Rocky and Me Class of 2022

Andrew Culver '22

The First Year Fellows program was an incredible experience that really set up the rest of my time at Dartmouth and made many of my later experiences possible. I spent the summer working at the American Wind Energy Association. I went in knowing very little about clean energy and by the end of the summer had found a new interest in renewable energy and solutions to climate change. The internship made me excited to pursue future opportunities in both renewable energy policy and business, and the connections I made were instrumental in finding future internship opportunities. My mentor helped me find an internship at Apex Clean Energy during my junior year working in federal affairs, and connections I made at that job helped lead to an internship in the office of Senator Maggie Hassan. The First Year Fellows programs helped me find really rewarding internship experiences in college and frame my career interests and goals. I'm hoping to continue to work with renewable energy and climate solutions in the future, a passion Rocky helped me find. The First Year Fellows Program also helped me meet some really amazing friends at Dartmouth. The other fellows were so fun and interesting and we had a great time exploring D.C. Today, some of my closest friends are people I met through the program.

I am really grateful to Rocky for so many opportunities throughout college. Sadhana and Professor Shaiko have been exceptional mentors, and their support and advice has really helped me navigate Dartmouth and my professional future. I am going into management consulting next year which is a field I have no experience in, but I am sure the experience and skills I have gained through Rocky programs will be extremely helpful.

 

Addison Dick' 22

The Rockefeller Center has so many opportunities for any student interested in public policy, and I am thankful for everyone at Rocky who has helped me achieve my goals throughout the last four years. Participating in the First-Year Fellows program through the Rockefeller Center was one of the highlights of my Dartmouth experience. The opportunity to participate in an internship in Washington, D.C. after my freshman year was incredible, and I learned so much from both my internship as well as the Civic Skills Training programming in Hanover and D.C. from Rocky. Living in D.C. with 21 other '22s was one of my favorite parts of the Fellows experience — I was able to explore D.C. and find lifelong friendships. I am beyond grateful for everything Rocky has helped me do during my time at Dartmouth, including conducting my own research in the Policy Research Shop and funding my senior honors thesis. The Rockefeller Center has played a key part in my time at Dartmouth and has greatly influenced my plans for the future.

 

Amanda Donald-Phillips '22

My favorite experience at Rocky has been serving as a Student Staff Assistant for Internships non-stop since my Sophomore fall. When I say non-stop, this includes off-terms as well since I was able to work remotely because of COVID. This has hands down been my favorite encounter with Rocky because of the independence I have been given but also because of the impact I make on students. In this role, students nervously approach me worried about how they will secure both funding and housing for their internships and it's been an honor to relieve that stress for them. This role directly applies to my post-graduation plans as I will be pursuing a career in Human Resources (HR). HR is a broad field that includes tasks that range from recruitment, onboarding, training, employee relations, and more. My job as a Student Staff Assistant for Internships has given me so many transferable skills that directly apply to what I plan on doing when I graduate. Not to mention, it's been awesome working with such an amazing team. Our supervisor, Bob, has truly been awesome to work with. Technically he is my supervisor; however, he has never made me feel like a Student Staff Assistant. Bob has always made sure that I felt comfortable with sharing my ideas and contributing to our collective effort. I will never forget my time as a Student Staff Assistant and am thankful to Bob and my student counterparts who have come and gone over the years. Rocky ROCKS!

 

Chris Jun '22

My favorite Rocky moment was during First Year Fellows. One Saturday, our cohort in D.C. decided to make dumplings. It started off with just me and one other Fellow being homesick and wanting to make a homecooked meal. Slowly, word traveled through the grapevine and soon, the entire cohort was interested in helping. Altogether, we made over 300 dumplings and boiled and fried them for dinner. In that moment, it really felt as if we were all a small family. What I've loved most about my time in the Rocky Programs has been finding a community of people that are interested and invested in the same goals as myself. While the programs have certainly been great, it's the relationships that I've formed along the way that I've truly come to value and will look back upon for years into the future. I could not have had the college experience that I'm incredibly grateful for if it were not for the Rockefeller Center.

 

Dhwani Kharel '22

One of my most formative experiences at Dartmouth was the First Year Fellows program. Fellows introduced me to a phenomenal group of classmates who I had not met prior to the program and who are now among my close friends at Dartmouth. Working at the Congressional Research Service opened up many more opportunities and gave me a chance to work on significant projects, like the first presidential impeachment, that most college students—much less freshmen— would not be able to work on. My fellows mentor, Elizabeth Rybicki, is still a source of support, and I am incredibly grateful to the program for pairing me with her. Outside of fellows, one of my favorite classes that I've taken at Dartmouth was PBPL 85. This year, the class fittingly focused on public health. While it was probably also among the more challenging classes I took at Dartmouth, I learned so much about public health in a short amount of time. Through both class and the travel portion, I gained new friends who I would likely have not encountered at Dartmouth if it were not were the course. Professor Nachlis pushed us to think creatively and each week we considered new reforms and ideas to improve public heath infrastructure and delivery in the United States. While in D.C., we had the opportunity to talk with incredible alums and others working in public health and related areas. Our conversations were informative and inspiring— the experience was one that I am so grateful to have the opportunity to participate in.

