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!
The sequel to Drawing 1! Undoubtedly harder, but definitely a great class. I can now say, with confidence, that I am able to paint a mango successfully.
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.
Engineering sounds scary, I will admit that. It sounds extremely technical, involving a ton of memorization. However, the approach that Dartmouth takes is human-centered design, which involves a holistic approach to engineering. Yes, the prerequisites can be tiresome. Admittedly, the physics classes are enough to make you question your path. But, once you get past that hurdle, the upper-level classes are much more rewarding.
This term, I took my first "real" engineering class, ENGS 21, which is "Introduction to Engineering". For this class, students are placed into groups and tasked with engineering a product. The class goes through the entire engineering process, from research and data collection, to active prototyping.
Demonstrating how our prototype stretchiness has improved!
The first few weeks involved identifying a problem and researching existing solutions to the problem; it also included talking to the communities involved and getting their feedback. After gathering enough data, each team is given a budget of 600 dollars to purchase the materials needed for prototyping. The next few weeks were spent prototyping and constantly communicating with the target audience. There are weekly assessments and progress updates throughout the term, which are graded. Ultimately, all the teams present their work in the engineering building for evaluation.
My team engineered a heat therapy sports wrap that could adjust to any part of the body—designed to be comfortable, flexible and portable.
Our first prototype compared to our final product in green!
This class gave me my first real look into the engineering world. I learned how attentive and quick-thinking I had to be to succeed as an engineer. Most of all, I learned how important team dynamics are when engineering a product. This class solely depended on teamwork. If even one teammate was not on the same page, the entire project would not work. It taught me a lot more than the introductory classes I had to take.
If the prerequisites are getting you down, I promise you, it only gets better from here! Don't let introductory classes determine your judgment of a potential major. It is possible to take some engineering classes before completing all the prerequisites, and that is a great way to delve into the subject.
With this in mind, I am excited to explore what the next few classes have in store!
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum pushes students to explore new departments and draw connections between seemingly disparate disciplines. Come explore my Economics, Physics, and Asian, Societies, Cultures, and Languages classes!
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
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.
Witnessing an eclipse was one of the most exciting days in my life to date, and a solid reminder of our place in this universe. Read on to hear about it!
