Student Snapshot: Louis-David Kakou '23
Louis-David Kakou ’23 is a political-science major and Côte d'Ivoire native who interned at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, with support through Dickinson’s Internship Grant program—specifically, through the DTP ’80 Internship Fund. Louis-David also studied at SciencePo in Toulouse and now serves as global ambassador. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis and playing and composing music. After publishing compositions on YouTube for a couple of years, he was contacted by a well-known French group, Ouss & Riane (OR). The group, which is signed with Universal Music France, used one of his beats for a song that has appeared on an OR album and is played at concerts.
Hometown:
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Major:
Clubs and organizations:
Black Student Union, Dickinson-in-France program (global ambassador) and United Nations–USA.
Honors/scholarships/awards:
Full international student scholarship.
Favorite book:
Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.
Favorite movie/show/podcast:
Black Mirror.
Best thing about my major:
What I like about political science is the variety and diversity in terms of post-graduation employment. Many think that it only leads to politics, but you can very well go to banking, humanitarian work, sociology, etc.
Favorite place on campus:
D-walk.
Favorite class:
Political Philosophy. It was fascinating to see how the political and social thoughts of people who lived centuries before us can still apply to life today.
On studying abroad:
I studied abroad in Toulouse for the entire 2021-22 academic year. Toulouse allowed me to experience Dickinson differently. The most valuable part about studying abroad was how I was able to discover other cultures, form new experiences and learn more about myself in the process. Taking classes that interest me and enjoying my intercultural experience really is what made this experience great.
About my internship:
During the summer of 2022 I interned with UNESCO at their headquarters in Paris. During this three-month immersion in the world of international relations, I had the opportunity to participate in conferences, attend high-level meetings, write speeches and do analytical research. This internship was a way for me to see the impact of my liberal-arts education and understand the skills I have been able to acquire over the past three years at Dickinson. Putting into practice what I learn in the classroom made me realize that Dickinson's education allowed me to enter rooms where real decisions are made and that it really prepares students for the professional world.
Most important thing I’ve learned so far:
Nothing is unachievable!
Proudest accomplishment so far:
I produced music for a French group at Universal Music France. I play a little bit of piano and guitar, so I record myself playing, put it into music software, add drums, mix every instrument, find a structure and publish it on YouTube. After publishing multiple compositions on YouTube for a couple of years, I was contacted by French group, Ouss & Riane (OR), signed at Universal Music France, which wanted to take one of my beats and rap on it. This was a major accomplishment for me, because I make music as a hobby and never expected to go this far and sign such a big contract with real artists and even have this music played at concerts. The song is called JSCF by OR.
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Published January 26, 2023