Building Community as an International Student

Welcome to the July 2024 edition of the Dartmouth College Fund's student-produced vlog! This month's featured student is Privat, a ’26 from Burundi.

The diversity of nationalities at Dartmouth is one of the most special characteristics of our community. Even so, the transition for international students isn't always immediate.

At first, Privat found himself struggling to communicate and learn across the language divide. Determined not to let this hold him back, he found resources like the Academic Skills Center and communities like his soccer team. With the right friends and tools, Privat has found success and belonging in Hanover.

Full Video Transcript

My name is Privat. I am a rising junior studying economics at Dartmouth College. I'm originally from Burundi in East Africa. One of the challenges I faced when I got to campus was the language barrier. I came to Dartmouth College from the Burundi French system. It was hard for me to be able to communicate with my classmates, but also to be able to succeed academically. One of the tools that I was able to use was the Academic Skills Center. They introduced me to Dartmouth resources, whether it's the library resources and how to navigate them, or different tools I could use to be able to improve my writing, my communication and my ability to listen.

Soccer has had an important role in my academic success because when I play soccer, it helps me reduce stress, feel relaxed, and helps me to focus on classes and also to be dedicated to the academic studies as well.

I think one of the reasons why I chose Dartmouth is the community. The people I have met during soccer, we keep building relationships together. We work together on different tasks. We go out together. Whether we are outdoors, whether it's during soccer or even in classes, they are my best friends. I think one of the classes I enjoyed the most was introduction to programming and the computation, which is CS1 at Dartmouth College. It was a very fantastic class because it was my first time learning about information technology, learning coding, and it was amazing for me to be able to learn skills that I was able to apply to a real world scenario.

Since my freshman year, I would say that my experience has changed from adaptation to connection, from fear to confidence, because at this point, I'm able to work on my tasks without any problem. I transformed myself into someone who can handle situations without necessarily asking for support, but I also still recognize the importance of the community or the importance of teamwork in my academic process. Thank you so much to the donors and everyone who is doing an amazing job to make this place possible, to make education affordable for everyone, and make Dartmouth an excellent school.