Spring term on the Dartmouth campus brings to mind beautiful weather, Green Key festivities and graduation. But for several '99s, this past spring's learning experiences occurred in campuses far removed from the Hanover plain.
Several members of the Class of '99 took advantage of the Dartmouth Plan this spring to pursue their interests in areas as remote as Nepal and as near as New York City.
Brandon Garcia '99 took full advantage of his interest in Tibetan independence by teaching English in a school for Tibetan refugees in Nepal. Garcia found the opportunity through a family friend, who is in exile from Tibet.
He spent eight weeks teaching English and four weeks traveling in India to meet officials of the exiled Tibetan government. Garcia said he was grateful to the Tibetans for the experience, and he wants to share what he learned with others.
"I think the Tibetan culture is one of the last civilizations based on a strong sense of compassion for other people, and it's in danger of being wiped out," he said.
Experiences such as meeting the Dalai Lama or watching a Tibetan woman remove a spider from a path so it wouldn't get stepped on changed Garcia's view of the world.
"In college you are so focused on yourself, it is easy to lose sight of other people. The experience reminded me that there are other people beside yourself," he said.
Through the connections of a religion professor and the strength of Dartmouth's academic reputation, Dave Lysy '99 also traveled to the far East to live and study in the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan.
Lysy said he had always planned to attend divinity school, but his time in the monastery strengthened his resolve.
One distinct aspect of Lysy's experience was the required hours of meditation which occupied six to eight hours each day. Lysy said, "The more I meditated, the more difficult it was to really quiet my mind and empty it. It became more and more apparent that it would take years to master."
During his time in the monastery, Lysy not only learned about Buddhism and assisted monastics with their English, but he also traveled throughout Taiwan visiting other monasteries. In addition, he had the opportunity to observe an international monastic seminar and speak about his own experience as a non-monastic.
In continuation of his involvement, Lysy may go to a monastery in the Himalayas in northern India to teach English next year.
Although his internship was as close as New York City, Robert Tichio '99 had the opportunity to work with some of the world's most influential policy makers as an intern in the corporate affairs office of United Nations Association.
"I was able to attend UN conferences in New York City, such as a diplomatic reception honoring the independence of the Russian federation," Tichio said.
One of his most memorable experiences was being chosen as the one intern to attend a discussion between two congressmen and six ambassadors, including the president of the General Assembly, about US payments to the UN.
"It was one of the most amazing intellectual experiences I've ever had," he said.
Chris Warren '99 not only met influential politicians in the Chief of Staff's office at the White House this spring, but he nearly collided with one.
Warren spoke fondly of a day when he came flying around the corner of the stairs and was six inches from running straight into Vice President Al Gore. Warren laughingly admitted he was in the wrong, but the Vice President still excused himself.
In his internship, Warren helped plan the presidential initiative on race that was announced on June 13 and studied the current and future racial structure of the U.S.
As one of 100-150 interns working in the White House, Warren said he was lucky to be in the Chief of Staff's office. He said he got a clear picture of how the entire White House works rather than being limited to one aspect.
"Working at the White House isn't cool just because of the White House. You have to like what you do there," he said.
Although she was also in Washington, D.C., Melissa Draper '99 had quite a different experience as an intern in the office of architectural history and historic preservation at the Smithsonian Institute.
Draper researched for a small, permanent exhibit on a past director of the Smithsonian. She visited many of the Smithsonian's 16 museums and conducted primary research at the Library of Congress.
Draper said her experience illustrates the benefits of the D-plan.
"I was the only intern in the office. I had a lot of attention and support with my project," she said. "In the summer, there normally are graduate students in this field all competing for the internships."
In an internship halfway across the country, Emily Neuman '99 experienced a different world from the hectic pace of Washington, D.C. As an intern for the group Trees Forever, based in Iowa, she got hands-on experience working to conserve the environment.
According to Neuman, Trees Forever helps people put together tree planting communities and is expanding to rural areas.
In Neuman's work, she "talked to conservationists who talked to farmers about planting trees on their farms near water sources to protect the water," she said. "Farmers have a fear of trees and don't want to plant more on their farms."
Another sophomore had a business-oriented internship. Risana Zitha worked for Smith Barney, an investment banking firm, in New York City this past spring.
Zitha spoke highly of the internship program at Smith Barney, but also admitted that the money from his paid internship went quickly in New York.
He also said the internship was difficult. "There are days when you feel like you're about to die because you don't get any sleep," he said.
Zitha said he had the opportunity to write proposals and work on public information books on the companies working with Smith Barney. Zitha now sees it is not an easy career. "Just because I enjoyed it doesn't mean it wasn't difficult".
