Madison is a sophomore from Pasadena, California, and Manila, Philippines. This summer, she's found her rhythm on campus, filling her days as a student vlogger and videographer for Dartmouth Admissions, and finding community through club gymnastics, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Slenda summer dance team.
Having first visited Dartmouth four years ago when her sister was a member of the Class of 2024, Madison says the College has lived up to the hype. That same curiosity carried her abroad through the Beijing Language Study Abroad program, where two weeks traveling across China, including stops in Xi'an and Chengdu, pushed her to grow in ways she didn't expect, immersing herself in Mandarin and, as she puts it, learning to sit with herself in an unfamiliar place.
Full Video Transcript
Hi, I'm Madison. I'm a '28. I'm from Pasadena, California, and Manila, Philippines.
I really like vlogging. I'm a student vlogger for admissions, and I'm also a student videographer, so occasionally I'll make the reels that you'll see on the Dartmouth admissions page. And I'm also on club gymnastics, and I'm in Kappa Kappa Gamma. I'm on the Slenda dance team, which is the summer dance group, and that's been super fun so far. Sophomore summer has been great.
My sister was actually a '24, and so I visited four years ago on campus, and I think that it really does live up to the hype. I get to explore a lot of the Upper Valley and see what that has to offer.
My study abroad experience was phenomenal. Throughout my time in China, the Beijing LSA program did a great job. I learned so much about not only Mandarin and language learning, but also I think being placed in a foreign environment really forces you to sit down with yourself.
We had the chance to travel for two weeks across China, which was insane. We went to Xi'an, Chengdu, got to see the pandas, try different cuisines, and the whole day would just be filled with activities. We'd go on hikes, eat together. It was just so fun. There are so many moments and opportunities you have at Dartmouth to really just take advantage of your time here and build a better future.