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.
It's hard to believe that this is the last blog post that I'm writing for this academic year. It's been so exciting to share my Dartmouth experiences with you and I've thoroughly enjoyed putting together each blog post. They've given me so many opportunities to reflect on what I love about the Dartmouth community and my amazing experiences here. The end of this academic year is especially exciting because I will not be returning to Hanover until January 2023. This summer, I will be doing a fellowship in Washington DC and in the fall, I will be studying abroad in. With that in mind, I wanted to make my last blog post for this academic year about the places in the Dartmouth community that I will deeply miss and have made amazing memories with the wonderful members of this community.
Baker-Berry Library
Located at the center of campus, Baker-Berry is the heart of campus activity. From doing group projects on FFB to cranking out late-night projects on the fourth floor, I've formed so many memories in this building. In the winter term, all three of my classes were in the library, so I'd go to Novack Café, located on the ground floor of the library for a quick breakfast, and remain in the building till past noon, after my classes ended. I also had the opportunity to explore the diverse study areas that the library held. From the quiet and warm dark academic atmosphere of Sanborn to the fun and bright feel of Reiss Hall, Baker-Berry offers whatever kind of study space you're looking for.
Collis Center
The Collis Center for Student Involvement is another hub of social activity on campus. Collis hosts so many fun activities open to all students throughout the week, including trivia nights, comedy shows, weekly bingo and my personal favorite, Friday night rock concerts. This term, Collis also became my favorite dining location. I enjoyed the daily breakfast sandwiches, unique lunch specials, pasta, and delicious custom smoothies. Nearly every day of spring term, my friends and I would get stir-fry from Collis for lunch and eat on the green after class.
Mink Brook
Mink Brook is a quiet part of the Connecticut river that runs round most of the perimeter of campus. It's a calm, quiet and serene location that's great for reflection and relaxation. My memories at Mink Brook go all the way back to the beginning of fall term, when I went there for the first time with some amazing Dartmouth students who are still my close friends. Since spring term started and the weather got warmer, I've been going to Mink Brook more often and discovering more and more beautiful trails and paths. It's definitely one of my favorite outdoor spaces on campus.
I am so thankful for all the memories and experiences my freshman year at Dartmouth has brought me and I'm looking forward to making more of these throughout the rest of my stay here. And of course, I look forward to sharing them with you!
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
