Walking the Walk

Walking BRANDON ZHOU ’22

theWalk

THERE ARE FEW SPACES AT DARTMOUTH ON WHICH BRANDON ZHOU ’22 HASN’T MADE HIS MARK. WHEN NOT CONDUCTING RESEARCH FOR HIS SENIOR THESIS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING IN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, HE’S LIKELY TO BE FOUND GUIDING TOURS OF CAMPUS, CHAIRING DARTMOUTH’S GREEK LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, OR PLAYING PERCUSSION IN THE COLLEGE WIND ENSEMBLE. NOW A SENIOR FELLOW IN THE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS, BRANDON LOOKS BACK AT HOW HE FOUND COMMUNITY AT DARTMOUTH—AND SHARES THAT IT WAS REALLY THE COMMUNITY THAT FOUND HIM.

One of the first steps to making a college your home is finding community. At an ever-evolving place like Dartmouth, community can be comforting but also complicated—and while my community has certainly changed during my time at Dartmouth, the feelings of belonging and home have never wavered.

I first arrived at Dartmouth with a lot of uncertainty around who and what my community would be. My search began when I stepped onto campus for both international pre-orientation and First-Year Trips, a program that brings incoming students and upper-level student leaders together for outdoor adventures like hiking, cabin camping, organic farming, and nature photography. While gearing up for my own flatwater kayaking adventure, surrounded by fellow Trippees with different backgrounds and varying levels of experience in the outdoors, I felt our class unity begin to click.

Watching so many upper-level students dedicate their time and energy to welcoming new students made me want to do the same. In later years, I helped coordinate behind-the-scenes logistics for First-Year Trips and dressed up in wacky costumes to welcome new students. The unique opportunity to meet nearly every single incoming first-year changed my view on what community means. I learned that the individual connections you make are just as important as the bonds you create with your future friend group—and that even the briefest conversations can have a profound impact on someone’s sense of belonging.

As someone who didn’t think much about joining Greek life as a prospective student, I’ve been so grateful for the community that I’ve found through my fraternity. Despite being separated by states—and sometimes even countries—during the pandemic, this resilient community showed me how to truly care for one another, whether Zooming until five in the morning or exchanging gifts during our virtual Secret Santa.

The Dartmouth Center for Social Impact (DCSI) has added another layer to my Dartmouth story. One of the most amazing opportunities I’ve had through DCSI is serving as a mentor to first-generation, low-income high school students from the Upper Valley in their college application process. Whether working in local schools, attending a global citizenship conference in Durham, England, or completing an internship in Washington, D.C., I’ve felt myself grow from being around others, regardless of their age, identities, or background.

It’s normal to be uncertain about how and where to find community in college. There isn’t a linear roadmap to finding your people and passions at Dartmouth. Community shifts, changes, and evolves, but this I know for certain: Dartmouth creates communities that last lifetimes even in places you least expect them—communities that will welcome you just as they’ve welcomed me.

ALISYA REZA ’22

HOMETOWN: JAKARTA, INDONESIA MAJORS: COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND THEATER MODIFIED WITH ENGLISH

“I’ve always been intrigued by how the mind works,” reflects Alisya Reza ’22. “I figured out pretty early on that I’m interested in studying human relationships—specifically, sex and infidelity in romantic relationships.” A double major in cognitive science and theater modified with English, Alisya chose her path of study for its inherently interdisciplinary nature. “Cognitive science takes into account philosophy, linguistics, computer science, and psychology, all of which factor into how the mind works.” Now in her final year at Dartmouth, Alisya says her studies in cognitive science helped inspire the capstone project for her theater major. “My senior thesis is a one-woman play about female sexuality in a world that so often seeks to suppress, take ownership of, or control women and their bodies,” she says.

Alisya added another field to her impressive academic repertoire after taking "Introduction to Creative Nonfiction" on a whim. “In that class, I thought, ’I think I’ve found my genre.’ I had always wanted to explore something creatively, and it was rewarding to find the right outlet.” She attributes a large part of her interest in the subject to Professor of English Jeff Sharlet, with whom she took "Intermediate Creative Nonfiction." “Something that I really appreciate about professors at Dartmouth is that they will spend their energy and time talking with you regardless of whether you’re a major in their subject,” Alisya says. “There’s something special about being surrounded by professors who are really accomplished in their fields and are also here to help undergraduates.”

Alisya hasn’t just made waves in the classroom. As a longtime volunteer for the First-Year Trips program, she plays an integral role in welcoming new students to campus. An international student who was initially intimidated by the nature-oriented program, Alisya strives to make the experience welcoming for all. “First-Year Trips are less about the outdoors and more about bonding with your new classmates,” she says, noting that Trips are inclusive in more ways than one. “My trip normalized introducing yourself with your pronouns and strived to set a positive culture. I love that it’s a tradition that’s always fluid and always changing for the better.”

The community at Dartmouth—especially that forged by the International Student Association (ISA) during international student pre-orientation—is what makes Alisya certain she’d choose Dartmouth all over again. “I think the kind of person who goes to Dartmouth is somebody who cares about getting to know people,” she says. “While being an international student is a really important part of who I am, I also feel I’m able to belong here independently of that. My Dartmouth experience would be incomplete without all the people I’ve shared it with.”

Forging B

Pictured: Outside The Collis Center for Student Involvement

onds