Hi! I'm excited to welcome you to my blog! 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! Dartmouth enables me to explore my passions in both the sciences and humanities. Don't even get me started on the numerous extracurriculars that pique my interest, like the Dartmouth Dickey Center, research projects (WISP & DHMC), and dance groups (Soyeya). Follow along as I navigate my unique college experience!
Academic Program
Sociology major, International Studies Minor, Pre-Health
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.
I completed a project mapping disparities in hospital access on Chicago’s West Side. I analyzed the spatial relationship between hospital closures and the surrounding Black population, creating 0.5-mile buffer zones around six hospitals. My findings revealed that the closed hospital was surrounded by a high percentage of Black residents and was more isolated from open hospitals, indicating disproportionate healthcare inaccessibility. In contrast, areas with lower Black populations had overlapping buffers of open hospitals, reflecting easier access. This project deepened my understanding of spatial justice and the real-world impact of GIS in equity analysis.
This summer, I had the joy of learning West African percussion in a class that quickly became a highlight of my week. From my first introduction to the djembe and makuta drums to the group performances that brought us all together, each session was filled with rhythm, laughter, and community. Despite personal challenges, I always left class feeling recharged, thanks to Professor Shabazz’s infectious energy, inspiring stories, and deep cultural wisdom. Sitting in a semicircle, making music, and sharing heritage presentations helped us connect in meaningful ways—and reminded me how powerful it is to learn and grow through music.
During my semester exchange at Wellesley College, my favorite class was Organic Chemistry I. After finding CHEM 005 and 006 challenging and hearing numerous warnings about the complexity of organic chemistry, I was initially skeptical. But to my surprise, I really enjoyed the course. I found the reaction-based approach more intuitive and engaging than previous chemistry classes, and I appreciated how each mechanism told a story about molecular behavior. The class challenged me, but in a way that felt motivating rather than overwhelming. It reshaped my perspective on chemistry and boosted my confidence in tackling complex scientific concepts.
WinterNairobi, Kenya
Interning at the Strathmore Institute of Healthcare Management through the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding.
In this seminar-style class, we spent ten weeks reading and discussing powerful contemporary works written in French by authors such as Shane Haddad, Nina Bouraoui, Kamel Daoud, Djaïli Amadou Amal, Gaël Faye, and Riad Sattouf. The seminar’s intimate format fostered rich conversations about identity, memory, biculturalism, gender, and displacement across the Francophone world. What made the course especially unique was our final creative project, which we crafted in Dartmouth’s Book Arts Workshop, allowing us to merge literary analysis with hands-on artistry. This class deepened my appreciation for Francophone literature and challenged me to think critically and creatively.
Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya after Nairobi, and it's home to some of the best beaches along the Indian Ocean. Since I'm biased as a Kenyan-American, I would say that they're actually the best beaches in the whole world. But seriously, it's my absolute favorite vacation spot out of all the places I've visited. So you can imagine my excitement when my Aunt told me that she would be traveling for work there and wanted to invite her daughters and me along with her for the weekend. Girl's trip!!
I quickly packed a carry-on suitcase (in my defense, I don't have a duffle bag with me currently) and made sure to account for the even hotter weather that I would be welcomed by. On Friday, I left work after lunch and rushed home, where I caught an Uber with my cousins to the SGR train station. We arrived way too early for our 3:00 pm train, but we didn't care. We sat in the waiting area, buzzing with excitement. We finally boarded and began our 5½ hour ride to Mombasa. The ride was scenic as we passed wide sections of fields, mountains, and the occasional village. At one point, many people were standing to look out at the elephants grazing. I looked up from my book once to see what looked like a younger sister running after her older brother in her school uniform. Oh yeah, I should take this chance to give you guys an amazing book recommendation. I was reading sensational film writer andDartmouth Alumna Shonda Rhimes' memoir "Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person." This book was so good (I just finished it) that I genuinely couldn't lift my eyes from the page too many times, even to see the beautiful landscape.
I fell in love with this place!
We arrived around 8:30 pm and were met by the hustle and bustle of taxi drivers shouting over each other to get riders. We beelined for our car and we were on our way to the Hotel Englishpoint Marina. This is a stunning 5-star hotel that we thoroughly enjoyed. Just know if you go, it borders a large creek and not the ocean, but we were still able to take dips after swimming in the amazing infinity pool. I was surprised by the vast array of restaurants and the fact that, as we sat eating on the dock, we could clearly see Old Town Mombasa Island right across the creek. Within the Old Town is Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This fort was built by the local Swahili people around 1593 as a way of guarding the Old Port of trade by order of King Felipe II of Spain, who also reigned as Felipe I of Portugal. To this day, Fort Jesus is maintained by the Portuguese and recognized as a testament to the first successful attempt by a Western power to establish influence over the Indian Ocean trade. On Sunday morning, I took a tour of this fort, which is actually shaped like a man viewed from above. We had an insightful tour guide who made the experience so informative.
This was the right arm entrance!
After the tour, we had a delicious lunch at the Forodhani Restaurant on the island, which serves seafood and authentic Swahili cuisine. I had a crab dish with butter naan (fun fact: Kenya has many Indian and Arabic influences), and the rest of my family chose equally mouth-watering dishes. A walk through the island afterward got us ready to swim for the last time at the Hotel before we left that evening. Ah, that mini-vacay was too sweet and too short! What made it even more meaningful was knowing that this incredible opportunity was only possible because of the internship Dartmouth's Dickey Center for International Understanding helped make accessible. My work this summer not only grounded me in community health and cross-cultural engagement but also brought me physically and intellectually to this part of the world—a place I now feel more connected to through both work and leisure.
The rumors are true, guys: engineering is hard. It took some adapting for me to find my pace and excel in the major. But, that was only possible due to the kind words of a Dartmouth professor.
Professor of English, author of multiple books on American literature, and recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and the Mellon Foundation—meet Professor Colleen Boggs.
