What was your role in the 182nd Directorate?
Kent Friel ’26: Prod exec!
Charlotte Hampton ’26: Editor-in-Chief
Ishan Prasad ’26: I was the Editor for the Data Section.
Varun Swaminathan ’26: News Executive Editor
What are your future plans?
KF: I’m moving back to the West Coast to start my first job as a working journalist, and I’m so excited! I’ll be covering education for the Salem Reporter in Salem, Oregon, as part of Report for America, a program which places journalists in local newsrooms around the country.
CH: I’m going to work for CNN in DC as a News Associate.
IP: I’ll be pursuing graduate work in computer science (specifically machine learning theory).
VS: I’ll be moving to New York in July to work in finance.
What is your favorite memory with The Dartmouth?
KF: Working with an amazing team of editors, artists and templators to bring Mirror mag back!
CH: Ramsey Alsheikh ’26 bringing me dozens of bananas always.
IP: I remember having dinner at Emily Fagell’s house with some of the other editors. She prepared such a wonderful pasta, and we chatted about life for a few hours.
VS: The first social of 24F when I had just become a News ME!
How did you get your start at The D? What was your motivation for joining?
KF: I started writing for news my freshman fall, deciding to join because I love writing and I’ve been involved ever since!
CH: Taylor Haber ’25’s transatlantic accent.
IP: A good friend of mine on my freshman year floor knew I liked both the sciences and the humanities, and thought I would enjoy writing for The D. I hadn’t written for a school newspaper before, but I am very grateful for the recommendation, because I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
VS: I joined the News section freshman fall after four years of high school journalism. Writing for The D was one of the only things I knew I wanted to do before I ever set foot in Hanover.
What story are you proudest of having worked on?
KF: I’m proud of all of our Cooking with Kent and Vidushi columns!
CH: ‘Just Another Bitch on Your Frat Lawn,’ obviously.
IP: I am proudest of “Hanover's Finest Cup of Earl Grey,” which was actually for the Mirror Section!
VS: I always loved election season updates — I spent all of the 2024 election driving between Hanover and various Upper Valley polling centers to interview voters and organizers, writing breaking news style updates every few minutes.
Any advice for current writers and editors?
KF: Keep finding places where you can be creative and laugh: whether it’s brainstorming fun headlines, experimenting with adding new columns or something else, don’t be afraid to throw your ideas out there!
CH: Listen to Annabelle Zhang ’27.
IP: Journalism can be a tough environment at times, so make sure you don’t lose the sense of meaning and enjoyment along the way.
VS: Always remember that we exist to serve the Dartmouth community, specifically our fellow students.
Best D social event?
KF: The banquet last spring! Some of the editors and I spent the afternoon baking beforehand, and it was so much fun!
CH: D Banquet 2025, obviously.
IP: Mirror socials, without a doubt. This is an independent assessment since I officially worked for the Data section.
VS: Changeover, obviously.
What’s the hardest lesson you learned as a student journalist?
KF: Because I know that every journalist at the D really, really cares about being fair and accurate in our reporting, hearing criticism that we are not doing so is obviously hard. We encounter such criticism constantly. We do make mistakes and must own up to them, but also not give into bad faith critiques and intimidation.
CH: How to get charges expunged from your criminal record.
IP: Your hard work doesn’t always come to fruition, as journalism isn’t always smooth sailing.
VS: The best journalist doesn’t know how a story will turn out until every bit of research has been done and every interview has been conducted. The work informs the stories, not the other way around.
Are you knight or gnome?
KF: I think I’m gnome.
CH: Knight.
IP: I’m probably a gnome.
VS: Knight.
What’s one thing you hope The Dartmouth continues to do after you graduate?
KF: I hope print continues to be a valued part of the D, and that future editors continue to experiment, maybe expanding print even more?
CH: Soca on down to BocaSoca and open your boca.
IP: I sincerely hope that The Dartmouth maintains a reputation for being an independent news source. I hope the newspaper continues to report the events at Dartmouth in the most accurate way possible, unperturbed by any ulterior motive.
VS: Keep editing in person! Some of my favorite nights at Dartmouth were deliriously editing with a group of very talented student-journalists into the wee hours of the night.
What does The D mean to you now that you’re leaving?
KF: It means some of my best memories and friends from my time at Dartmouth!
CH: That I have an extensive knowledge of San Francisco anarchist zines.
IP: The D is more of a community to me now. I “retired” from The Dartmouth a little while ago, so now I enjoy going to the office to see friends and hang out rather than doing edits.
VS: It’s given me lifelong reading and writing skills that I will take with me forever, as well as some of my most rewarding memories.
