Hi everyone! I'm Yehalah and I'm a '26 coming all the way from Colombo, Sri Lanka. My academic passions lie in Energy Engineering and Environmental Studies. I am a first-generation and low-income student, actively involved with the community. I love to paint and read during my free time. I'm excited that you're here, and I hope you enjoy this account of my life at Dartmouth!
Taking an art class has long been a dream of mine. Drawing 1 with Professor Enrico Riley exceeded my expectations greatly! He is an inspiring instructor who allowed us creative freedom, while guiding us in the right direction. We drew in different forms of charcoal, with colour introduced towards the end of the term. I loved my experience and I cannot wait to take another Studio Art class!
The sequel to Drawing 1 with Professor Enrico Riley! We worked in oil paint, which I was completely new to and admittedly afraid to use. I ended up falling in love with the medium and the flexibility it gave me to adjust and refine my paintings at any point in the process. I am sad to finish this class and I hope I get to take another Studio Art class in the future!
Moving to America was a drastic adjustment, especially considering the difference in perception of race and ethnicity. This class gave me a insight into past and current American oppression against Black and Indigenous communities. I loved how much I learnt through this class, which was also my First Year Seminar requirement.
My first language class at Dartmouth! Taking German was intimidating, especially because of the fast-paced and rigorous learning method that Dartmouth uses. It was so interesting to learn the different grammar and rules used in the German language. I cannot wait to use my Beginner German skills in Berlin next Spring!
The Sacred Architecture of Asia is one of the most incredible courses I have taken at Dartmouth! The course is primarily discussion-based, with Professor Seher explaining and initiating conversation about the course material. The material assigned was incredibly inspiring and taught me so much about South Asian religions and their beginnings. Everywhere I travel now, I think about the lessons I have learnt in this class and I am truly grateful to Professor Seher for facilitating an incredible learning experience!
Learning about German history in Berlin was a great way to explore the city and culture! The class had weekly excursions where we visited important sites in Berlin, which was so informative and helpful. Overall, I learnt so many new aspects of Germany and the people who played a significant role in German history.
SummerPerrysburg, Ohio
Interning at First Solar, a solar panel manufacturing company! I work on the Application Engineering team under Product Management, developing ways to better serve our clients and enhance our products. It has been an amazing experience so far, I have learnt so much and I am so grateful for this opportunity!
It's about to be week four! Midterms have started rolling out and students sitting at the library have started looking more and more focused. You could physically feel the academic drive emanating from a room of people working on assignments.
A typical Dartmouth year consists of three ten-week terms; fall, winter, and spring. Students normally take a three-course workload per term. For my Freshman Fall as a prospective Engineering major, I am taking three extremely different courses! I have two of my classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and one other class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
My first class of the week on Monday morning is NAIS 025, which is Indian Country Today, a course in the Native American and Indigenous Studies department. I have had the privilege to gain so much valuable knowledge in this class about Native American culture, dynamics, rights, and power as sovereign nations. We have had amazing guest speakers visiting our class over the past few weeks, engaging us in our course material and helping us understand evolving concepts and ideas.
The leaves are falling!
My next MWF (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) class is Math 003 which is a prerequisite for prospective Engineering majors. This is easily my most challenging class, particularly because I am an international student so the mathematics I learned back home was extremely different from what I am learning in Math 003. However, I am slowly starting to get the hang of it! Studying with friends and working on problems together really does work wonders. I particularly love studying at the First Generation Office (FGO)!
Last is my Tuesday/Thursday class, SART 015 which is Drawing 1in the Studio Arts Department. This was a class I chose completely on a whim, the day we had to elect courses. Our assignments are progressively getting more difficult, but more interesting at the same time. Our last assignment was on charcoal which was the first time I had ever used charcoal. It was both fun and extremely messy, resulting in me getting charcoal all over my face and clothes. Tip number one for a drawing course: never wear any light colours to class unless you are willing to sacrifice them. Our most recent assignment was put up on the walls of the Black Family Visual Arts Center where the Drawing 1 class is held!
Our drawings on the wall of the Visual Arts Centre!
Wish me luck for week four and I'll be back next week with more tales from the life of a freshman!
It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I wrote my first end-of-fall-term reflection. It felt like only yesterday that I stepped into my dorm room this September, eager to reunite with my friends.
Applying early to a university can be overwhelming and confusing. As someone who did not apply to Dartmouth through early decision, here are a couple tips that I could have used when thinking about applying early to a school!
