From the Bus from New York
As I make my way back up the East
Coast from New York up to New Hampshire, I cannot help but reflect upon the
amazing memories that have constituted my four years at Dartmouth College. Last
weekend, I, along with 1100 of my classmates, graduated from Dartmouth College
in Hanover, New Hampshire. One week later I return my alma mater, for my summer
job with the Dartmouth Outing Club, with four very distinct lessons that I will
carry with me from my collegiate experience.
The first lesson is that you
should always take a chance. When I committed to Dartmouth in the fall of my
senior year at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, I was the first in my
family to attend college outside of Texas. There was obviously something
enticing about being close to friends from home and family, but also for me,
the opportunity to attend Dartmouth presented enormous potential to expand upon
my understanding of the world and become part of the incredible Dartmouth
community. I loved the challenge of living in a new part of our nation that
Dartmouth presented. I knew that attending Dartmouth would provide a vital
sense of independence and the freedom to discover new passions and excel
academically. Taking this risk to study at Dartmouth College is absolutely the
best gamble I have taken thus far in my life.
Through time at Dartmouth I
learned that: we are capable of achieving great things that have the power to
change not only ourselves but also those around us through hard work,
dedication and passion. This lesson I believe each of the seniors have learned
over and over again through our time at Dartmouth. During our collegiate
volleyball career, we spent thousands of hours preparing to be the absolute
best players possible. Winning the last match of the season, against
league-leading Yale, for each of us exemplified the pinnacle of this dedication
to the team. The reality that we never were able to win the Ivy League, as we
had dreamed since our first day of freshmen preseason, did not undermine the
value of being a four-year member of the Dartmouth volleyball family. Through volleyball,
I learned the true value of being a teammate. The grind of training and overcoming
obstacles and difficulties together cultivated the unbreakable bond of the 2012
class, and established friendships that will indubitably last a lifetime. As
much as I would love to say that our class changed Dartmouth volleyball, I
think the program more effectively changed us by consistently, relentlessly training
us to be selfless, dedicated and compassionate players. Ultimately, being
four-year members of the Dartmouth women’s volleyball program emboldened me and
my classmates to become mature women, who are now capable of navigating the world’s
web of complexities and challenges.
From my travels around the world
while at Dartmouth, I learned a vital third lesson: we have the capacity,
anywhere, even amongst the greatest difficulties, to encounter peace in this
world. Through my travels to Spain, while studying abroad at the Universidad de
Salamanca with classmates Annie Villanueva and Kendall Houston, volunteering at
the Rio Beni Health Foundation in Bolivia, and interning at the Pan American
Health Organization in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to journey
across the world. Through these experiences, I became immersed in new cultures
and gained fluency in Spanish. Each new place presented new challenges and
opportunities to learn to adapt and find a balance amongst the chaos of change.
The flexibility of the D-Plan allowed me to venture to new continents and gain
the independence that has given me sense of confidence to continue to
investigate my cultural and linguistic curiosity in the future.
Lastly, the design of the
Dartmouth curriculum has allowed me to not only pursue studies in international
relations, Spanish & Portuguese, and be a Division I varsity athlete, but
also has allowed me to explore my artistic interests. During my photography
class this spring, I learned the final lesson that: there is beauty everywhere,
if we focus our eyes on the light of the world. I believe that the multitude of
challenges presented by the stress of balancing everything while at Dartmouth
has developed an unparalleled sense of perseverance, inner strength and sense
of optimism for the human capacity to innovate and triumph. From my years at
Dartmouth, I have gained a distinct confidence in our ability to teach
ourselves to be positive and to then captivate others through the beauty of
this perspective. Each of these lessons have challenged me to become a more
actualized individual and have inspired my deep confidence in not only myself
but also the enormous potential of the brilliant minds of my generation.
During the senior banquet this
spring, each senior received a scrapbook full of personal notes from each team
member. In my book, Lucia Pohlman wrote to me “may your life be an artistic
masterpiece, just like you.” I think her sentiment speaks to the opportunity
that Dartmouth offers. Upon entering our freshmen year, Dartmouth symbolically
presented each of member of the class of 2012 with a blank canvas. After our
graduation, I truly believe that we each have made a masterpiece that represents
the unique, dynamic and beautiful individuals that we have grown to become
through the amazing opportunities presented during our four years at Dartmouth.
