Meet Gareth ’30, a first-year student from Muskogee, Oklahoma, who plans to major in environmental studies and minor in public policy before pursuing law school and a career in shaping environmental policy.
Just a month into his Dartmouth experience, Gareth has already found a strong sense of community through the First-Year Summer Enrichment Program, Native and Indigenous Pre-Orientation, First-Year Trips, and the Ledyard Canoe Club.
In this vlog, Gareth reflects on how quickly Dartmouth has begun to feel like home, from kayaking and paddleboarding on the Connecticut River to recognizing familiar faces on his daily walks to Foco or the library.
Full Video Transcript
Hi, my name is Gareth. I am a freshman at Dartmouth College, and I am from Muskogee, Oklahoma. I plan to major in environmental studies and minor in public policy. Then I want to go to law school and eventually be somewhere that lets me create environmental policy, and I feel like the resources that we have here at the school will make that a lot easier than if I were somewhere else.
So far, I've been involved in FYSEP (First-Year Enrichment Program), NIPOP (Native and Indigenous Pre-Orientation Program), First-Year Trips, and Ledyard Canoe Club. What stands out to me the most is how welcoming all of the students and faculty have been so far. I've been here for a month already, and I've made friends with many '28s, '29s, some '27s even, and I just feel like these are people that I can really connect with. They've introduced me to a lot of opportunities in different clubs as well, and I'm looking forward to joining archery, snowboarding, People of Color Outdoors, and so many other things.
I was really surprised by how easy it is to get involved with campus organizations. Through the DOC and going on trips with Ledyard, I've already been kayaking and paddleboarding with them. I've been on the river a few times.
Coming here, I was really looking forward to being in a town that has a similar vibe to where I'm from. I'm from a small town in Oklahoma, and this community has such a close-knit feel that it's honestly not much different.
I can head to FoCo, or I could be heading to the library, and I just see so many people that I know on the way that I can wave to and speak to. It just brightens up my day.
During FYSEP, it was really easy to make new friends and meet new people because we were all living in the same building. We had the same schedules. We were together from 9:00 to 4:00. And then in First-Year Trips, I had four other trippies with me, and we connected about our high school experiences, our pasts, and what we want to do in the future. There's just so many things going on and so many new people to meet.
It's easy to connect with anyone anywhere. Thank you to the Dartmouth College Fund.