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.
Homecoming Weekend: Sharing A Tradition with a Hometown Friend
This past Homecoming weekend my hometown friend who was in my 5th grade elementary school class and now goes to Brown University, came to visit me! As we've gotten to share stories from our similar yet different college lives, my friend had expressed her intrigue about Dartmouth traditions like the infamous Homecoming bonfire so I thought this would be the perfect weekend to invite her over. Every year, Dartmouth alumni, students and community members come together to cheer on and warmly welcome the new class of Dartmouth freshman as they walk around a tall and massive bonfire. Students build the wooden structure a few days before the eventful Friday night that kicks off the weekend of festivities. This year as a Freshman UGA (Undergraduate Advisor), I got another chance to be in the inner circle to guide the class of 2027 as they walked around the fire and so I strung my friend along with me.
A few hours before the bonfire procession, I picked my friend up from the Dartmouth Coach bus stop at 6:30 pm and she told me about how crazy it was that the majority of the ride from Boston was spent weaving through the isolated mountains: "I was like wow, where are we going?! But it was so beautiful, especially with all the Fall colors!" I decided to take her to the Courtyard Cafe for a quick dinner and she reveled in all of our options which definitely made me gain a new appreciation for our dining. Afterwards, we ran through the rain to one of the West House dorm halls where all Westians were gathering to start the parade and we went around campus picking up the other housing communities. Everyone was dressed in green and forms of school spirit with two students even playing the bagpipes to commence the occasion. My friend loved the seemingly bizarre antics that she never experienced as a freshman at Brown.
It was so warm from where we stood!
The rain continued through Saturday so we opted for some of the indoor or tented brunches and gatherings instead of all the sports games. There was a home Football game against Columbia which we won, a womens rugby game, a soccer game against Princeton, and an equestrian competition. I helped out with the West House football tailgate brunch and we drank some hot cider before going across the street to the Black Alumni brunch where students were able to mingle with some of the alumni that ranged from senior friends I made last year to those that graduated decades ago. Sunday proved to be a much sunnier day so I was glad to give my friend a better tour of campus and the experience of getting a Lou's brunch before she had to head back to her college.
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
