Hey! I'm excited to welcome you to my blog page! I'm Andrea Agola, a '26 born in Kenya and raised just outside of D.C. As the eldest child of three, I'm the first to go off to college! I'm glad Dartmouth will enable me to explore both the sciences and humanities. Don't even get me started on the numerous extracurriculars that pique my interest, like the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, research projects and dance groups. Follow along as I navigate this unique college experience!
Academic Program
Sociology major, International Studies Minor, Pre-Med
Favorite Thing Right Now
Studying abroad on the French LSA+ in Toulouse, France!
When I began my first term at Dartmouth, I knew I wanted to explore the French language and culture more after having been a French music and film fan for as long as I can remember. This was an accelerated course that covered French 1 and 2 in one term and offered an exciting and fast-paced atmosphere. The small nature of our class allowed us all to have more speaking time in class from partner activities to performing creative skits. One of the best assignments was a scavenger hunt! I was also able to learn and make a presentation about francophone countries. This class really prompted me to apply for the ‘24 Winter–Toulouse, France Study Abroad which I got accepted into!
This course considers the discipline and political happenings of Black Feminist Thought by highlighting interlocking issues related to gender, sexuality, race, and economics. The professor was amazing! I was always genuinely excited to do her assigned readings/viewings and remember being sad when she canceled class one day (imagine!). I reveled in the thought-provoking, warm, restorative (the list goes on & on) ambience that she fostered. I even took advantage of a cool opportunity that Dartmouth offers, the “Take a Faculty Member out To Lunch” program at Pine Restaurant across from campus. I enjoyed the lovely conversation we had over delicious food. Her class was such a great source of empowerment!
This course examines the epidemiology and social impact of past and present infectious disease epidemics. It was a great and insightful class to take for the Global Health Minor! I had the chance of hearing from many influential guest lecturers like the Former Minister of Health of Rwanda and a key member of the U.S Covid Task Force.
This course explores causes and patterns of global poverty and links this with the urgent need for care and care ethics in our lives and in society broadly. Not only did the class feel like such a caring environment but it was especially interesting because it had a Social Impact Practicum (SIP) component. A SIP is a project-based experiential learning opportunity connecting undergraduate courses at Dartmouth with community needs identified by nonprofit organizations. In other words, a SIP is a real-world project with real-world impact. My SIP was my care work as a UGA within Dartmouth's Residential Life.
Recently on my French Language Study Abroad (LSA+) in Toulouse, France, I've had the pleasure of studying from many new and different places. From aesthetic cafés to libraries with stunning architecture, I've experienced so much!
Pictured above is the best bookstore I've ever been to. After spending an afternoon circling around the gigantic maze of books, "Ombres Blanches" quickly overtook Barnes & Noble as my favorite haven. I even bought two books; one is a bilingual (English & French) version of Maya Angelou's collection of poetry and the second is a children's book about Ballet (a former long-time hobby of mine) in French! My friends and I sat in the pretty garden seating area before continuing our exploration of the city.
Such a nice café!
L'estaminot is a cute café that was actually recommended to my cohort by the Dartmouth French Department Resident Advisor Florent Gourlaouen. It definitely lived up to the glowing review, and I was surprised by its massive range of teas. I got a very interesting herbal blend that included Toulouse's popular violet flower. A friend and I met in the café on a Sunday afternoon and loved the vibe. The place has an eccentric touch about it with its cozy and charming mismatched seats. In fact, we were grateful to even grab some seats because it's a very popular café. My friend tried one of their homemade pastries and loved it.
Beautiful library!
The Bibliotheque D'Etude Et du Patrimoine (Library of Studies and Heritage) is a wonderful public library that I've studied at a few times. It was built between 1932 and 1935 by Jean Montariol, the Chief Architect of the city of Toulouse, as a place to preserve the city's historical collections. This accounts for an impressive 150,000 old, rare or precious books; 6,000 newspaper titles; and over 250,000 works from 1900 to today. The library's high ornate walls with grand paintings and windows make it feel so special to study inside. Just the other day, I went there with one of my classmates to read an act of the famous French play we're focusing on in our literature class; Cyrano de Bergerac. Even while packed with people, the library is always quiet or "tranquille" as they say in French.
Love getting the chance to study outside!
One day it was so sunny and uncharacteristically warm (for winter even though it's never as cold as Hanover), that I was just itching to study outside. So I was so happy to find that a café I had been wanting to visit for a while actually had a great outdoor patio. L'Oiseau Vert café is so cute with its green decor and fairy lights. I had a delicious and pretty blueberry smoothie as I typed up an essay. It was also so nice to hear the bustling of the city around me, although it wasn't too loud at all.
Within the remaining time I have here in France on my LSA+ I really want to study outside along the Garonne river like I've seen many people do on a nice day.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
