Danielle Moore ’15

Danielle Moore, Class of 2015, always wanted to go to college on the East Coast. Though she adored her hometown of Los Angeles, California, she felt like she wanted to experience a different lifestyle for the four years of college. She learned about Dartmouth through her father, David Moore, a Dartmouth ’83. Danielle never felt pressure from him to attend the College on the hill, but ultimately decided that his alma mater was also the place for her.

Originally, Danielle was on the engineering track. She believed that was the path for her until she took her first Anthropology course her freshman year. Whenever she would speak to her family about what she was learning, they could hear the excitement and passion in her voice. They were not surprised when Danielle ultimately decided to declare a major in Anthropology. They knew that was what she should do.

On campus, Danielle found home in a variety of communities. The majority of her friends were fellow Black students. She felt that she did not have to act a certain way within the Black community. She was free to grow and exist as she saw fit, without need of explanation. Basketball has been a source of comfort for Danielle throughout her life. Upon arriving in Hanover, she joined a club basketball team and found community among the women she played with. Throughout her Dartmouth career, Danielle was a part of a variety of Christian communities. Her faith was important to her and she always found time for the Bethel Campus Fellowship (BCF), Morning Glory Community Fellowship, or the Christian Union. During her senior year, Danielle was introduced to the community of Casque and Gauntlet, her senior society. This space allowed her to cultivate both new and old relationships and connections during her final year at the College.

When asked to reflect on the ways in which her socioeconomic background impacted her experiences at Dartmouth, Danielle describes how, at first, she felt uncomfortable discussing status. She believed that her family fell into a middle ground, a gray zone that set them apart. During her senior year, Danielle grew more comfortable discussing these issues as she conducted research on race, socioeconomic status, and study abroad opportunities.

I come from upper, middle class backgrounds. Back home, my friends would consider me rich, but I didn’t consider myself rich in comparison to white America. But I understand why people would say that because of my house. I had one of the biggest houses in the school. My parents, well now, they each own their own business. We were very well off growing up. I never had to…my parents are money-conscious, so I always thought about money, but I never had to struggle for money. When I went to Dartmouth, I was not on financial aid. Before I went there, I was like, “Oh, Dad…we can afford this?” My older brother was also in college. My younger brother was starting high school. At the time, my mom had just started her business because she had been laid off from another company in the prior year. So I’m like, “Wow. I don’t understand why I don’t get anything.” But then, I’ve come to understand. There’s a baseline and if you’re above that, even if you have millionaires going to the school, you’re still paying the same price as them. I had a conversation with my older brother. He went to Hampton, so there, he was considered rich. I’m at Dartmouth and I’m considered not rich, but well off. And I’m like, “I don’t understand. There are people who own boats and ten houses. That’s not my family at all, but we’re on the same playing field…” It was complex and I didn’t really understand it. Over time, I did. College was the first time I really started thinking about how socioeconomic class affects access to education and life experiences on a more deeper level than I had to in high school or church.

As Danielle reflects on the social atmosphere at Dartmouth and thinks about dating on campus, she describes an internal battle she faced throughout her four years. Although she knew was beautiful, she found herself questioning if the dominant communities at Dartmouth saw her as beautiful. She points to a feeling of invisibility on campus, questioning if she was truly noticed by those around her.

Some people find their soul mate at Dartmouth and date. But I felt like a lot of it was just like, “Oh, I’m hooking up with this person for this term.” I never dated at Dartmouth. I came to the conclusion by maybe freshman year that I wasn’t going to date at Dartmouth. This was because I knew that… the Black community is so small here. Right? I felt like, if one of your friends dates one person, they’re nixed. You can’t date them! Obviously, that’s not true for everyone, depending on how it went and everything. I also just found that I had a lot of platonic relationships with people at Dartmouth which was fun and fine. I don’t think there is a serious dating culture on campus overall. At some points, I would be like, “Man, I wish I went to an HBCU so that I could have met my husband.” And then I think, a lot of times, especially being a Black woman on campus, you feel invisible in many ways. I did feel that a lot of the time. Yeah I’m here, but am I noticed? At that point, I didn’t care. I thought I’m beautiful. I got my friends. We all think we’re beautiful. Black girl magic. But you know… you do feel that when you go into spaces, “Okay…what is the perception of me right now? Am I even dateable to like 70 percent of the campus? Would they even date me?”

One thing Danielle misses most from her time at Dartmouth is the opportunity to have engaging conversations with those around her about what is happening in the larger world. She believes that her experience at Dartmouth allowed her to develop a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances of the Black experience in America. In the predominately white, privileged space, she feels as if she was able to grow more confident in her Black identity. Though she cannot necessarily trace her roots back to a specific place or region because her family has been in America for generations, Danielle believes she still is a part of a rich, robust history.

When thinking about notions of “home,” Danielle pushes back against the idea of referring to all of Dartmouth as “home.”

I found home in people at Dartmouth, but I struggled so much to call Dartmouth home. I even fought against it. I would say I’m going to my dorm, rather than I am going home. I remember making this status sophomore year. It was like, “It’s funny how people that first come to Dartmouth for a new term say they are so excited to go back home. By the end of the term, they’re like… I can’t wait to get out of this place.” Because that’s how it feels. An intense ten-week term academically, maybe socially, will do that to you. I never felt…maybe home away from home…but you find home in the people and the smaller parts of Dartmouth you’re involved in rather than the institution itself.