Joanna Jou

Class of 2026

Joanna's D-Plan

- FallHanover, NH
  Favorite Class: COLT 31.03 Poetry After War
  A discussion-based class co-taught by two notable professors in the Russian and German translation/scholar community. We read a series of poems and short stories written by poets who lived under totalitarian regimes (specifically in Germany and the Soviet Union) while examining the role poetry played in communicating trauma and the living of life.
- WinterHanover, NH
  Favorite Class: ECON 1 The Price System: Analysis, Problems, and Policies
  Coming in with no economics background, ECON 1 is an introductory class that explores how individuals and firms make independent choices, how it is reflected in the market place while analyzing it through consumer and producer perspectives, and exploring the theories involved in resource allocation and output determination. Taught by the amazing Dr. Ha Yan Lee, her dedication to the class and her students made me excited to come to her lectures, office hours, and to continue taking classes in the economics department.
- SpringHanover, NH
  Favorite Class: HIST 7.36 The Green New Deal: A History
  As a freshman, we are required to complete a seminar course as part of our first-year writing sequence. With a variety of departments to choose from, I elected a course on the Green New Deal with the history department since I wanted to explore the department a little more. As a discussion-based class, the way Professor Link structured his course and how he led discussions undoubtedly became the highlight of my spring term; not only did I learn some history and improved my writing along the way, but it also encouraged me to pursue the history major (and more classes with him).
- SummerEl Paso, TX
  Back home for the summer in Texas as I spend time with my family, focus on my mental and physical well-being, and start a new role with the Admissions Office as an Admissions Communications Intern!
- FallHanover, NH
  Favorite Class: ANTH 50.49 Anthropology of Museums
  Initially taking this course to fulfill my distributive requirement, I ended up really enjoying ANTH 50.49. Although I am a self-proclaimed museum enthusiast, I didn't think to inquire about the development or evolution of museums, which is why I thought this course would also be interesting to take. Nevertheless, Professor Meredith Ferguson '08 did a lovely job in shedding light on various angles in the museum world such as its natural history, curating/conserving, "heritage", repatriation and restitution, and public trust. In addition, we wrapped up the course by finally thinking about the future of museums, and their representation in society today.
- WinterHanover, NH
  Favorite Class: GOVT 4 Politics of the World
  I initially took this course purely out of interest as I didn't have any prior experience with the government department. Nevertheless, Politics of the World is the reason why I've decided to pursue a government minor. Taught through a comparative lens, I quickly realized that much of my academics interests lie at the intersection between comparative politics and international relations; thus, this course served as an intellectually stimulating and enriching experience, which made it a highlight of my winter term.
- SpringHanover, NH
  Favorite Class: HIST 72 Nationalism and Revolution in China
  I was immediately drawn to this course just by the title. To put it simply—wow, just wow. Through studying two centuries of wars, reforms, and revolutions, I've gained a deep understanding of Chinese nationalism, not just as part of national history, but also how it was carried overseas by an array of influential characters. Professor Yi Lu is one of the kindest, most genuine, accommodating, and thought-provoking professors I've had a pleasure to know and learn from at Dartmouth!
- SummerThe Baltic countries: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia
  Favorite Class: GOVT 96.04 Politics of Democratization, Identity, and Regime Change in the Baltics
  Studied abroad in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with the government department! As post-Soviet countries, the Baltic states have become democratic success stories after major political and social transformations. This government seminar—taught by the program director—featured a variety of guest lecturers and excursions exploring the concept of democracy, its pathway and development in the Baltics, and the region's future given its geopolitical significance at the forefront of potential global conflict.

Embracing my Inner Crunch

As I opened my email one night during mid-October, I came across the headline "Break Trip Application Update", which I anxiously opened up:

What is WHEATSTARCH??? You might ask... Well...

A quick google search tells you that WHEATSTARCH is different from mung bean starch (who knew?)

