As I prepare for my last term as a graduate student, I find myself reflecting on the things that have been important to me here at Dartmouth. It was difficult coming here as a student two years ago. This is a college that prides itself on its undergraduate focus. The student body is very traditional. As noted in a Dartmouth Life magazine article, there are only two undergraduates who are over 24 years old. I am a 46-year old mom who had worked for over 20 years before beginning college at the age of 40 ... hardly someone who fits the demographics of a Dartmouth student, even a graduate student. However, I was driven to continue my education, and so I moved from sunny Florida to the hinterlands, the wilderness (winterlands?) of Hanover to pursue my dream.
When I came to Dartmouth, I left a community where I was a very active member in a variety of groups and where I was a valued member of my community. I came here and immediately felt isolated. In some ways this might parallel your experiences in coming from close-knit families, schools or communities to a totally new and different environment. Whether we come from a small town where everyone knows everyone else or a large city where the community might consist of school, church groups or even gangs, each of us cultivates places where we feel safe, secure and valued. I would like to tell you about my experience here at Dartmouth developing such a place for myself.
One of the communities I found here at Dartmouth was the Native Americans at Dartmouth, where I could be with people who I could culturally identify with. During one of our meetings, a presentation was given about a new program starting at the Tucker Foundation called the "Multicultural Project." Having an undergraduate degree in education, I was very interested in the program, which focused on introducing Dartmouth students to classrooms in this area.
I signed up with the program at that meeting and eventually was sent out to a classroom of third graders in Lyme, New Hampshire. I ended up going back two more times and had a wonderful time with these kids. I did three programs, one on endangered species, one on the stewardship of animals and natural resources, and the third time I spent the day with the students playing Native American games. Now you might ask what the first two programs have to do with being multicultural, or why I would encourage you (who might be a middle-class "wasp") to participate in a multicultural program. My answer would be that all of us are "multicultural." Unless you are a white third grader from Lyme, New Hampshire, your cultural background is undoubtedly different from those students.
Each and every one of us is an individual with a fascinating background to a young person growing up here. Perhaps your family background is Danish, and you celebrate some of these traditions at Christmas (or Easter or whenever), or you grew up in a city. If you like to dance, are an international student or a student of color or come from a different economic background, these are all valuable assets to share with these young people. When the new volunteers in this program ask me "What do I say to these kids?" I tell them to talk about the things that they know. "Talk about your families, your communities or your interests. If you have a hobby or special interest, these are exciting things to share with children." Remember grade school (or even middle or high school) when it was always a treat to have a speaker in for the day ... it meant a break from the usual lectures or classwork. The teachers are also delighted to see you -- it gives them a break from having to do those same lectures or classwork.
The most important benefit that I received from this program, however, was finding a place where I felt safe, secure and valued. As I became involved in this program, I met other students, met people in the local community and became part of a community here at Dartmouth where I "belong." As the famous phrase says, "No man is an island," and none of us can exist alone. For many of us, coming to Dartmouth was an intimidating experience in isolation, and becoming involved in a program like the Multicultural Project is a simple and productive way to break out of that isolation.
