Hey everyone! I'm Simon, a '24 from Lakewood, CO. Outside of class and the Admissions office, where I'm a tour guide and Senior Fellow, you can find me getting involved with campus music groups, spending time with friends at my gender-inclusive Greek house, on a walk in Pine Park, or meticulously tracking my Spotify data. I hope you have lots of fun exploring Dartmouth with me!
Academic Program
Linguistics major, English and Anthropology minor
Favorite Thing Right Now
Othello (the board game, not the Shakespeare play)
I'd known since middle school that I wanted to major in linguistics, but this was my first chance to take a formal linguistics class, and I absolutely couldn't wait! "An introduction to the scientific description of human language," my (virtual, it was fall 2020) LING 1 class covered phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, language revitalization, and so much more! Prof. Coto-Solano couldn't have been a better introduction to Dartmouth linguistics; he's one of the kindest people I've ever met and, of course, unbelievably knowledgeable.
But really, is a hot dog a sandwich? It's all just semantics; take this class to find out! Another Zoom favorite of mine, Prof. Pulju made every day in this course entertaining. I learned so much about the vast changes in perception and meaning that can come from the tiniest change in wording that most people don't even consciously pick up on. I wrote a final paper investigating the gray area between different past tenses in French--classic word nerd stuff, but so much fun.
As a queer language nerd, this course naturally landed squarely at the intersection of my interests. This was my final virtual term at Dartmouth, and Prof. Billings made it a great one! We discussed the ways quotidian language use reinforces misogyny and transphobia, as well as the nuances of negotiating various iterations of femininities and masculinities through language--we all mediate our genders through language every single day, mostly in ways we don't even notice. The highlights were definitely presenting to the class on language and gender in Dorian Electra's "Flamboyant" and coming to a new understanding of my own identity through the sociolinguistic discussions we had throughout the course.
Still amidst the pandemic, I spent my freshman summer at home with my family and working a food service job. Outside of work, I had the chance to let the chaos and intense learning experience that was my first year settle behind me and reflect on how I wanted to shape my Dartmouth experience going forward. My freshman roommate, who's from Massachusetts and I've stayed close with to this day, visited me in Colorado, and I had so much fun showing them around! At the end of the summer, I went back to Hanover a little early to serve as an Orientation Leader and had a great time getting to know the 25s and helping them through their first days on campus in various capacities.
This six-person class with Prof. Stanford was one of the coolest classes I've taken throughout my whole time at Dartmouth. We spent the entire term learning linguistic field methods by doing collaborative research on the Georgian language alongside another Dartmouth student who's a native speaker of the language! I wrote a 45-page paper for this class on Georgian morphosyntax and really enjoyed it; finishing that paper was one of the most fulfilling moments of my Dartmouth career. The small class size was a wonderful chance to bond extensively with my classmates, and I also appreciated the challenge of being the only 24 in the course alongside more experienced Linguistics majors, from whom I learned so much.
This was my first English class at Dartmouth, and the one that made me decide to declare an English minor. Prof. Stuelke, who's fantastic and inspired me to take another class with her (Contemporary American Fiction) my sophomore summer, assembled a brilliant syllabus that introduced us to an array of artistic activism traditions across time and geography. We read theory alongside memoirs, and examined photography and film alongside poetry and painting. Our final project was to create political art of our own, and I had the chance to photograph a number of trans and non-binary Dartmouth students as an exploration of stereotype, homonationalism, and transnormativity. I'm still friends with some of the students I photographed to this day, and it was a great joy to hear and tell the stories of so many of my fellow queer community members on campus!
After Field Methods, I had to take another class with Prof. Stanford, and I was so glad I did! This class was the ten-week, more in-depth version of those "pop/soda/coke" maps that you see online. We explored social speech patterns and how they vary (or don't!) across different geographic regions, genders, cultures, ethnicities, socioeconomic status . . . the list goes on. This is one of my favorite subfields of linguistics, and I'd been excited to take it ever since I found out my freshman fall that it was offered. A large component of the class was an independent group research project; my group did a perceptual dialectology study on how L1 American English speakers (randomly selected from the Novack Café study area) viewed the Malaysian English dialect in comparison to American English. The survey results were fascinating, and I ended the class wishing I could spend another 10 weeks on the material!
In the spirit of sophomore summer and trying new things, I decided to sign up for my very first film class at Dartmouth this term! I had no prior film experience, but every single day in this class was beyond exciting. The primary focus of the class was hands-on learning; every day, we found ourselves attempting a new cameraless film technique, from bleaching film to painting on it to splicing it together (and so much more)! At the end of the quarter, each student made their own film that screened at an open-to-campus event (complete with movie theatre snacks and drinks)! It felt great to see my work on the big screen when just ten weeks ago, I couldn't have told you a single step of the process that would go into creating that final product.
