Rockefeller Leadership Fellow: Chileta Dim '17

This series introduces the 2016-2017 Rockefeller Leadership Fellows. Each fellow reflects on why he or she wanted to be a part of the program and what aspects of leadership most interests them.

Leadership, as I have come to find it here at Dartmouth, is ultimately service. It is servicing communities, individuals and organizations that make positive change and also giving your talents in the service of a greater good. I am especially drawn to leadership that “meets people where they are,” and helps them on their journeys towards achieving their own goals. This type of leadership requires an understanding of the needs of others in order to create meaningful change.

One particular leadership experience I had was with ExL University during my junior year where I led the marketing and student engagement team.  This project was largely self-directed and self-motivated and really forced me to learn how to interact with different people across campus. Though I learned a lot during this experience, I knew I needed to develop my speaking and persuasive skills, which are crucial for effective communication. I look forward to pursuing this development in RLF.

As a former biomedical engineering major with working experience in several different labs, and as a current history major pursuing my own research, I have the ability to think critically from several angles. I bring to the RLF cohort a different perspective and stimulating voice. Leadership is service, mentorship, and having the words, courage and confidence to enter into the arena of life and succeed. I believe that RLF will help me embody these beliefs.

Chileta Dim is from Tempe Arizona, and graduated from Marcos de Niza High School in 2013. She is a member of the class of 2017 at Dartmouth College and is studying History. She is currently doing research with the Dartmouth Vietnam Project, was a member of the Dartmouth House Advisory Committee and is a Dartmouth Peer Health Educator. Chileta is also an actor with the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals Shakespeare Company, the only fully student run theatre company on campus. Chileta is a Gates Millennium Scholar, a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow and a Management Leadership Tomorrow Fellow. Having done research in both the natural and social sciences Chileta hopes to use her skills in a fulfilling career post-graduation in academia, law or business.

Edited by Rachel Favors '18, Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant for Communications