Ann Scott
There is no place on a resume to highlight a position as role-model or to point out that others often use the word "inspirational" in describing you. Living as a strong, independent female is rarely acceptable under "activities" on an application. Perhaps this is why Ann Scott was so surprised to be chosen as one of the four outstanding graduating seniors to be highlighted in The Dartmouth.
"I don't feel like I've moved any mountains," Scott said.
Despite her modesty, Scott has been immensely involved and influential in a myriad of organizations on campus, allowing her to reach a wide network of younger women to whom she can offer support.
"I think that as an older woman, it's your responsibility to support younger women and help them see that there are a lot of strong women at Dartmouth, and it is definitely a path that you can take," Scott said. "I've tried to do what I can just to prove that women can be really confident and can stand up for themselves in situations where a lot of times women here are sort of convinced they shouldn't."
Other students have taken notice to Scott's positive attitude and independent nature.
"Ann's attitude makes her successful in so many aspects of life at Dartmouth. She tackles everything...with great poise and enthusiasm," said Katie Jaxheimer '06, Scott's teammate on the women's varsity tennis team and a member of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. "She holds the attention of a room not in an overbearing way, but by earning the respect of everyone else there. Ann also balances her personal and social life with her commitments with such grace, and never lets the people in her life forget how important they are to her."
"Ann has been really influential in showing me that you can do anything and everything in life. I respect that Ann speaks her mind and can bring about a good debate in any crowd, but most importantly, she is always respectful of others' feelings, needs and time," Kerry Snow '07, also a teammate, said. "I will really miss Ann's unique sense of humor, her competitive nature, her sincere appreciation for puns and her ability to always have a good time."
One of Scott's biggest contributions at Dartmouth has been through Women in Business, where she served as vice president and has been involved since its inception in 2003. As an Economics major with a Gender and Public Policy minor, Scott recognizes disparity among men and women in the business world and the consequent needs of women interested in the field.
"Obviously the corporate world is still male-dominated," Scott said. "What we've done [through WIB] is make a lot of mentoring possible for women [interested in business] and allowing women the opportunity to feel comfortable learning and talking about the business world."
In the fall, Scott will enter the business world as an associate consultant at Bain and Company Consulting in New York City. Scott will focus on maintaining a socially responsible corporate career, a concept she has discussed in great detail through WIB, organizing a panel on the subject last year.
"A lot of people have trouble balancing the desire to go into business and that pull to want to give back to your community," Scott said.
Scott was unsure of how she plans to incorporate what she's learned from this panel into her career, and said she hasn't yet decided what else she'd like to do outside of her job. However, in contemplating the future some years down the road, Scott said that she would hope a newspaper headline about her would read, "Ann Scott starts public policy firm devoted to women's issues."
Scott has been a member of the varsity tennis team for four years and was captain this year, which she says has been her best experience at Dartmouth. She also served as Co-President of Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Marshall of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and as a mentor at Thetford Elementary School.
Nick Stork
A few years ago, the president of Gamma Delta Chi fraternity may not have represented the values and ideals that would mark an outstanding member of the graduation class. According to current president Nick Stork '06, GDX's reputation framed an unwelcoming atmosphere.
"We were making the wrong kinds of headlines almost on a weekly basis," Stork said.
Stork, convinced that his fraternity brothers were better citizens than the fraternity's reputation led people to believe, set out to open minds in and outside of the fraternity during his time as president.
"I knew that these people were my best friends in the world and they were great human beings, incredibly intelligent and valuable citizens of Dartmouth College and the community. So I knew the image was an inaccurate representation of who these people actually were," Stork said.
Stork wanted to open fraternity members' eyes to what was going on outside of the house so they could see where the fraternity needed improvement.
"We started getting guys to be a little more extroverted and open-minded and participating in some of the things going on around campus," Stork said.
Stork referred to the "B*tches in the Basement" panel held at Alpha Delta fraternity in the fall which a large number of GDX members attended.
"I got a lot of positive responses from people I've never met before saying 'I can't believe you guys showed up to this,'" Stork said. "That was a good example of where we've come. I don't think that would have been very well attended [by GDX members] a couple of years ago."
Stork trained as a Sexual Assault Peer Advisor in the winter to increase his understanding of some of the issues being discussed around campus. Stork expressed concern for women on the campus and said he was alarmed by what he learned about sexual assault at Dartmouth through training. Stork was not an active SAPA this spring, though, aware that he would have little time during his final term at Dartmouth. His goals for training as a SAPA were primarily to use what he would learn during training to improve his fraternity.
"The biggest thing is just kind of educating guys," Stork said. "There's a real misconception of what's okay and what's not okay and where that line is. For a lot of guys, what they think is okay is clearly not okay for most women."
GDX was also the first group to invite Mentors Against Violence, a campus group dedicated to ending inappropriate sexual and violent behavior, to give a presentation.
"I think that Stork has been instrumental in making GDX a safe and welcoming place for females on this campus. He approached me about MAV with the attitude that all the guys are really great but they have never spent time to think about respectful relationships and the impact of their actions. Since then, GDX has become increasingly more female-friendly," MAV chair Skye Zeller '07 said.
Stork expressed a deep dedication to his house and its connection to the Dartmouth community.
"Hopefully [GDX is] getting to a place where everyone can come to and feel like they're going be respected and they're in a comfortable environment," Stork said.
During his time at Dartmouth, Stork played on the varsity football team, began an online discussion site for Dartmouth students to converse about Dartmouth-related issues and went on the Biloxi alternative spring break trip. Stork is also a founding partner and president of Stork Investment Partners, and will work for America's Growth Capital, an investment firm in Boston, after graduation.