During the last of my five straight terms in Hanover, I really enjoyed this class with Prof. Huang. I'd taken classes in other departments that were crosslisted with WGSS before, but never signed up for a class that was exclusively in the WGSS department; that changed this term, and I'm so glad it did! The syllabus included "scholars and activists from diverse social and geopolitical positions through coalitions across global, regional, national, and local borders, within and beyond the nation-state." Our readings and topics we covered were just as wide-reaching and varied as they sound, from Palestinian feminist collectives to queer diaspora to disability justice activism in the context of the pandemic. At the end of the course, I got to produce a zine with a classmate as a final project!
WinterTāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa New Zealand, and Rarotonga, Cook Islands
I first read about the Linguistics FSP as a high schooler, and it was a big part of what drew me to Dartmouth in the first place, so this program was quite literally a dream come true. I can't say enough good things about this FSP and how transformative it was: the first six weeks were spent at the University of Auckland taking classes with seriously incredible Māori professors on te reo (language) Māori and te ao (world) Māori, followed by four weeks spent in the Cook Islands, doing research for Cook Islands Māori language revitalization initiatives at the University of the South Pacific. Our professors and classes prioritized Indigenous history and perspectives in a way that's almost unheard of in the US, and everything beyond the classroom offered boundless opportunities to learn and make new friends, from watching the sunset on Maungawhau and talking late into the night to snorkeling with turtles on the Rarotonga reef. No small paragraph could do this experience justice, but just know that I truly cannot recommend this FSP enough!
I signed up for this course to have more time in the classroom with Prof. Craig, who was present for much of my FSP in Aotearoa, is a truly incredible teacher and human, and co-taught this class with Dr. Mishra. This course featured an unbelievably wide array of unconventional learning opportunities: we attended weekly yoga nidra sessions and were each paired with an older Community Partner to bond with so as to reflect and process both of our life experiences from our opposite ends of the "life timeline." Our small discussion group, which met for the final hour of class each Wednesday evening, was something I always looked forward to, as we were able to be genuine and vulnerable with one another throughout our discussions, something I've never experienced to quite the same degree that I did in this class.
I wasn't taking classes this summer, but I lived in Hanover and worked full-time for Dartmouth Admissions as a Senior Fellow! This summer, I wrote for 3D magazine, recruited panelists for virtual programming, delivered info sessions, started this blog (of course) and so much more. I really enjoyed that every day is a little different in the Admissions office and learning about how different elements of the office work behind the scenes. Best of all, there are always opportunities to meet new people visiting Dartmouth from all over and hear about their lives! I've linked Sydney's blog post above (she's also a Senior Fellow!) for the inside scoop on working for the Admissions office :)
FallHanover, NH
Most Dartmouth students take their non-summer "off term" sometime during their sophomore or junior year. I changed my D-plan a few times and ultimately ended up with a slightly unconventional off term: senior fall! Since it's my last year here, I stayed in Hanover for my off term to be able to live alongside my friends for one of the last few times. Even though I wasn't in class, I was busy. I continued to work as a Senior Fellow and tour guide in the Admissions office (I loved answering prospective students' questions in Zoom student chats this fall especially) and also worked at two Dartmouth Dining Services locations. I performed in the color guard while acting as a co-social chair for the Dartmouth College Marching Band, and serving as both house manager and webmaster for my Greek house.
I signed up for this class as the final one to complete my English minor, and didn't entirely know what to expect going into it. I've been astounded so far by just how much I've loved it--this winter, you'll probably be able to find me alone at my desk with a cup of tea reading Woolf's work aloud to myself. Prof. Orner, who's an accomplished writer himself, is really encouraging us to really spend quality time one-on-one with the readings, and it's been fantastic for the reader and writer in me, but the reflecting-on-life enjoyer in me as well. Woolf's work seems to evoke ghosts a lot, Prof. Orner pointed out recently, in ways I hadn't previously understood to be possible.
This class with Prof. Sharlet is one of my favorites I've taken in all my time at Dartmouth! I've written about a psychic fair at a museum, chinchillas at a pet store, broken shoes, drag shows... it's been really wonderful to have exploring the world around me and dedicating time to just seeing and processing as a homework assignment. The final goal for this course is to produce a longer story from somewhere in the Upper Valley, to be published in 40 Towns, a periodical Prof. Sharlet has been publishing with his CRWT 21 students for some years now.
It's my last winter at Dartmouth, and I think of all the Dartmouth seasons, winter is the one with the most traditions in which I've yet to take part in since this is my first completely "normal" (i.e., no COVID restrictions and I'm actually on campus) Dartmouth winter. For my first post of the term, I've decided to use my blog to hold myself accountable for knocking out as many of those bucket list items as possible. I'm already feeling the flood of mixed emotions that comes with having 158 days until graduation (definitely fewer by the time you'll be reading this), but I want to savor every bit of uniquely Dartmouth fun that's in store during that time. This is going to be half classic Dartmouth tradition bucket list and half slightly prolix personal reflection on my time at Dartmouth so far and what I want to do with the rest of it, but without further ado: here's what I have to do my senior winter. I'll be revisiting this at the end of the term to review my term and let you know if I succeeded!