But to us, WHEATSTARCH is

Winter Hiking
Second College Grant Sunsets
Chillin in Cabins
New Friends on Mountains

And WHEATSTARCH is YOU!!! All of this can only mean... You've been accepted to the WHEATSTARCH break trip!!!!!

The Dartmouth Outing Club is made up of various sub-clubs such as Cabin and Trail (hiking and cabin camping), Ledyard (canoe and kayaking), Climbing Team, Bait and Bullet (hunting and fishing), POCO (People of Color Outdoors), Timer Team (logging), just to name a few. Every winterim (winter break), the sub-clubs run a variety of break trips around the United States that we have the opportunity to apply for. This year, some break trips include Big Bend National Park, the Second College Grant, Mount Lemmon, Zion National Park, and Catalina Island. The break trip I was accepted to was WHEATSTARCH, which stands for Winter-Hiking-at-the-Same-Time-as-Regular-Cabin-Hopping, one of the annual tradition break trips by Cabin and Trail; this year, the break trip was held up at the Second College Grant (a township owned by Dartmouth in Northern New Hampshire) and was five days long. As a big fan of hiking and a member of Cabin and Trail, I excitedly accepted the spot for WHEATSTARCH - I had never been winter hiking, but how fun would it be to hike some mountains and make new friends along the way? With that being said, here are some highlights through a photo series.

No. 1
Table Rock of Dixville Notch

This was the first hike of WHEATSTARCH, and also my first snow hike. Although it was a steep and tough hike, my fellow trippees kept me entertained with jokes and laughter along the way. After we got to the top, we enjoyed a beautiful snowy view of Dixville Notch and ate a delicious lunch consisting of pita bread, hummus, red bell peppers, corn nuts, trail mix, peanut butter, jelly, and very delicious dried mango (thank you to one of my trip leaders Abigail for introducing us to Wellsley Farms Dried Mango! ) that we devoured after a beautiful hike.
No. 2
Crossing to Canada

The next day, our group of 9 trippees split up into two groups for two different morning hikes: Tumbledown Mountain and the 4th Connecticut Lake. I decided to do the International Peace Trail of the 4th Connecticut Lake because it is located between the line of what separates New Hampshire and Quebec, and marks the beginning of the Connecticut River that also runs through Hanover. Throughout the hike, our phone signals switched over to Canada and we even got text messages from our cell service provider that said “Welcome to Canada!”, which was definitely a highlight. After we regrouped back at the cabin, we had delicious vegetarian taco burrito bowls for dinner and reflected on how each group’s hikes went.
No. 3
Never a Dull Moment

This photo was taken by Kelby, who was the second trip leader for WHEATSTARCH. I really appreciated this moment being captured as my fellow trippees and I sat at the dinner table talking about a variety of things, and learned more than a few things about each other along the way; this was basically how we would end our nights after dinner - crazy how five days can change the social interaction as we shared various storytimes while also learning so much about one another.
No. 4
Got Raided By My Boss

On the last night at the cabin, a Dunkin Donuts box with a karaoke microphone showed up on the front door steps (sketchy, right?). As my trippee Mateo brought the donut box in, closed the door, and turned on the microphone, the song “Blame It On The Boogie '' came on. Suddenly, a group of people were knocking on the door, rushed in, and started dancing; of course, we followed. Turns out my boss, Kevin, who is a ‘21, was also staying at the Second College Grant with some of his fellow ‘21 friends and decided to come say hi - Thanks Kevin for the delightful surprise!
No. 5
Lonesome Lake

As we packed our bags and said goodbye to Sam’s Cabin, we did our last hike to Lonesome Lake. After we made it to the very iced up and snowy lake, we ate the last of our lunch on a lake dock and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. There was the Lonesome Lake Hut above the dock, which we checked out before heading back down.

Overall, I am unbelievably grateful to be able to participate in WHEATSTARCH - the friends made along the way, the wisdom shared, the stories told, and the non-stop laughter are what made my first DOC winter trip worth it.