Class Note 2024
Issue
March-April 2026
Class Note 2024. This issue, we are spotlighting a jet-setting artist and alumna: Teani De Fries!
Since graduating Teani has started working in an operational role at Spaark, a government contractor. Since the role is remote, Teani has taken full advantage of the role’s flexibility to travel.
Her favorite trip of 2025 was a visit to Japan with her mom and brother. Teani, who is originally from Hawaii, a region with heavy Japanese influence, had an amazing time visiting and indulging in the local cuisine and culture.
“I also went road tripping around Arizona with my boyfriend, visited Dallas and Nashville with my best friends from home to break in our cowboy boots, and even had a chance to head back to Hanover and help with the Hōkūpa’a annual luau. It was so much fun and special to see the tradition we helped perpetuate be carried on by future classes. While I traveled a lot this year, there’s so much more I’d like to see, especially more international travel.”
Though she’s traveled near and far, she’s simultaneously managed her personal finances by tracking down deals and diligently earning travel credit card bonuses. Team Chase Sapphire Reserve, anyone? If you’re interested in following Teani on her travels, check out her Instagram account @teanitravels, which she started during her Dartmouth study abroad to New Zealand and Cook Islands!
Aside from her travels, Teani was featured in indigenous photographer Cara Romero’s exhibition on Native women at the Hood Museum in the image titled Ha’ina ‘ia mai. As part of the collaboration, Teani modeled underwater in a crown of Ti leaves and an ethereal white robe. The photo is captivating—suspended in water, with bubbles escaping her mouth, Teani’s gaze is clear and direct. In preparation for the shoot, Teani trained for four days at the pool to build stamina for the underwater photos. During the shoot, sometimes a pass would yield only a couple good shots, others produced up to five or six.
In January, Teani, along with her mother and aunt, visited the exhibition. “Seeing the exhibition at the Hood Museum was so special. It felt like I’ll forever have a piece of me and my legacy at Dartmouth, especially as it connects to Hōkūpa’a and the Native American program, which became a massive part of my Dartmouth experience.”
Teani moved to Arizona in November, and coincidentally the exhibition is also traveling to the Southeast. Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light) opened at the Phoenix Art Museum in February. Be sure to check it out if you’re in the area!
—Anaïs Zhang, 16 Hamilton Road, Brookline, MA 02446; anais.c.zhang@gmail.com
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More of 2024 Class Notes
Since graduating Teani has started working in an operational role at Spaark, a government contractor. Since the role is remote, Teani has taken full advantage of the role’s flexibility to travel.
Her favorite trip of 2025 was a visit to Japan with her mom and brother. Teani, who is originally from Hawaii, a region with heavy Japanese influence, had an amazing time visiting and indulging in the local cuisine and culture.
“I also went road tripping around Arizona with my boyfriend, visited Dallas and Nashville with my best friends from home to break in our cowboy boots, and even had a chance to head back to Hanover and help with the Hōkūpa’a annual luau. It was so much fun and special to see the tradition we helped perpetuate be carried on by future classes. While I traveled a lot this year, there’s so much more I’d like to see, especially more international travel.”
Though she’s traveled near and far, she’s simultaneously managed her personal finances by tracking down deals and diligently earning travel credit card bonuses. Team Chase Sapphire Reserve, anyone? If you’re interested in following Teani on her travels, check out her Instagram account @teanitravels, which she started during her Dartmouth study abroad to New Zealand and Cook Islands!
Aside from her travels, Teani was featured in indigenous photographer Cara Romero’s exhibition on Native women at the Hood Museum in the image titled Ha’ina ‘ia mai. As part of the collaboration, Teani modeled underwater in a crown of Ti leaves and an ethereal white robe. The photo is captivating—suspended in water, with bubbles escaping her mouth, Teani’s gaze is clear and direct. In preparation for the shoot, Teani trained for four days at the pool to build stamina for the underwater photos. During the shoot, sometimes a pass would yield only a couple good shots, others produced up to five or six.
In January, Teani, along with her mother and aunt, visited the exhibition. “Seeing the exhibition at the Hood Museum was so special. It felt like I’ll forever have a piece of me and my legacy at Dartmouth, especially as it connects to Hōkūpa’a and the Native American program, which became a massive part of my Dartmouth experience.”
Teani moved to Arizona in November, and coincidentally the exhibition is also traveling to the Southeast. Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light) opened at the Phoenix Art Museum in February. Be sure to check it out if you’re in the area!
—Anaïs Zhang, 16 Hamilton Road, Brookline, MA 02446; anais.c.zhang@gmail.com