machu picchu overlook

Colleen O'Connor

Class of 2019
colleen holding a pennant

Bio 

Hi! I'm Colleen! So far, I've studied abroad in Beijing, China and Cusco, Peru, interned at a start-up in Mexico City, and completed a non-profit consulting project in Lima, Peru with the Tuck School of Business. I'm currently working on a two-year project to identify ways to promote female empowerment through entrepreneurship in South America and East Asia. When I'm not traveling, you can find me advising DEN, exploring the Upper Valley, or debating the outcome of The Bachelor with friends.

Academic Program 

Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Modified with Economics Major; Human-Centered Design Minor

Favorite Thing Right Now 

Maple syrup snow candy

Hometown 

Buffalo, NY

Pronouns 

She/Her

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Colleen O'Connor's D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: INTS 80.01: The Wealth and Violence of Nations

      As a freshman, I chose to take an upper-level seminar class that ended up becoming one of my favorite classes at Dartmouth -- and Prof. Clark has become my mentor and research advisor!

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Spanish 9: Culture and Conversation

      Compared to my high school foreign language classes that focused on grammar, I LOVED that this course focused on discussing movies, reading novels, and engaging in stimulating debates--all in Spanish!

    • SpringHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: SOCY 49: Religion and the Political Economy

      A seven-person seminar class with my favorite professor (Prof. Clark) discussing the impact of religion on politics and economics... I don't think I could have possibly asked for more.

    • SummerBeijing, China - Chinese FSP

      Studying abroad in Beijing, China my freshman summer was the best decision I could have made at the time. After a year of intensive language studies at Dartmouth, I was immersed in Chinese language and culture at Beijing Normal University.

    • FallCusco, Peru - Spanish LSA+

      I LOVED living with a host family in Cusco, Peru and taking classes with Peruvian profs during my Spanish LSA+. My friends and I took experiential learning to the next level by traveling to Machu Picchu, the Amazon, Lima, Lake Titicaca, and more!

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: ENGS 12: Design Thinking

      This was the class that made me realize my passion for Human-Centered Design. The project-based course challenged me to think differently and it changed the way I approached problem- solving on a daily basis!

    • SpringMexico City, Mexico - Internship Abroad

      Thanks to full funding from the DEN, I spent the spring of 2017 completing a 10-week fellowship with LocalAventura, a travel, tech start-up in Mexico City. This meaningful, hands-on experience re-ignited my passion for entrepreneurship!

    • SummerHanover, NH and Lima, Peru - Paganucci Fellowship

      I was able to petition to take Sophomore Summer "off" to work full-time as a Paganucci Fellow with the Tuck School of Business. I spent the summer working with a small team on a social entrepreneurship consulting project with a non-profit in Peru.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: SPEE 20: Public Speaking

      This class has a waitlist of over 40 people, and it's clear to see why. Prof. Compton teaches public speaking with an experiential learning approach, allowing me and my peers to improve through practice.

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Econ 77: Social Entrepreneurship

      This course combined the study of social entrepreneurship and its manifestations with hands-on practice of creating our own social venture business plans and ventures pitches! My project group and I created a business that aims to support impoverished, indigenous women in Cusco, Peru and are currently working with our professor to turn this idea into a self-sustaining social business.

    • SpringHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: ENGS 15: The Senior Design Challenge

      The Senior Design Challenge might just be my favorite class I have taken at Dartmouth! At the start of the term, my partner and I were given the challenge of figuring out how to use leftover Nike materials to improve the quality of life for individuals experiencing homelessness. By having the autonomy to fully immerse ourselves in the human-centered design process, my partner and I have learned how to pivot from one idea to the next and feel a remarkable sense of pride and complete ownership over our project!

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So You Want to Be a Business Major...

When I came to Dartmouth, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do after college, but I knew it would probably have something to do with business. From my first entrepreneurial experience with lemonade stands growing up to the small business I had during high school, business and entrepreneurship seemed to always have a place in my life--and I was excited to explore this at Dartmouth and beyond. BUT, as you may know, Dartmouth does not have a business major! Because we are a liberal arts institution, we do not have an undergraduate business school. Luckily, this hasn't stopped me from pursuing a future in business, and the liberal arts focus has allowed me to explore other interests I didn't even know I had! So, here are 3 of the many ways I've pursued my passion of business without being a business major at Dartmouth.

So, those are three of the ways I've pursued my interest in business at Dartmouth without being a business major. But, this list could go on to include the time I spent working as a Paganucci Fellow this summer with the Tuck School of Business, my spring spent interning at a technology start-up in Mexico City with full funding from the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network, the applied business management course curriculum I've been asked to try out for a Tuck professor this term, or the funding I've received to research and promote female entrepreneurship and empowerment in South America and East Asia over the next two years. So, stay tuned for a deeper dive into these opportunities in upcoming blogs!

 

 

  1. No. 1

    1. Form connections with people at the Tuck School of Business

    Colleen in Peru

    The Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth's graduate business school, is minutes from our main undergraduate campus! In fact, you can see the big pillars of Tuck Hall from Baker library, the main undergraduate library on campus. While undergrads can't enroll at Tuck, that does not mean we can't create meaningful connections with Tuck professors and students. Tuck professors, from my experience, are more than willing to sit down with an undergrad over coffee or lunch to chat about really anything! I've had some wonderful conversations about China's emerging economy, the role of entrepreneurship in international development, economic sustainability in non-profits, the pros and cons of consulting… the list goes on and on! The majority of these conversations came from me just taking the initiative to send a short email to a professor whose interests seemed to align with my own. From these conversations have come research opportunities, sagacious advice, and possibilities for future collaboration. And, Tuck professors are not the only ones with experience who are willing to sit down to chat! Tuck students have also responded well to cold-call emails and have provided me with some great insights about their experiences as young professionals in the business world.

  2. No. 2

    2. Study Economics, Human-Centered Design, Political Economics, MME (Markets, Management, and the Economy), and more!

    whiteboard with post it's

    Dartmouth doesn't offer business as a major, but there are plenty of other departments and fields of study that align nicely with my interest in business. I am currently pursuing a major in Economics and Chinese with a minor in Human-Centered Design. For my economics major, I'm following the international economics track, meaning that with these three areas of study, I have essentially created an international business and entrepreneurship course of study! Some of the courses I've taken or will take before I graduate include: International Trade, The Wealth & Violence of Nations, Morality and the Political Economy, Social Entrepreneurship, Product Design, Trade Policy, and Design Thinking, to name a few! With the opportunity to craft a major/minor combination I'm truly interested in, I have been able to mold my fields of study around my personal passions!

  3. No. 3

    3. Join clubs and living learning communities!

    Paganucci fellows

    To pursue my interests outside of the classroom, I have spent the past two years exploring different business-oriented clubs and organizations. I am currently the Undergraduate Advisor of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (and live in the DEN Living Learning Community) and serve on the Executive Board of Women in Business (WIB). I am very happy to be an active leader in both of these organizations, but it took a bit of exploring before I decided that these were the two business-related organizations I wanted to be a part of. Some of the other clubs on campus that I tried before finding the DEN and WIB include Smart Women Securities, Dartmouth Finance Society, the International Business Council, and the Dartmouth Consulting Group. If there's a particular area of business or entrepreneurship that you're interested in, then it's likely that a club exists for it. If it doesn't, then you are more than welcome to start one!

Posted 01/18/2018 at 10:00 AMAll List Posts