Phoebe Dennison ’26

Other clubs, sports, activities you’d like to mention: 
Wilson House Council, LunaDisc Ultimate

Where is your favorite spot on campus? 
I love the Quad lawn, especially on a warm, sunny day when everyone is out there together.

Describe your major in five words or fewer.
Understanding what's happening around you!

How did Smith’s open curriculum help you explore academically?
It helped to free up space in my schedule from required classes to take classes I was fully interested in outside of my major that I might have not originally thought of. It has also allowed me to continue exploring something I find interesting. During a J-term I did the Mindich Fellowship, which was a month-long internship in a local classroom and programming related to the realities of teaching. After that I decided to take an education course because I enjoyed my teaching experience. I also think balance is really important between science and non-science classes so having an open curriculum has helped me find that balance.

What is your favorite thing about your house at Smith?
I really like Wilson's living room. Most of our house events happen there including house teas and Monday night reality TV. There's always someone to say 'hi' to when walking through it. I joke that the living room is a time warp for me because I can go down there to get scissors for a project from the cabinet and end up talking for 2 hours with whoever is there and forget about whatever I was actually supposed to be doing. It's nice to have a space that's not my room nor an academic place.

What is your favorite Smith tradition?
This is in my house, but I love sib week! As a big sib, we leave little gifts and notes throughout the week for the little sib, who is a new student to Smith in the house. It is a ton of fun to come up with funny, personalized gifts and pictures. The Wilson 4th floor gets covered with balloons, pictures, and sticky notes. The last two years, while us big sibs put all our decorations up, we've been playing music and It's all about building house community and to have an older buddy in the house!

What is the best class you’ve taken outside of your major?
The Rise of the American Right, 1920s--Present with Casey Bohlen. The class was not taught in a typical lecture format but rather with lots of class discussions and interactive activities which made me more engaged with the material. It was also an important exercise in seeing and understanding different perspectives that I don't necessarily agree with.

Is there a piece of advice you wish you could go back and tell yourself as a first-year?
Don't be afraid of finding new things you like and how that might change your future. Coming into Smith I felt like I knew what I wanted to do in my future or at least the main area of what I wanted my career to be in. Now, I am unsure. Through my various experiences at Smith I have realized new things I am interested in and I am thinking about how they can all fit into my future or what they mean for my career path.