Sydney Wuu

I visited the Hood Museum for the second time ever during a Writing and Speaking Public Policy class field trip. Marveling at the bright colors and thought-provoking designs on the wall, we reflected on what makes art so persuasive and where specific pieces could be placed to maximize their intended effect.

I signed up to walk a Greek house’s dog Malachi, or “Chi” for short, to support the FORT nonprofit that subsidizes mental health care for Dartmouth students. Chi didn’t want to walk very far that day, so instead we played on the lawn with a large stick outside of Novack Café. Chi reminded me of a bigger version of my own dog back home, Kelsey!

The Gold Coast—the lawn between West House and Allen House—transformed into an electrifying music festival for Green Key weekend. The crowd roared with enthusiasm as Dartmouth’s 2023 headliner Neon Trees performed iconic hits like “Everybody Talks” and “Animal.”

After a winter internship in the concrete jungle of New York, I’m ready to embrace spring in the woods. Spring may just be my favorite season at Dartmouth. Hanover is absolutely gorgeous with the weather warming, longer daylight, and trees coming back to life. During my sophomore summer, I got a taste of all that the outdoors of the Upper Valley has to offer and started attending lots of trips—mountain biking, strenuous hiking, paddle board yoga, and pizza making at the Organic Farm, to name a few. An online website called Trailhead allows all undergraduates to sign up for trips as they are posted and request gear as needed for free. I just completed a 1.7-mile sunsike (sunset hike) this past Friday to Wrights Mountain; though there wasn’t much of a sunset (instead lots of snow!), I will always remember my first ever winter hike. Wearing microspikes to prevent slippage on ice, we trekked upwards in the snow until we reached the top, where we had a nice moment of reflection to peer out at the cool blanket of fog. I’m looking forward to partaking in many more trips this spring term!

In college, you can do anything but not everything, so this term is all about prioritizing the activities that I have committed to: blogging for admissions, the Dartmouth Energy Alliance, Presidential Scholars Research, serving on the executive board of my sorority, and my job as an upperclassman undergraduate advisor. As I wrap up junior year, I am also trying to take time to recharge for myself, whether it be waking up on time to eat a hearty breakfast before class, going for scooter rides and walks around Occom Pond (or “Woccoms” for short), visiting Rosie the Goldendoodle in the Student Wellness Center, or reading for fun before bed. There is only so much time during each day and with a renewed focus I plan to make the most out of each passing moment here in Hanover.

I recently found out that I was accepted into an Environmental Studies Foreign Study Program (FSP) to Southern Africa (more details on a future post) during my senior fall, which I’m really excited for! However, attending this program means I won’t return to Hanover after this term until my senior winter. I hope to connect with others, as many ‘24s who were also gone for the fall and winter will be reunited on campus. I am especially excited for Green Key weekend (a music festival in late May), bonding with my floor and mentoring new faces as an undergraduate advisor, and playing Spikeball on the Green. Also, since I’ll have access to my car later this term, I’m excited to explore the local area with friends on weekends and learn more about Dartmouth’s surrounding community.