is fellow bloggerDiana, and two other People Places Pines bloggers,Garrett andJoanna, are in the class!
This may be sentimental, but my four years at Dartmouth have flown by in the blink of an eye! From studying my heritage to the philosophies of the universe, I never thought I would have the chance to double major and add a minor while taking so many eye-opening classes outside the Economics, Environmental Studies, and International Studies departments. My courseload this final term is truly a testament to Dartmouth's flexibility, encouraging its students to dabble in new fields before leaving the woods we'll forever call home.
In the Winter term of 2024, I composed and performed an hour-long, avant-garde concert as the culmination of the grant award. Here is more on my experiences with research as a musician.
Sometimes in my courses I find myself thinking, "Hey that seems familiar!" I think it speaks to Dartmouth professors' ability to cover a broad range of relevant topics and the interdisciplinary nature of the College.
Do you enjoy Shark Tank-style pitches or fantasize about creating your own venture? Or are you even mildly interested in startups? Look no further than the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship!
As a high school senior, I chose to apply to colleges with a strong Chinese language department. Luckily, I have found Dartmouth's campus brimming with students passionate about Chinese culture and language.
My "The Making of 21st Century Exhibits: Curating a National Black Theater Museum/Institution" class went on a field trip like no other. Here's the play-by-play.