Polar Bear Swim: Who doesn't want to plunge into ice-cold water when it's already below freezing out? For me, this is the most enticing tradition of Dartmouth's Winter Carnival–jumping into a hole in the ice on Occom Pond (attached to a rope just in case you go into shock–unlikely, but better safe than sorry) out in the cold. I've yet to do it, but I've heard the line has stretched out over a quarter mile in past years. For my senior winter, it's my number one priority; I can't leave Dartmouth without saying I did it at least once. I've heard it's intense and objectively unpleasant in certain regards, but I love an adrenaline rush, and this is exactly what I'm talking about in my info sessions when I tell you we like to make the most of the winters up here in every way possible!
The student body on the way to this year's midnight snowball fight!
Snowball fight: The jury is still out on this one. Just kidding—I've heard of a few too many people getting hit in the face with ice chunks, but I think it's too much fun to not be worth it. The first big snow of the term, the entire student body gets an email from Dr. Seuss (a Dartmouth alum!) inviting them to meet on the Green at midnight for an everyone-against-everyone snowball fight. Would you, could you, in the snow? Hopefully I can and will—this is another one I don't want to leave Dartmouth without having attended once! (Update: after I started writing this but before I finished it, the snowball fight happened. I went. It was fantastic. So worth it!)
Ice skating: Full disclosure, this isn't one I've yet to do—I went ice skating with friends a number of times (both on the Green and on Occom Pond) during my first-year and sophomore winters. But it is the thing I've been looking forward to doing again most this winter; it's among my favorite memories from my other two Dartmouth winters, along with sledding on the old golf course.
Get in the habit of journaling every day: Pivoting to personal and academic goals for the term now, as much as I love Dartmouth winter and winter activities—this is something I've been working on for most of this year, and still haven't quite built the habit of actually doing it daily. During days and weeks where I do, though, I find that I'm so much more clear-headed, more focused, and less inclined to air out every single thought I have on Twitter than when I don't. Highly recommended. I'm hoping that saying I'll do it on such a public platform will motivate me to write at least 50 entries by the end of the term (there are 67 days until then, so I'm giving myself some slack, but I'll have to hold myself to a pretty frequent standard)!
My house in the snow! I've been spending a lot of time with friends here so far this term, and can't wait to keep doing so :)
Invest in my friendships: I think it's fairly common to expect, especially before going into college, that the work of making and keeping friends in college is going to be pretty frontloaded. While the social transition of one's first year at college certainly has its own unique challenges that aren't usually replicated in other years of college, I've found myself starting new friendships and strengthening old ones during every single term at Dartmouth. I always thought this wouldn't be the case as much once I got towards the end of senior year, especially since I already have a number of really close friends that I just want to sit back and relish my time with. But with new and old friendships alike, something I've been reminded of recently is that you get out what you put in. As this phase of life comes to a close for me, I've been reflecting a lot on my various friendships and social circles I've been lucky to have here, which have been all at once transformative, challenging, and life-giving in ways high school Simon never could have imagined. It's more important than ever to me to put time, energy, intentionality, and genuine love into these connections I cherish at Dartmouth, especially because so many of these people are people I want to stay close to and in touch with after graduation.
I took this picture at the end of my first winter while talking with two friends on the steps outside Rollins Chapel. Plenty of things have changed since then in ways I never could've imagined, but I still love taking pictures of Baker Tower when the sky is pretty—this one is a reminder to me to relish things as they are now and make the most of the time I have left here.
Actually attend office hours: you'd think I would've learned this lesson by my senior winter, but we all have our weaknesses! That's not to say I've never been to office hours, but I often let the anxiety of asking for help get in the way of going to office hours to ask a question when I'd really benefit from it. I don't feel like there's any use in setting a specific numerical goal for myself, as it's too early in the term to know how often going to office hours will actually be helpful, but I hope to return to you at the end of this term having gone at some point!
Enjoy learning for the sake of learning!: It's easy, especially in super fast-paced ten-week Dartmouth quarters, to get lost in everything you have to get done. This is my first time taking classes since the start of last June (D-plan moment!), and I realized towards the end of last fall that I actually really missed taking classes–not the workload, necessarily, but just having a variety of engaging material at my fingertips with which to fill my brain. (Nerdiest-sounding thing I've said in a while, but it's true! I'm loving my classes already!) I want to keep that lens on this term: really have fun with my coursework, enjoy the sense of wonder that brought me here to study linguistics in the first place, and avoid falling into the mindset of treating school like a chore instead of the (often really enjoyable) privilege that it is! Again, not really a quantifiable goal, but something I want to do all the same.
You'll be hearing from me throughout the term, I'm sure, but I'll come back to these in March when the term wraps up to see how I did! Hopefully this is an efficacious goal-setting tool, from frozen lakes to friendships, and from time alone journaling to time with the entire student body throwing snow :)
Some of my rising senior friends from New York have been in contact with me since graduation, and I've compiled a list of FAQs that might help you better understand life at Dartmouth!