Kwabena Safo-Agyekum
Dancing with both the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble and Sheba hip-hop dance troupe requires the energy of a full-time job, and nearly the same time dedication as well. In fact, Kwabena Safo-Agyekum is the only Dartmouth student ever to balance the two, and more than that, to truly shine in both.
Safo-Agyekum began dancing on a whim in eighth grade when he "stumbled upon" an African dance class.
"I was just pretty good at it, and it wasn't hard for me to pick up steps or pick up techniques, so my dance teacher quickly put me in her company and a couple of other companies in Brooklyn," Safo-Agyekum said.
Soon, Safo-Agyekum was rehearsing six days a week and performing at venues all over Brooklyn, where he gained the admiration and affection of his dance instructors and choreographers.
Contention broke between Safo-Agyekum's parents and his dance instructors and choreographers at the end of the summer when it was time for Safo-Agyekum to attend Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire, where the opportunities to dance were lessened significantly.
"It's not that [my parents] didn't support me in dancing, they definitely do, but they thought [boarding school] should take priority," Safo-Agyekum said. "I guess I wanted to stay and dance because it was fun, but it wasn't something I had been invested in for my entire life. [Dance] was something [that was] fun while it lasted, but I knew I needed to listen to my parents."
At Exeter, Safo-Agyekum started an all male hip-hop group and joined an already existing hip-hop group on campus. The time commitment was not nearly as demanding as he was used to, and he took up running track in addition to dance. Safo-Agyekum even considered running track in college and spoke to the track coach a few times about joining the team, but ultimately decided to dedicate his time to dance.
Safo-Agyekum is now co-director of Sheba. Between Sheba and DDE, Safo-Agyekum estimates he spends about 24 hours per week dancing.
"I think I [joined both DDE and Sheba] because its just two very different types of dance, and I really like dance and respect the art of it as a whole," Safo-Agyekum said.
Safo-Agyekum's dedication and talent has inspired other dancers on campus.
"I remember one time a [Sheba] member showed hesitation towards wearing sweatpants or some other heavy clothing during a show because she didn't want to sweat. Kwabena told us that we should always sweat during a show, that an audience appreciates a dancer's hard work," Jane Choi, a member of Sheba, said. "This small piece of advice stuck with me, and it helps me stay motivated during our performances. Kwabena's sense of discipline and overall positive attitude has definitely strengthened our entire group."
After graduation, Safo-Agyekum will work at Morgan Stanley, and hopes he will find enough time to dance, although he's unsure whether he will be able to.
Safo-Agyekum thought briefly about a career in dance, but said he does not consider it a viable option, considering that opportunities in the business are rare and difficult to maintain.
While on campus, Safo-Agyekum has been a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and has served as its secretary. This past year he served as the Alumni Diversity intern, an Apprentice Teacher in French, Vice President of Casque & Gauntlet Senior Society and Vice President and Tucker Liaison to the Catholic Student Organization. Safo-Agyekum has also served on the Committee on Standards and as a member of Green Key Society.
Alison Crocker
Balancing time without sacrificing quality is never a simple task at Dartmouth, but varsity skier and physics and astronomy and mathematics double major Alison Crocker manages to shine at every one of her many endeavors at the College.
Academically, Crocker is at the head of her class. During her sophomore year at Dartmouth, Crocker was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Prize for the highest GPA in the 2006 class after five terms of study, which she shared with two other members of the class. Crocker also received Dartmouth's Francis L. Town Prize in 2004 for outstanding work in physics through her freshman and sophomore years. Crocker is graduating with a GPA of 3.98 and most recently she was selected as a Rhodes Scholar, which will fund her graduate study in astrophysics at Oxford University.
"I'm very proud to have been chosen as a Rhodes Scholar. It's an amazing honor and a great opportunity," Crocker said.
Outside of academics, Crocker has been turning heads with her athletic accomplishments. During her freshman year at Dartmouth, Crocker excelled on both the varsity crew team and the varsity Nordic skiing team.
"I really liked both sports, but skiing was where my heart was," Crocker said. "I couldn't do both and stay healthy, so I decided go with skiing and really go for it."
Crocker did "really go for it," helping the team win third place in the NCAA championships.
"Having the ski team get third place this winter, it felt great to be on a team that was doing well. I had a good result there, and everyone was just so excited and our coaches were crying. It was great," she said.
Crocker will not be able to continue skiing at Oxford, although she looks forward to taking up new activities instead.
"I'm slightly upset I won't be able to continue my ski career at Oxford, but I know I'll find other fun things to be involved with. I'm thinking of picking up rowing again, for one," Crocker said. "I feel like you get a fresh start when you change schools. We'll see what catches my eye."
Crocker is also involved in the Dartmouth Outing Club, an organization she never expected to join before matriculating at Dartmouth. Crocker participates in Cabin and Trail and served as chair of the club for two terms. She also competes a few times a year with the forestry team.
Additionally, Crocker serves as a mentor with the Woman in Science Project and as a tutor and study group leader through the Academic Skills Center. Crocker says the key to accomplishing as much as she did is careful time management.
"Trying to avoid survival mode--eating lunch on the run and stuff [is important]," she said. "You have to avoid that limit of stress at being at the point where you're about to break. I think that's really hard to avoid."
Looking back on her four years at Dartmouth, Crocker could not pinpoint a single most rewarding experience.
"The greatest reward is to be able to sit here after 4 years here and not having any regrets, having enjoyed each of the 15 terms I've spent here," Crocker, who has spent every term in Hanover since matriculation freshman year, said.
Crocker now plans to get her doctorate in astrophysics and then study and teach it professionally.
