Hi all! Welcome to my very public blogging page! I am Toni Fabian '25, the middle child of my family, from a small town in sunny Southern California. I plan to study economics and human-centered design. I am passionate about culture, educational equity, and social justice. I will be writing about all things Dartmouth, from the infamous FOCO cookies to the resources and opportunities offered here on campus. I am truly so excited to bring you along with me while I navigate my college journey!
Academic Program
Intended majors: Economics and Sociology; Intended minor: Human-Centered Design
Each week I was responsible for completing problem sets, quizzes, classwork, and discussion boards. Every week we related what we learned in class to the real world. For example, we read about food banks and their past struggles with efficiency. As a class, we discussed solutions and delved deeper by asking questions and collaborating with each other. I loved this class a lot because Dr. Petre made learning really fun and is so kind! I learned a lot of information ranging from different elasticities of demand and supply to the indicators of poverty. This class was awesome!
For my FYS (First-Year Seminar), I took a history course called Gender and Urban Transformation (9L slot). Our class discussions drew from primary sources and historical analyses that dabbled on gender and its intersection with race, sexuality, and class in the development of U.S. suburbs and cities. Essentially, we explored urbanization and suburbanization as a multi-gendered process. I developed my research skills as I drafted an annotated bibliography, book review essay, and prospectus on the Chicano Movement's impact in the realm of higher education from the 1960s to the present in California, Texas, and Chicago. I learned a ton, I am so happy that I took Professor Rabig's course!
Sociology 1 is the introductory course for the Sociology major, and I loved this class so much! We had a ton of class discussions and the material was very insightful. We were assigned a term-long discussion group, and my group leader was so kind and knowledgeable. We analyzed and discussed the reasons behind class stratification, power dynamics, and social and economic inequalities in society. This class has truly helped me further develop my sociological imagination and changed my perspective in life. :)
For the entire summer, I interned for Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano (SJC). Breakthrough SJC is a non-profit organization situated in Southern California that aims to close the achievement gap for underrepresented and underserved students. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have served as a teaching fellow this summer and for Dartmouth's support in preparing me for this amazing and unforgettable experience!
As my winter term comes to an end, I want prospective students to note the necessity of having honest conversations for reflection. During Week 8, a group of Dartmouth students and I implemented a tendedero (clothesline project) for public dialogue. Essentially, we reconstructed Monica Mayer's clothesline project, where she facilitated an honest conversation around women's experiences with sexual violence in Mexico City. She utilized viewer's interaction and responses with the clothesline as the ultimate form of the art. However, we focused on discussions about mental health in the context of the greater Dartmouth community. We made this decision to embody the feminist praxis by emphasizing personal experiences and emotions, and pay tribute to Monica Mayer's artistic legacy.
Our Tendedero was on display for five days.
We wrapped our tendedero around a column on the first floor of Baker-Berry Library. Normally, this column is used as a passing point to enter or leave the heart of the library, but we essentially disrupt this walk. Just like how our tendedero works towards disrupting what we consider "normal" at Dartmouth, asking us to consider how social culture and the physical landscape contribute to mental health concerns on campus. The placement of the clothesline as a "circle within a circle within a circle" shed light on the ways that physical and nonphysical spaces on campus have the power to include and exclude others.
This alludes to the responses that were collected, as there was a variety of "safe places" that students wrote down, from public to private spaces. From the First-Generation Office, Orozco Murals, The Hood, Sanborn Library, The River (clubhouse), etc. A few examples of private spaces range from Room 403, the respondent's dorm, the music practice rooms, nature, the respondent's sorority, etc. These responses weave into the importance of the variance of safe places for Dartmouth students.
The responses of Dartmouth students reveal the necessity of better supporting all students to make sure that everyone has a safe place on campus and feels supported in every aspect of their life. Ultimately, this project serves as a vehicle of meaningful reflection that will help us come up with "solutions" to create an environment more inclusive for everyone's mental health. I hope that prospective students know that it is so important to stay true to yourself and to always voice your opinions. Dartmouth isn't perfect, but we need to find collective ways to change these norms and create more inclusive spaces on campus for future classes.
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
This is my final term before senior year, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. One thing I am excited about is the classes I am taking this term, so let me tell you more!
This is part two of me "nerding out" about my honors thesis! If you want to learn more about independent projects, theses, or the humanities at Dartmouth, check it out!
