Class Note 2020
Issue
November-December 2022
Happy holidays, all! This issue, please enjoy a special reflection from Nayeli Diaz de Bonilla on how her time at Dartmouth has shaped her work, life, and being. Thank you for sharing your story, Nayeli—and for bettering our world!
This past month has been one of celebration: first with our Commencement ceremony and then with my two-year work anniversary at Sequoia Consulting, where I was recently promoted to project engineer. Since leaving Hanover I have been involved in the launch of three different pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, all of which relate to the manufacturing of products to meet demands for Covid-19 vaccines. The current project that I am leading has taught me an incredible amount not only about the industry but also about myself and who I am outside of the Dartmouth bubble.
In my 2018 winter women and gender studies class I heard the quote, “Beauty is whatever inspires love in us. Whatever inspires us to spend more time with it, to learn from it, and to partake in its existence is beautiful. When we love a thing, we always hope it will become part of our lives and make us better people.” This quote stuck with me and shaped the person I would become.
Dartmouth has had such a strong impact on our lives: the way we understand ourselves, how we learn to interact with the world, and the feeling of such a strong shared experience with such an exceptional group of people. I want to remind you all that you have, in some direct or indirect manner, influenced and shaped our time in Hanover, which has rippled out through interactions across the globe since our abrupt departure.
I am incredibly grateful to be able to do such important work remotely, which allowed me to move to Costa Rica for six months. From the tropical rainforest I was able to engage in work during business hours and explore the intricacies of the jungle in my free time. While hiking to waterfalls, exploring desolate beaches, and navigating the understory of the jungle, I often thought of my Dartmouth classes. I thought of questions I would have asked my teachers, noticed things my peers would have found interesting, observed stuff that I had only ever heard about in lectures. I often miss the comfort and resources that were available to me. Mostly, I miss my peers, who shared an inquisitive mind and a passion for a deep interdisciplinary understanding of the world.
I was fortunate to graduate with a degree in biological sciences and a concentration in evolutionary ecology. I sought to understand how the natural world shapes itself—and therefore, us—through interactions across time. Understanding the world around me and recognizing our ability to shape and influence the environment around us is what brings beauty and meaning to my life. This beauty is one that has only deepened since leaving Hanover. I would not be the person I am today if it were not for my experiences at Dartmouth, and I have to thank you all for that.
Dartmouth was a beautiful and impactful time of my life and revisiting for graduation allowed me to reflect on the amount of growth and change my time there spurred. Despite a two-year delay, so many of us returned to celebrate our class. To me, that is a testament to the strength of the impact that this school had on us all. Thank you all for the shared experience, and I wish the best for all of you. Until our next reunion!
—Katie Goldstein, 263 W Santa Inez, Hillsborough, CA 94010; katie.e.goldstein.20@dartmouth.edu
This past month has been one of celebration: first with our Commencement ceremony and then with my two-year work anniversary at Sequoia Consulting, where I was recently promoted to project engineer. Since leaving Hanover I have been involved in the launch of three different pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, all of which relate to the manufacturing of products to meet demands for Covid-19 vaccines. The current project that I am leading has taught me an incredible amount not only about the industry but also about myself and who I am outside of the Dartmouth bubble.
In my 2018 winter women and gender studies class I heard the quote, “Beauty is whatever inspires love in us. Whatever inspires us to spend more time with it, to learn from it, and to partake in its existence is beautiful. When we love a thing, we always hope it will become part of our lives and make us better people.” This quote stuck with me and shaped the person I would become.
Dartmouth has had such a strong impact on our lives: the way we understand ourselves, how we learn to interact with the world, and the feeling of such a strong shared experience with such an exceptional group of people. I want to remind you all that you have, in some direct or indirect manner, influenced and shaped our time in Hanover, which has rippled out through interactions across the globe since our abrupt departure.
I am incredibly grateful to be able to do such important work remotely, which allowed me to move to Costa Rica for six months. From the tropical rainforest I was able to engage in work during business hours and explore the intricacies of the jungle in my free time. While hiking to waterfalls, exploring desolate beaches, and navigating the understory of the jungle, I often thought of my Dartmouth classes. I thought of questions I would have asked my teachers, noticed things my peers would have found interesting, observed stuff that I had only ever heard about in lectures. I often miss the comfort and resources that were available to me. Mostly, I miss my peers, who shared an inquisitive mind and a passion for a deep interdisciplinary understanding of the world.
I was fortunate to graduate with a degree in biological sciences and a concentration in evolutionary ecology. I sought to understand how the natural world shapes itself—and therefore, us—through interactions across time. Understanding the world around me and recognizing our ability to shape and influence the environment around us is what brings beauty and meaning to my life. This beauty is one that has only deepened since leaving Hanover. I would not be the person I am today if it were not for my experiences at Dartmouth, and I have to thank you all for that.
Dartmouth was a beautiful and impactful time of my life and revisiting for graduation allowed me to reflect on the amount of growth and change my time there spurred. Despite a two-year delay, so many of us returned to celebrate our class. To me, that is a testament to the strength of the impact that this school had on us all. Thank you all for the shared experience, and I wish the best for all of you. Until our next reunion!
—Katie Goldstein, 263 W Santa Inez, Hillsborough, CA 94010; katie.e.goldstein.20@dartmouth.edu