Hello, 你好, and Bonjour! My name is Tao; I'm from New York City, and I'm a proud first-generation student. I'm currently interested in studying applied math and learning a new language (French, with the intent of studying abroad using my D-Plan!) at Dartmouth. I love being immersed at campus–especially aesthetic Woccoms, fookie grubs at FOCO, and Baker-Berry Tower Room study sessions. Come one, come all: let me take you along!
Academic Program
Mathematics and Quantitative Social Science with a minor in French
As the name describes, this class taught me all about food! While the class is centered on teaching academic writing skills, I have definitely learned a lot about fun topics like food diversity, ethical farming, and culinary significances. For my final project, I got to write about how sauces relates to our society!
This spring, I finally got to take Speech 20: IntroductionPublic Speaking at Dartmouth! I've been wanting to take this class since my fall term, but the schedules did not work out then. This class is so fun! It's not just about standing at a podium with perfect posture and hand gestures. It was a project-based class where we crafted and delivered three speeches on a theme of the professor's choice. This term, our theme was "popular culture"!
That alone made the class exciting. Our cohort covered everything from the rise of plant-based milk to fan-fiction culture with the After romance franchise.
I chose something that felt incredibly relevant (and a little too real): doomscrolling: as in scrolling through the endless loop of headlines on TikTok! This was also my first time giving a speech in an academic setting, and I was terrified. My heart was pounding so fast I could barely hear myself think. But my classmates were incredibly supportive—nodding, laughing at the right moments, and offering feedback that made me feel seen. Through that first speech, I learned the important concept of voice variation: how emphasizing a certain word or pausing at the right time can change how a message lands.
I started becoming more intentional with my body language. That small shift of learning how to emphasize and move with purpose—actually made me more confident in conversations outside the classroom. Whether I'm chatting with someone one-on-one or presenting ideas in a group, I've started noticing how small tweaks in tone, pacing, and posture make a big difference in how I'm perceived. And I know this will stick with me, whether I'm speaking in future job interviews, pitching a project during an internship, or just trying to make a good impression. Public speaking didn't just teach me how to perform. It taught me how to connect.
The Portal Experience!
But what made this class unforgettable wasn't just the topics — it was the people we connected with. Through Dartmouth's partnership with the Dartmouth Dialogues , we got to step into the Dartmouth Portal, a huge gold shipping container tucked between campus buildings that, once inside, connected our lives to students in Kigali, Rwanda. It wasn't a typical video call — it felt like we were in the same room. We could see each other full-body, laugh together, even read body language. We bonded with the students about our shared nervousness on giving a speech as well as learning the cultural differences — how is college life, food, and culture in Rwanda different? I left those conversations amazed. I'm still in awe about how I'm able to take cool classes like these as part of Dartmouth's liberal arts experience!
This term, I competed in the annual Speech at Dartmouth competition, but would never have had this opportunity without the support of Dartmouth faculty. Read on as I share how I got here!
Dartmouth has so many academic resources, including free newspaper subscriptions! Although this may not seem like a big deal, it's a great accessible way to learn about local and national news!
