Hi, friends! Your loyal secretary here! Hope everyone had a great holiday season and a very happy New Year! In that same spirit, I’m starting something new for our little section in DAM (new year, new column…that’s my motto at least). So here’s the deal, I’ll give you guys the normal updates, but, additionally, each column will also have a theme or focus. I have a few ideas, but here’s where you guys come in: If you have an idea for a focus, let me know and I’ll make it happen! So, please e-mail me at kelley.crisp.12@dartmouth.edu with column themes and ideas as well as any updates you may have. 


Great! Now on to the premier “themed” column, focusing on (drumroll please) ’12s living it up and doing big things this year while abroad! This by no means is an exhaustive list, really just a few people who are abroad, so I may repeat this focus (just this one time) to make sure we hear from as many ’12s abroad as possible. Here goes:


The one and only Ally Gittens is currently in Soweto, South Africa, working with Grassroot Soccer as a monitoring and evaluation intern. Ally says she’s having a great time and that it has been “both rewarding and challenging.” Ally has also been working on the Skillz Street program, an intervention specifically geared toward young girls that, like the other Grassroot Soccer programs, seeks to teach life skills as well as HIV awareness and prevention, and acts as an outlet for girls to express themselves in a safe space and build a strong support system. Anyone can host a tournament with their soccer club, school or community to raise awareness and funds for Grassroot Soccer, and applying for the year-long internship is always an option as well.


Greg Knight, Mr. President himself, is currently in Milan, Italy, at the Collegio di Milano, where students from all of Milan’s universities come together to attend lectures and participate in the programma culturale (cultural program), a special program designed to broaden students’ perspectives and knowledge base. Specifically, Greg is working with students who want to improve their English for personal use as well as those who hope to work in the States one day. For more information contact Dartmouth’s French and Italian departments.


“Bonjour” from Paris and from the lovely Hilary Krutt. Hilary is currently living with fellow ’12 Lizzy Kee (Hi, Lizzy!), working as an English teaching assistant at the middle and high school levels, while Lizzy is working at the elementary school level. Hilary says it’s been an “overwhelmingly positive experience,” and has loved the questions her students ask like, “Have you been in Las Vegas and did you see stars?” and “Do you eat a lot of hamburgers?” (All fair questions I would say.) Anyone interested in getting involved can find more info at frenchculture.org.


Jabari Trotter is currently in Dublin, Ireland, playing for one of the top ranked professional teams, the Dublin Thunder. Jabari says the team is “very diverse, which makes the team really fun to be a part of.” Additionally, he is also getting his M.B.A. at Dublin Business School (a la master’s by day and b-ball star by night…sick life, if I do say so myself). 


In other news, Cat Roedel and Satoshi Harris-Koizumi tell me that the year zero reunion during Homecoming was “such a success,” with roughly 300 ’12s and ’11s making an appearance to enjoy good food, good music and good company. That’s all for now. Until next time!


—Kelley Crisp, 1677 Commonwealth Ave., Apt. 5, Brighton, MA 02135; k.crisp12@gmail.com