Class Note 2020
Issue
September-October 2021
As I write this column it is late June, two weeks after the ’21 graduation. That day, as I texted some of my graduating friends, I realized that we ’20s are now one year removed from our time at Dartmouth. We students have become adults and have been so now for one full year (albeit an odd one due to the unique situations levied upon us by Covid-19).
That thought became the foundational theme for this column: adulting. As the end of the pandemic nears, many of us are moving onwards to new places with new people, while also trying to take care of and get to know ourselves. For me, “I’m so adult” has become a common refrain as I reflect on the excitement I now get from the most mundane of things, such as knowing I have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, doing my taxes—shout-out to TurboTax!—and waking up before 8 a.m., especially on weekends. Accordingly, I asked our classmates, “What makes you feel like an adult?” Here are some of their answers.
Some thought of activities associated with work. Caroline Goggins talked about moving her standing desk up during long meetings, and Abby Meyers mentioned making her own coffee. Dania Torres said she feels like an adult now that she is looking for an apartment in D.C. while transitioning from work remotely in her hometown of Los Angeles.
Others felt like adults in new hobbies or routines outside of work. McKenzie Case feels like an adult when she makes time for morning walks with her friend and her dog Koda. Katie Keyser says that making a weekly grocery list and learning to cook more than just scrambled eggs and pasta has made her feel more mature.
Still others talked about feeling empowered in newfound acts of responsibility. Sivani Gullapalli said, “I had to call Xfinity to get my wi-fi fixed and was on the phone with customer support line for an hour.” Kristie Chow said she feels most adult when she pays for heating—and utilities.
Finally, some updates from our class members.
Jonathan Gliboff will be joining the Columbia Law School class of 2024 this fall! On being an adult, he says, “Even though I’m going back to being a full-time student, one thing that made me feel like a real adult was sending in my first application for an apartment in New York City and deciding not to live on campus.”
Kavya Menon is moving to L.A. to be an assistant for writer, producer, and director Aline Brosh McKenna. The most adult thing she’s done since graduating is check her credit score.
Danielle Okonta will be starting her M.B.A. at the Duke University Fuqua School. She intends to build a career on social entrepreneurship: “My career aspirations involve the idea of disrupting systemic inequalities that I have observed and studied in my previous courses at Dartmouth. I’m excited to learn how I can address them with a concrete and innovative business model.”
Congratulations to us all for all that we have endured and accomplished in this year! While one year of adulting also means we’ve spent one year away from Dartmouth, we have more such years to go—and many, many more of these moments of growth and joy to celebrate together.
A special thanks to our classmates featured in this column for sharing their thoughts and updates with us. Please send any and all updates as well as any ideas for future guest columns to me at dartmouth20classnotes@gmail.com to be featured in future Class Notes!
—Katie Goldstein, 263 W Santa Inez, Hillsborough, CA 94010; katie.e.goldstein.20@dartmouth.edu
That thought became the foundational theme for this column: adulting. As the end of the pandemic nears, many of us are moving onwards to new places with new people, while also trying to take care of and get to know ourselves. For me, “I’m so adult” has become a common refrain as I reflect on the excitement I now get from the most mundane of things, such as knowing I have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, doing my taxes—shout-out to TurboTax!—and waking up before 8 a.m., especially on weekends. Accordingly, I asked our classmates, “What makes you feel like an adult?” Here are some of their answers.
Some thought of activities associated with work. Caroline Goggins talked about moving her standing desk up during long meetings, and Abby Meyers mentioned making her own coffee. Dania Torres said she feels like an adult now that she is looking for an apartment in D.C. while transitioning from work remotely in her hometown of Los Angeles.
Others felt like adults in new hobbies or routines outside of work. McKenzie Case feels like an adult when she makes time for morning walks with her friend and her dog Koda. Katie Keyser says that making a weekly grocery list and learning to cook more than just scrambled eggs and pasta has made her feel more mature.
Still others talked about feeling empowered in newfound acts of responsibility. Sivani Gullapalli said, “I had to call Xfinity to get my wi-fi fixed and was on the phone with customer support line for an hour.” Kristie Chow said she feels most adult when she pays for heating—and utilities.
Finally, some updates from our class members.
Jonathan Gliboff will be joining the Columbia Law School class of 2024 this fall! On being an adult, he says, “Even though I’m going back to being a full-time student, one thing that made me feel like a real adult was sending in my first application for an apartment in New York City and deciding not to live on campus.”
Kavya Menon is moving to L.A. to be an assistant for writer, producer, and director Aline Brosh McKenna. The most adult thing she’s done since graduating is check her credit score.
Danielle Okonta will be starting her M.B.A. at the Duke University Fuqua School. She intends to build a career on social entrepreneurship: “My career aspirations involve the idea of disrupting systemic inequalities that I have observed and studied in my previous courses at Dartmouth. I’m excited to learn how I can address them with a concrete and innovative business model.”
Congratulations to us all for all that we have endured and accomplished in this year! While one year of adulting also means we’ve spent one year away from Dartmouth, we have more such years to go—and many, many more of these moments of growth and joy to celebrate together.
A special thanks to our classmates featured in this column for sharing their thoughts and updates with us. Please send any and all updates as well as any ideas for future guest columns to me at dartmouth20classnotes@gmail.com to be featured in future Class Notes!
—Katie Goldstein, 263 W Santa Inez, Hillsborough, CA 94010; katie.e.goldstein.20@dartmouth.edu