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Student Snapshot: Dinela Dedic ’27

Born and raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Dinela Dedic ’27 knew they wanted to be a part of a close-knit and supportive college community where they could pursue diverse interests. They also wanted to continue to give back as a volunteer. Now, they’re an environmental-science major, also studying art & art history and food studies and a student-researcher. Dinela gives back to the campus and community, including as an Orientation leader and Community Engagement Fellow. Recently, Dinela lent carpentry skills to a punk-rock-folk musical about biogas.

Hometown:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Major: 

Environmental science, with an art & art history minor and food studies certificate.

Clubs and organizations:  

Alpha Lambda Delta, Mecca (Muslim Educational and Cultural Association), Environmental Studies Majors Committee, Residence Life (Orientation leader), Center for Civic Learning & Action (Community Engagement Fellow, Carlisle Arts Learning Center) and Trendsetters.

Honors/scholarships/awards:

Presidential Scholarship, Dean’s List and Adirondack Award.

Best thing about my Dickinson experience so far:

The community, 100%. Everyone is so loving and supportive; it’s like a second home. The entire community is deeply passionate about what they’re studying. It’s awesome to learn from my peers and have so many nuanced conversations outside of the classroom.

Favorite class so far:

I loved the hands-on labs I had in Intro to Food Studies. They ranged from visiting local food pantries like Project Share to cooking gluten-free pizzas, in order to get an in-depth look at the function of gluten in cooking. These labs really affirmed my interest in food studies and convinced me to pursue the certificate program. (Additionally, I had a chance to hold two chickens at once at The Bridge eco-village, when our class volunteered there. They were very sweet.)

On choosing Dickinson:

I was born and raised in Carlisle, so naturally I fell in love with the region and the people I’ve met along the way. Volunteering at organizations such as Project Share and the Carlisle Arts Learning Center and working at a small business allowed me to make so many connections with other community members, which instilled community as one of my core values. I knew that even as I go to college, I wanted to keep being involved in the community I love, and attending Dickinson was the perfect way for me to pick up where I left off through the Center for Civic Learning & Action. Additionally, the interdisciplinary approach to education that Dickinson embodies went well with my variety of interests, so I was very happy to know that I can pursue food studies and environmental science while also taking courses in art.

Most important thing I’ve learned so far:

As a former perfectionist, the most important thing I’ve learned in college and in life overall is that you’ve got to have some degree of flexibility. Nothing is going to go your way all the time, and random obstacles are inevitable, so you need to know how to be fluid enough to face them head-on and let go of the things that are out of your control.

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app my research:

This summer I did research with Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Wande Benka-Coker on the indoor air quality impacts of cooking with stoves that burn biogas—a renewable energy source made with organic waste—versus other stove types. It was a great way to gain general research experience to prepare for my future endeavors in environmental science and food studies.

Every day I gathered data from participants and from our test kitchens, read articles pertaining to our research, set up air-quality monitoring equipment at our testing facilities and log qualitative data we received from our participants.

There were quite a few roadblocks along the way. In time I realized that failing and learning how to work through failure is the most important part of research, since nothing ever goes right the first time.

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Published December 13, 2024