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.
While I was registering for classes in the Spring, it hit me that this Summer seemed like the perfect time to take a cool and relaxing music class to fulfill the Arts distributive requirement. I knew exactly which class I wanted since it's so popular and I'd been trying to get in the class for so long. After hearing great things about an African Drumming Class only taught by one teacher and during one time period during the terms it's available, I tried to register for the class last Spring term. But no, many other people beat me to it or really the algorithm just wasn't in my favor this time around.
So, when I actually got in the class during Summer classes registration I was so happy I literally jumped up and down. Now, after being in the class as an official member with my own drumsticks that I get to keep with me at all times for the Summer, I can say that this class has not disappointed and even surpassed my expectations. From the first day when all 20 of us sat in a circle with nervous smiles as we anticipated the vibes, our Professor Hafiz Farel Shabazz
had us laughing so hard from his charismatic personality. In between giving us introductions to the instruments we use like the djembe and teaching us the different percussion tones and rhythms like the Kakilambe, he's told us interesting life stories and the fact that he's taught at Dartmouth for over 40 years! He's actually the newest winner of the 2024 Dean of Faculty Teaching Award!
I feel so grateful to get the chance to take his class. Drumming has been a great stress-reliever and smile-inducing time. When I'm patting away at my individual djembe drum in the circle amidst everyone else working to create a beautiful sound, I am able to drift away from thoughts about all the things I need to do and just breathe and focus on doing one thing. Another nice part of class that I appreciate our Prof. so much for is when he goes down the line and asks each one of us how we're doing on a scale of 1-10 at the beginning of each class. He is very attentive and interested in our well-being which is so nice to experience with a Professor.
My friend and I playing the Son rhythm on djembe drums!
It's pretty cool that I can whip out my drumsticks from my backpack whenever I want and the times that I've done this my friends and other people have been so intrigued. I remember running into a friend on my way out of lunch at FOCO (1953 Commons Dining Hall) headed to class and she shouted "Woah, you play the drums?!" I just laughed and said "Yeah! Dashing to class for it now so I'll tell you more later!"
I recently completed a language-pledge homestay week in the village of Orvinio, Italy as a part of the Dartmouth F.I.R.E. Italian study abroad program!
This past week, I got to participate in a Memory Café hosted by the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth with my club, Dartmouth Forte! What's a Memory Café? Read to find out!
