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.
The Lou's challenge is a time-old tradition when Dartmouth students pull an all-nighter and show up to the Lou's diner in town right as its doors open at 6:30 am. It can be done from the joyful wish to check off a bucket list item or the panicked realization that there is too much important work still left to be done when bedtime rolls around. Unfortunately for me, I have to say it was the latter. During my busiest week of the term I had midterm assessments scheduled from all of my classes and spread across two consecutive days. I had a general chemistry midterm exam on Thursday night from 7 pm to 10 pm, then a sociology essay due at midnight which I thankfully received an extension for until noon on Friday as well as a geography essay due at 3 pm on Friday. Yeah…I'm getting winded saying it now after the fact too.
The decision to complete this challenge was made quite spontaneously when I arrived on one of the quietest library floors, 4th floor Berry, on Tuesday night and found my friend sitting at a table. Anika and I looked at each other and we just knew; tonight was going to be the night. My '25 (junior) friend sympathized with my chem woes since she already took the class along with other pre-med prerequisites and now works as a Teaching Assistant for one of the lab sections. She told me that she was studying for an Italian exam the next day at 10am and had other work pending. We whispered to each other how happy we were that we wouldn't have to endure this ordeal alone and agreed to get up for a snack run at one of the dorm snack bars before it closed at 2 am. When we came back from said snack run we only remained at our study spot for one hour before we had to relocate to the 1902 room and eventually Blobby (Baker lobby) since these are two of the three library spaces open 24/7.
The term had been so busy for both of us that this was the most time we'd been able to spend with each other for a while so it was so special that we were able to grind together and cheer each other on. The light at the end of the tunnel, Lou's delicious breakfast and brunch menu, loomed closer and closer. The peach energy drink I had tried for the first time was definitely wearing off but our little moments of hysterical laughter when we'd lock eyes above our computer screens kept me awake. I was also motivated by the fact that I was starting to gain a better understanding of some of the Chem units, able to finish the research for my Geography essay, and finished listening to the audiobook that my Sociology essay would be based on. It felt so good to finally pack up our backpacks and walk out of the library into the dark Wednesday morning straight to Lou's. We sat at a booth, ordered warm and filling meals, then proceeded to talk about anything and everything not related to the work we had just spent hours doing.
My friend & I, happy to be leaving Blobby at 6:25 am!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
