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.
At Dartmouth, students are just as involved in activities outside of the classroom as they are in their classes! There are tons of clubs, organizations, and student groups, from performance groups and intramural sports teams to professional development organizations and cultural and identity-based student organizations. These extracurricular activities help students explore their non-academic interests and goals and are also an amazing way to meet new people! When I returned to Dartmouth at the beginning of this term, after being away from campus for six months, I decided to get involved in more extracurricular activities in order to reconnect with the campus community after spending a long time away from it.
This term, I am an economics peer tutor for the Academic Skills Center. Peer Tutoring is just one of the ways that the Academic Skills Center supports student learning. The Academic Skills Center helps students achieve their academic goals through several programs such as individual tutoring, group tutoring, wellness activities, group study sessions and so much more. The Peer Tutoring Program allows students to benefit from a collaborative and more relaxed learning environment. Peer Tutoring is offered for introductory STEM and social science classes and tutoring sessions are led by a Dartmouth student who has taken that course and has done well in it. Being a peer tutor this term has allowed me to re-familiarise myself with some important economic concepts that will be relevant as I continue with the economics major. It has also allowed me to meet new and interesting people in my tutoring group.
I am also a facilitator for the Dartmouth Leadership, Attitude, and Behaviours (D-LAB) Program organized by the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences. D-LAB is a term-long program designed for first-year students to discover the relationship between leadership and personal values. I did D-LAB as a participant in the winter of my freshman year, and it was an amazing source of personal growth and development, especially as an international student in a new environment. After first-year students sign up for D-LAB, they are placed in different smaller groups and each group is led by two co-facilitators who have participated in D-LAB before.
Lastly, I signed up for the Rockefeller Center's Global Leadership Program (RGLP). If you've noticed, I love the Rockefeller Center and the programs they organize! I've participated in three Rockefeller Center programs so far—D-LAB, RGLP, and First-Year Fellows—and each one has been an amazing experience. RGLP helps students develop their intercultural leadership competencies through discussions about topics such as cultural identity, cross-cultural communication, diversity, self-awareness, and leadership using scenario act-outs, case studies, and group presentations.
These extracurricular activities have given me great avenues to develop and grow as a person, enhance my academic experiences and meet new people from various backgrounds.
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!
