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, you can catch me involved in Women's Water Polo, the Dartmouth Energy Alliance, Presidential Scholars Research, 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 Public Policy
After a six week break, I'm back. My winterim was a fun mix of staying at home, binge-watching Survivor, celebrating the holidays, and enjoying the Southern Californian landscape, so I'm feeling refreshed to dive back into blogging and packing to return to Hanover!
I really enjoyed spending time outdoors this winterim – this photo was taken by the Santa Monica Pier!
The regular schedule kicked off again remotely on January 7th, and my three classes have been off to a great start. This winter, I'm taking International Relations, Global Health and Society, and Expository Writing (more details on those classes to come in future blog posts!) Dartmouth's 10-week terms mean we change classes every quarter instead of semester, so I'm just beginning to appreciate the wide variety in academic course load we'll be able to experience over our four years.
One of the most common questions I receive as a blogger asks what I do outside of academics. This term, I'm on the Women in Business exec board as co-public relations chair and am continuing to write news articles for The Dartmouth. I'm also thrilled to stay involved with the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact (DCSI)'s first-year Foundations program. Our program leaders have just revealed this year's local partners for our non-profit consulting challenge – the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Our assignment is to create a set of communications materials tailored to LGBTQ+ people in the Upper Valley on the benefits of quitting tobacco products. It'll be awesome to see the teamwork on this challenge pay off in the coming weeks. Lastly, I'm super excited that club water polo is getting to know each other on Zoom this term – whether it be through virtual workouts or movie nights.
The Women in Business exec board gets together for its first meeting of the winter term.
I'm grateful for the privilege of returning to Hanover next week and all the new winter activities that will follow. This term, Dartmouth has announced that it will offer two ice skating rinks right on the Green directly on the center of campus, sledding/snow tubing/cross country skiing right on the golf course next to campus, and skiing on our own mountain at the Dartmouth Skiway. I happen to be on the same redeye flight as four of my '24 friends, so my journey back to campus will be that much more exciting as we transfer from Boston Logan Airport directly to the Dartmouth Coach. One of those friends even has a paid job as a snowboard instructor this winter. Here is to a better 2021 for all and stay tuned for more updates this winter!
Being in DC this summer and participating in the Rockefeller Center's First Year Fellows program, I've been able to really see just how special the Dartmouth alumni network is.
During a recent conversation with my HS friend who also goes to college in the US, we discussed what it's like experiencing culture shock especially as international students. I'd love to share the tips we developed to combat this feeling.
Every time I travel, I wear one article of Dartmouth gear. Yes, I have school spirit and love the Big Green, but I wear my school's green colors for a different reason.
Being away from the Dartmouth's campus and some of my closest friends has given me an opportunity to reflect on the community I was able to find at Dartmouth during this past academic year.
