Ola! Welcome to my Dartmouth journey. I'm Adrian, a '25 from Harare, Zimbabwe. With an insatiable thirst for investing, finance, and nature, I'm excited to dive into a major that combines all four passions—perhaps a modified economics major? The possibilities are endless! When I'm not tackling problem sets or immersed in "Things Fall Apart," I'm out and about on campus, discovering hidden gems and capturing countless memories on my phone. Join me as I embark on this incredible adventure!
Academic Program
Economics and African and African American Studies
Some of you planning to attend Dartmouth as international students may be thinking, "How will I celebrate the family weekend at Dartmouth?" Isn't it something I need a family for? How will my family get to Dartmouth from the far ends of the earth? Don't worry. This article is for you.
Family Weekend is a weekend of activities organized by students in collaboration with the Collis Center for Student Involvement and with support from Family Giving and Engagement to allow current students' parents, families, and supporters to visit Hanover and experience Dartmouth life. You don't need a family to enjoy Dartmouth's Family Weekend because "family" isn't limited to people who are biologically or genetically related to you.
Me (right), Kwabena (left), and Francisca (middle) in the Hood Museum
During Family Weekend, you can do everything from touring The Hood Museum of Art's fascinating Native American exhibit to watching a student production of The Tempest at The Hopkins Center for the Arts, to seeing Gioachino Rossini's two-act opera at the Lebanon Opera House, to seeing Dr. Strange at the Nugget Theaters, to simply walking around Occom Pond.
Justine (middle) as King Claudius in Hamlet
This spring term, I spent Family Weekend with Francisca's family, a good friend of mine. Her family is from Nigeria, and she and her family are a happy bunch. With the help of Kwabena, one of my Ghanaian friends, I was able to give them a tour of Dartmouth. We discussed a variety of topics, including college life and what it means to be a Dartmouth student. We also delved into the various aspects of our respective cultures. We visited Dartmouth's crown jewel, The Hood Museum of Art, and then proceeded to 53 Commons, where I had to introduce them to my favorite snack, the famed Foco cookie. We concluded the day by seeing a performance of Hamlet starring Justine, my Hollywood-bound Kenyan friend.
Despite Dartmouth being on the periphery of the broader Northeast region, its access to major transportation hubs makes travel stress-free. But, how can students without a car see the rest of New England?
The big-little process in my sorority has strengthened my bond with my big, fostered new friendships across class years, and deepened my sense of community and belonging on campus.
After a long winter term where everything was overlaid in snow and serenity, the weekly Norwich farmer's market is finally back—and I could not be more excited.
When I look back on my time at Dartmouth, and it is hard to believe I will be graduating in just two weeks, I know that Africa Week will always stand out as one of the moments when this campus felt most alive, most joyful, and most like home.