This summer directly after graduation, I will be working at the World Bank Accountability Mechanism. After the summer, I will be joining the Department of Health and Human Services as a Public Health Analyst in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The opportunities I found at the Rockefeller Center, whether it be the First Year Fellows program or classes I took, had a large impact on my decision to work on public policy after graduation. I am incredibly grateful to the Rockefeller Center and my mentors within the Center for their support and encouragement throughout my time at Dartmouth.

 

Mia Leko '22

The Rockefeller Leadership Fellows (RLF) has been an awesome year long program with my fellow seniors. It's a unique opportunity to learn about leadership through the leaders on our campus, and beyond. Each speaker has had their own take on what it means to lead, as well as wise words of advice as we enter the next stage in our lives. A fun part of this experience has been creating our own presentation about an aspect of leadership that we get to share with the cohort. Through weekly dinners, meetings, retreats, and social gatherings, we've been able to get to know each other and gain a group of friends that all strives to become the best leaders possible! I'll remember my Thursday night rocky meetings as a wonderful part of my Dartmouth experience :)

 

Shawdi Mehrvarzan '22

When speaking about my favorite parts of Rocky, I can't go without giving a shoutout to my amazing supervisor in Public Programs, Joanne Blais! Working for Joanne since my sophomore winter has added great joy to my experience as a student of the Rockefeller Center these past four years. As a Student Assistant for Public Programs, I've had the pleasure of both hearing incredible speakers share their work with the Dartmouth community and interacting with many of these speakers one-on-one! More importantly, I've been lucky enough to work for someone who has fostered a work environment that is kind, fun, and cognizant of the well-being of its student employees. Given the past two years, such an environment could never have been more important and I am forever grateful to have been a part of it! Working for Rocky is a golden opportunity for a student employee at Dartmouth and has most definitely shaped my college experience for the better! Thank you to Rocky staff for all the amazing work you do!

 

Dominique Mobley '22

My favorite program has been the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows — a program that has allowed me to engage with, and form friendships with, students from all corners of Dartmouth's campus. I have also been able to learn from a variety of guest speakers across industries and disciplines. In doing this, I have been able to absorb their invaluable wisdom as leaders in their respective fields — and how this wisdom can be applied in my own life. Because of this, my experience as a Rockefeller Leadership Fellow has affected my time at Dartmouth. Looking ahead to my post-Dartmouth-undergraduate life, I know that I will carry my experience, and the relationships I have made, with me. Well-equipped with the knowledge from the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows, I can't wait to see how myself and the rest of the cohort grow as leaders next!

 

Megan Nalamachu '22

I loved working with the policy research shop. I have never taken a course quite like it while at Dartmouth, and the practical experience gained is unmatched. I learned so much in working with fellow students about how to conduct policy research, and getting to work with actual clients in the Upper Valley also allows students to connect with the community. The experience helped me understand what public health work entails and also pushed me to pursue public health as a career.

 

Nate Pucci '22

The Public Policy 85 trip to DC this past December was a highlight of my Dartmouth experience. Throughout the fall, our class studied the United States' approach to public health, and we developed a number of reforms aimed at making the provision of healthcare more efficient and equitable. During our trip, my classmates and I were able to stress-test and revise these reforms through intimate conversations with leaders in government, nonprofits, and private businesses. I am grateful to our rockstar professor, Herschel Nachlis, and Rocky staff & donors for providing this incredible experiential learning opportunity to Dartmouth seniors!

After graduation, I'll be moving to New York City and working at Altman Solon, a boutique strategy consulting firm serving clients in the telecommunications, media, and technology industries. I'm confident that the leadership skills I've gained through participating in a range of Rocky programs will serve me well as I embark on my career.

 

Maia Round '22

I have a many favorite Rocky moments. Overall, I'd say the best experience I had was First Year Fellows. I loved my internship and it is the reason I want to go back to work on the Hill at some point. My cohort was fantastic and although we were not all close friends before, that summer we all bonded and shared experiences that will last us the rest of our lives. FYF also gave me the networking skills I needed to get future internships and opportunities in D.C., which has been immensely helpful. Another Rocky experience I really enjoyed was our PBPL 85 class trip to Washington, D.C., this past winter. Getting to meet with experts on public health policy was so interesting and the whole trip was a blast. Also, during the term our PBPL 85 class got to have a private dinner with FTC Commissioner Joshua Phelps ('00) which was so much fun.

 

Sydney Towle '22

Being a part of the Rocky Staff was an experience I'll never forget. Having just started working for Rocky before the pandemic, I didn't get a chance to have much in-person experience working with my fellow student staff assistants. Through the pandemic, we adjusted to an online version of Rockefeller Center programming together, and I really felt like we grew as a family throughout this time. Our weekly check-ins via Zoom have been a time to connect with one another, which has been an important point of stability for me over the past couple of years. I won't forget the experiences I have had working at Rocky and the people I have met along the way.

 

Ben Vagle '22

For example, as one of the hosts of the Rockefeller Center's podcast, Rocky Talk, I've had the opportunity to hold policy discussions with individuals like Alex Azar, Oren Cass, and Linda Greenhouse. Hosting the podcast has been an incredible education that has taught me to communicate nuanced ideas in a professional manner. Further, it has allowed me to witness policymaking firsthand. In doing so, the Rockefeller Center has offered me a clear sense of how I can make a positive impact on the world. I urge future Rocky students to take advantage of the incredible resources that the center makes available.

I'll be working at Bates White economic consulting in Washington, DC. From there, I plan to move onto graduate school and a career in policy.