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.
This past week at Dartmouth, decisions for the 2024-2025 foreign study and exchange programs were released. I did not apply for any programs this year since I plan to be at Dartmouth all three terms of my senior year, but some of my freshman and sophomore friends will be going on some study abroad programs next year. After going on the Ghana Foreign Study Program (FSP) for the African and African-American Studies (AAAS) department, I was especially excited to hear that two of my friends in the class of 2026 will also be going on the AAAS FSP in Ghana. Talking with them about what to expect from the program made me remember all the great memories and lessons I made and learned from my study abroad experience.
First and foremost, my study abroad experience was the main reason I decided to pursue a major in AAAS, which has been an incredibly valuable part of my academic journey at Dartmouth. Because AAAS classes are often cross-listed with other departments (a cross-listed course is a single course offered by two or more undergraduate departments or programs), I've been able to explore so many departments such as comparative literature, women, gender and sexuality studies, sociology, government, and history—the true liberal arts experience.
During my study abroad, my classmates and I were also able to connect with two new professors at the University of Ghana. Learning from them in class, finding out about their interests and research, and being able to have an academic experience in the context of a different university in a different country was truly an honor. They were also incredibly kind and personable, inviting us to dinners, celebrating birthdays with us, going on field trips with us and generally contributing to our cultural immersion.
My study abroad experience also reminded me of the importance of connecting lessons learned in the classroom with the real world. In Ghana, through various field trips, excursions, seminars and museum visits, I was constantly able to see the real manifestations of concepts learned in class. When we read a book about wells used for bathing and the castles within which enslaved persons were held during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we actually visited a town in which several of these wells were located and the site of these castles. When we learned how local small-business owners interact with the global economic system, we met with the owner of a local textile business to hear about her experiences exporting her products. Most importantly, I made an amazing group of friends during my study abroad, made some unforgettable memories and explored a new country and culture.
