Resilience

Several of the women discussed the way in which they feel that their experiences at Dartmouth enabled them to develop and strengthen a spirit of resilience. They expressed that because they conquered Dartmouth, they feel that they can conquer anything that they encounter. After having survived and thrived in the fast-paced, white, privileged, male-dominated environment of Dartmouth, they believe they can excel in any space.

In “Black Undergraduates’ Experiences with Perceived Racial Microagressions in Predominately White College and Universities,” Nicole L. Watkins, Theressa L. LaBarrie, and Lauren M. Appio examine the way in which microagressions impact the performance and perceptions of Black students in predominately white spaces. They claim that negative treatment of Black students often acts as motivation to continue persevering. They state,

At a typical rate, participants reported rejecting societal messages by using negative encounters with racism as motivation toward achievement of personal and academic success, to prove people wrong, and to inspire future changes. For instance, one participant notes that despite the pervasiveness of racism inside and outside of the university environment, it will not serve as a deterrent in her life (40).

Several of the women, such as Christine ’92, Leah ‘01, and Stephanie ’16 confirmed these observations. When faced with institutional racism, they chose to continue on despite the emotional toll it took. Many of the women, such as Latesia ’14, described the desire to prove that they belonged at Dartmouth. Though they consistently encountered hardships, they often transformed those experiences into motivation to reach their end goal: an Ivy League degree.