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.
Although winter term ended a week ago and the first day of spring term is still several days away, I've been spending my spring break in Hanover. Although I usually spend spring break and other breaks in between Dartmouth terms visiting friends in other colleges in the US, reuniting with some members of my extended family and spending time back home in Nigeria, this term, for various reasons, I'm spending my spring break in Hanover! Many Dartmouth students, especially student-athletes and international students remain on campus during breaks.
With a lot of free time now that we don't have classes to attend, problem sets to work on, homework to turn in or exams to study for, I and a group of other Dartmouth students have been hanging out and enjoying our spring break on campus. Earlier this week, we had an interesting conversation about how being on campus allows you to truly focus on the charming, calm and wholesome aspects of Hanover. We realized that, although Hanover is far from being a large city like New York or Los Angeles, the fast-paced nature of student life, the D-Plan and the quarter system give it more of a hustle and bustle than it would naturally have. Although Hanover remains a quaint New England town regardless of the circumstances, as a Dartmouth student, it is easy to lose sight of this in the midst of the fast-paced nature of student life.
This conversation gave me a really insightful perspective and inspired a more intentional approach to how I spent my spring break. As we sat on the green together enjoying the warmer weather that late winter/early spring brings, I recalled the fact that during a typical Dartmouth term, I would be trying to finish up a reading assignment or prepare for an exam as I sat on the green. This time around, I was enjoying the weather and watching other people and families of the town of Hanover having a fun day outdoors. As we stopped at Still North, a bookstore and cafe in town, to get dessert, it was no longer a study spot for Dartmouth students who wanted a change of scenery from the library; it was a space for other people in town to catch up over a warm drink and explore and pick out a new book to read. More than halfway through my Dartmouth journey, this conversation has truly transformed the way I view this town, and I'm excited to see how this transformations informs the rest of the experiences and memories I will have and make here.
Silly paintings my friends and I did over spring break!
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!
