Taoheng (Tao) Chen
First Blog, First-Year, First-Introduction!
Dear stranger (or soon-to-be friends), welcome to my blog! My name is Tao (as in "towel" without the "el") and I am a baker, adventurer, exclamation-mark enthusiast, and a first-generation Dartmouth student!
Let's start with the adventurer part—I'm quite nomadic. From the rural village of Fuzhou, China to the bustling city of New York City to the New-England-esque Hanover, I have been moving around places; on that note, I love taking photos everywhere I go, and I'm excited to share them with you throughout my Dartmouth experience! Fun fact: I am also a first-generation student and a QuestBridge Scholar. So, I'll be the first ever person to attend college in my family!!!

Throughout high school, I spent a lot of my time as a baker; I worked in a bakery and ran my bake sales. I'm constantly looking for new recipes (my last being gochujang caramel cookies, which I definitely recommend). In my free time, I also enjoy running—I look forward to the morning runs at Dartmouth since I'll finally be one with nature, which is very different from urban New York City.

Dartmouth has been magical. As a first-generation college student, one of the most inspiring experiences has been finding communities on campus! Over the summer, I was in the FYSEP program (First Year Summer Enrichment Program), a three-week program designed for both domestic and international first-generation, low-income students to transition into college. Outside of FYSEP, during this Fall term, I've also found communities of all sorts of extracurriculars: hiking and canoeing through the Dartmouth Outdoor Club, career exploration at Dartmouth Consulting Group, and now blogging at People, Places, and Pines!
I "am" a lot of nouns, and the list is inexhaustive. I look forward to updating the lists of "I am" as I venture into the woods of Dartmouth—whether "I am" canoeing with my friends or "I am" debriefing from studying abroad or "I am" taking new bizarre classes for the first time. Until then, as I've alluded to earlier, don't be a stranger. Welcome, again, to my blog and tidbits of Dartmouth
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New England's most iconic clock tower, captured from every angle and in every season! From sunrises to snowfalls, here's Baker Tower in all its glory. A visual love letter to Dartmouth's most timeless landmark.
When it came time to figure out where I'd be living for the summer, I wanted to try something different...
A visual diary of my first spring term at Dartmouth!
Halfway through my college career, I found myself inspired by an old piece of advice I heard about college applications.
Read about my trip to the John Hay Estate at the Fells! Don't know who or what that is? You're about to find out.
Why the Dartmouth Greenhouse is my favorite campus escape
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
Washington, D.C., is a hub for fun and affordable activities, so I've had many adventures this summer!
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!