Dole's leadership, outgoing personality and generosity has been widely recognized. "She is just one of the most amazing people I've ever met," commented Erinn White '04. "She's a great friend, leader, and an enormous presence on campus. Walking across campus with Helen is almost like hanging out with a celebrity, literally everyone we pass stops to say hi to her."
Dole's "celebrity status" on campus came from a conscious effort on her part to reach out to other students and make the most of the diverse student body at the College. "I come from a place where there are a lot of people like me," said Dole, who grew up in nearby Shelburne Falls, Mass. "So when I came here, I thought it would be too bad to miss out on talking to all these incredibly diverse people."
Dole has certainly succeeded in her efforts to win over many different types of students at Amherst. "She's one of those people that everyone knows and is universally liked," remarked White. "That's pretty uncommon if you ask me. She's also one of the most unselfish people I know. Helen is always involved in a million and one things, but she is always willing to drop everything for her friends. She has a great balance in her life that we all work towards, but few ever attain."
Geology rocks
Dole elected to major in geology, despite having only taken one geology class during her first year. "The research I did over the summer as a freshman turned me on to taking more geo classes," she said.
Dole decided to complement her class work with a thesis. "I felt after three years that I'd gotten the class thing down, and I wanted to take on a bigger challenge. There were seven seniors doing a thesis, so there was also some peer pressure effect," she said.
Her thesis concerned bacteria that grow in lakes and change the carbon proxies by means of which scientists attempt to learn about the temperatures that prevailed in the distant past.
"It was the most rewarding project I've done at Amherst," Dole said of her experience writing her thesis. "There were times that I doubted my ability to get it all done in time. The computer center was pretty crazy towards the end of the year, with seniors pulling all nighters day after day."
Always on track
"I met Dole at the very beginning of freshman year at a cross country captain's practice," White recalled. "Classes hadn't even started yet, and I remember thinking at first that she couldn't possibly be a freshman because she seemed to be friends with everyone on the team already. That's so typical of Helen."
Throughout her Amherst experience, Dole felt invested in the cross country and track teams, both of which she co-captained this past year. She found her athletic experience at the College extremely gratifying because it gave her an athletic challenge as well as a sense of camaraderie with her teammates. The highlight of her running career at Amherst was a fifth place team finish at the NCAA Div. III National Championship this past year with the cross country team.
"Being in Nationals as a senior was an amazing experience," she said. "This was my first time ever competing at Nationals. There were tons of spectators. It's a very different feeling to race at the Nationals. You know that if you fall over there are no more races in the year. And people literally fell over just before the finish line," she said.
Dole's leadership was a major reason why the team was able to qualify for Nationals. "She has always been willing to put the needs of the team in front of her own," said Coach Nedeau. "She raced as part of a relay team so that we could have her as a fresh leg to help us win, at the expense of not getting a qualifying mark for a later meet. She also ran multiple events that she may not be the best at, but because the team needed her there."
Dole also tried to unify the team off the field spending many hours organizing team outings. "Helen is a great organizer," White said. "She is a huge presence on the track and cross country teams and organizes everything from team parties to team dinners to coach's gifts and karaoke outings. Right before her thesis was due this spring, when anyone else would have been locked in the computer center 24/7, Helen tried to organize a 'rainbow run' day. Basically, she thought it would be fun if everyone on the team dressed from head to toe in a different color for practice one day so we'd make one big rainbow."
Dole's efforts at bringing the team together brought them success at running. "I think she blended well with the team because that bond was so important to her," said Nedeau. "Some people lead by calling others out and challenging them, while Helen was a great leader behind the scenes-she would get people psyched to compete. She would leave inspiration notes in the locker room to get the team pumped up, she would be the one to organize dinners or movie nights, and the team responded well to that."
A new path
Next year, Dole will become a New York City teaching fellow. The two-year program allows her to teach environmental science in junior high school while working to earn a masters degree in education. "This program works well for people like me, who don't know yet what they want to do with their lives," Dole said.
Dole became interested in teaching in part because of her family's influence. "My grandmother, mother, brother and sister are teachers," she said. "I want to teach because it is a very powerful profession. You affect a lot of people by teaching. I hope to get people turned on to the career. Also, hopefully, I can influence how people treat the planet. I still remember my teacher in high school in environmental science who influenced me a lot."
Her friends are confident of her future success as an educator. "Helen has this inner core of strength and grit. She will always stand up for what she believes in and what she thinks is right. She does not hesitate to speak her mind," said White.
Although she is looking forward to her teaching career, Dole is grateful for her memories at Amherst. "I'll definitely miss my friends a lot," Dole said. "I hope that the Amherst experience will stay with all of us. I'm looking forward to having great reunions, wherever we all may be in the future."