Hi guys! I'm Chidera and I'm a '25 from Lagos, Nigeria. I've lived in a big city for nearly half of my life, so it's great to experience the scenic outdoor spaces surrounding Dartmouth. Outside of the classroom, I conduct research with the economics department, I'm a peer tutor for the Academic Skills Center and I'm also involved with the Dartmouth Energy Alliance.
Taking this class was a random and unexpected decision that I am so happy I made. This class was about the intersection between human and primate evolution and our social behaviors. It really opened my eyes to how unique and beautifully diverse different societies are, and how this uniqueness influences our biology in interesting ways.
Taught by Professor Doyle, this has been my favorite class at Dartmouth so far. It was a calculus integrated with economic applications of the concepts we learned. It was the first time this class was offered at Dartmouth, and Professor Doyle made sure we all had a thorough understanding of the material. The fact that we were also able to see the real-world applications of the calculus concepts also made the class uniquely interesting.
I took this class to fulfill Dartmouth's first-year seminar requirement. In selecting a first-year seminar class, I sought out a department that I would not have taken a class in otherwise. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience and I learnt so much about Parisian Impressionist painters in the late 19th century like Monet, Manet, Degas, Morisot and Renoir. It also taught me about the political, social and economic conditions that typically inspire pivotal art movements.
SummerWashington D.C.
This summer, I interned at the International Finance Corporation in DC, through the Rockefeller Center's First-Year Fellows program which gives first-year students the opportunity to engage in public policy early in their Dartmouth careers. I lived with about twenty other members of Dartmouth's Class of 2025 and got to experience life in a vibrant city while gaining professional work experience.
I spent this term in Accra, Ghana for the African and African American Studies department's Foreign Study Program (FSP). I'm so glad I was able to take advantage of one of Dartmouth's study-abroad programs. During this FSP, I got to explore a new country and city while taking classes taught by the amazing professors at the University of Ghana.
After being away from campus for six months, I decided to start working towards fulfilling my distributive requirements. To fulfill my ART distrib, I took a Russian film class with a friend. It was an amazing experience and a testament to the ways a liberal arts education encourages you to approach each class through an interdisciplinary lens. For my final essay in this class, I explored the ways that government and political culture affect the nature of the film industry in different countries.
This class is one of the prerequisites for the international economics track's culminating experience. Dartmouth's economics major allows you to focus on a specific field that you're interested in, while also having the opportunity to take a couple of classes in other fields. Before taking this class, I had always been interested in international economics and this class definitely cemented my interests in the field.
I used my sophomore summer off term to conduct research with the economics department through the Dartmouth Economics Research Scholars and with the funding of the James O. Freedman Presidential Scholarship. My research project, which was mentored and advised by a faculty member, focused on the effects of European Union climate policy on the economy of my home country, Nigeria. It gave me the opportunity to apply and better understand several concepts I learnt in economics classes at Dartmouth.
This was the most enjoyable and impactful class I have ever taken at Dartmouth! Each assigned reading and class discussion was more enthralling and thought-provoking than the last. This class taught me how to think outside the box, write academic articles in the field of the humanities and how to intellectualise and synthesise my own lived experiences in a way that contributes meaningfully to existing literature in African Studies. Lastly, it taught me to think critically about pressing social issues within the African continent.
Dartmouth prides itself on having one of the most tight-knit and active alumni networks on the planet. Countless alumni reunions and events are held at Dartmouth each weekend, and during Homecoming, Winter Carnival, and Green Key, hundreds of Dartmouth alumni pour in from all over the world to visit their beloved alma mater. Being in DC this summer and participating in the Rockefeller Center's First Year Fellows program (a program that allows first-year students to engage in public policy through fellowships with Dartmouth alumni mentors), I've been able to really see just how special the Dartmouth alumni network is.
During our first week in DC, the First-Year Fellows visited the US Capitol. During our Capitol visit, we met with Congresswoman Annie Kuster and Senator Rob Portman, both members of Dartmouth's Class of 1978. We were able to ask them questions about their roles as legislators while also having fun conversations about Dartmouth and the experiences and memories we share and enjoy as members of the Dartmouth community. During that same week, the Rockefeller Center hosted a reception for First-Year Fellows and Dartmouth alumni who lived and worked in DC. This was one of my favorite events of this summer so far. There's a common belief that Dartmouth graduates tend to predominantly go into finance and consulting, but I met so many alumni from several different and interesting lines of work, from renewable energy specialists to alumni who worked at the State Department. At first, I was nervous about talking to these accomplished professionals, but we were able to bond and have amazing conversations based on our shared Dartmouth experiences.
Having an alumni mentor for my summer fellowship has also been so helpful. When I first started my fellowship, I was quite intimidated by how much younger and less experienced than everyone I was in the organization. There also aren't a lot of undergraduate interns; other interns typically have master's degrees and a couple of years of work experience! But my mentor helped me feel much more welcome by introducing me to different people and helping me realize the value I add to the organization through the work I'm doing.
Last week, the Dartmouth Club of DC hosted a summer send-off for the incoming Class of 2026 and invited the First-Year Fellows. Since I live in Lagos, Nigeria and there aren't a lot of Dartmouth alumni there, I never had a summer send-off before I started at Dartmouth. It is such an amazing way to meet alumni as well as other members of your class. It was so fun talking to the '26s about the things they were anticipating and the things they were nervous about. It also made me realize just how much I miss Dartmouth and how connected I feel to the Dartmouth community.
