Hi! I'm Colleen! So far, I've studied abroad in Beijing, China and Cusco, Peru, interned at a start-up in Mexico City, and completed a non-profit consulting project in Lima, Peru with the Tuck School of Business. I'm currently working on a two-year project to identify ways to promote female empowerment through entrepreneurship in South America and East Asia. When I'm not traveling, you can find me advising DEN, exploring the Upper Valley, or debating the outcome of The Bachelor with friends.
Academic Program
Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Modified with Economics Major; Human-Centered Design Minor
As a freshman, I chose to take an upper-level seminar class that ended up becoming one of my favorite classes at Dartmouth -- and Prof. Clark has become my mentor and research advisor!
Compared to my high school foreign language classes that focused on grammar, I LOVED that this course focused on discussing movies, reading novels, and engaging in stimulating debates--all in Spanish!
A seven-person seminar class with my favorite professor (Prof. Clark) discussing the impact of religion on politics and economics... I don't think I could have possibly asked for more.
SummerBeijing, China - Chinese FSP
Studying abroad in Beijing, China my freshman summer was the best decision I could have made at the time. After a year of intensive language studies at Dartmouth, I was immersed in Chinese language and culture at Beijing Normal University.
FallCusco, Peru - Spanish LSA+
I LOVED living with a host family in Cusco, Peru and taking classes with Peruvian profs during my Spanish LSA+. My friends and I took experiential learning to the next level by traveling to Machu Picchu, the Amazon, Lima, Lake Titicaca, and more!
This was the class that made me realize my passion for Human-Centered Design. The project-based course challenged me to think differently and it changed the way I approached problem- solving on a daily basis!
SpringMexico City, Mexico - Internship Abroad
Thanks to full funding from the DEN, I spent the spring of 2017 completing a 10-week fellowship with LocalAventura, a travel, tech start-up in Mexico City. This meaningful, hands-on experience re-ignited my passion for entrepreneurship!
SummerHanover, NH and Lima, Peru - Paganucci Fellowship
I was able to petition to take Sophomore Summer "off" to work full-time as a Paganucci Fellow with the Tuck School of Business. I spent the summer working with a small team on a social entrepreneurship consulting project with a non-profit in Peru.
This class has a waitlist of over 40 people, and it's clear to see why. Prof. Compton teaches public speaking with an experiential learning approach, allowing me and my peers to improve through practice.
This course combined the study of social entrepreneurship and its manifestations with hands-on practice of creating our own social venture business plans and ventures pitches! My project group and I created a business that aims to support impoverished, indigenous women in Cusco, Peru and are currently working with our professor to turn this idea into a self-sustaining social business.
The Senior Design Challenge might just be my favorite class I have taken at Dartmouth! At the start of the term, my partner and I were given the challenge of figuring out how to use leftover Nike materials to improve the quality of life for individuals experiencing homelessness. By having the autonomy to fully immerse ourselves in the human-centered design process, my partner and I have learned how to pivot from one idea to the next and feel a remarkable sense of pride and complete ownership over our project!
When I first told my parents that I wanted to complete back-to-back study abroad programs in two very different countries (China and Peru) the summer and fall following my first year at Dartmouth, I was met with mixed emotions.
In talking about Dartmouth, I think it can be very easy to omit the discussion of friendship. I never actually take the time to talk about my day-to-day experiences and the people who truly make Dartmouth feel like a home...
Perhaps this is my junior-year self finally realizing that I only have three terms left at Dartmouth, but, this term, I found myself struggling to figure out which classes to take.
This term, I am really excited to be enrolled in the Senior Design Challenge, a course that was created to bring together 20 seniors from all over campus for a two-term sequence of need-finding, problem-solving, and designing for a client.
"Hi, I'm Colleen, and I am an Asian and Middle Eastern Studies modified with Economics major and a Human-Centered Design minor." I honestly cannot tell you the number of times I've repeated this sentence at networking events, interviews, and one-o
Are non-partying students able to find their niche?
A:
Absolutely! I choose not to drink and very rarely engage in the party scene on campus, and I've still been able to find an incredible community of friends whose interests match my own.
As both an Economics and Chinese major, I sometimes feel like I have a dual academic identity — one part of which is business and numbers-driven and another part that’s focused more heavily on the social sciences and on developing a working under
I'm probably not the first (nor the last) to say that college is hard, capital H-A-R-D. In a ten-week term, courses go by quickly and assignments can start piling up.
