Student Becomes Celebrity in Senegal
Eli Conrod-Wovcha ’26 was excited to study abroad in Senegal in the fall of 2024, but he never expected to become a celebrity there.
A French and economics double major at Grinnell, Conrod-Wovcha, is fluent in French and wanted to study in a French-speaking country where he could learn more about economic development. His study-abroad program through the Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) was based in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, where the official language is French. There, Conrod-Wovcha studied and lived with a host family.
One day, a journalist from Voice of America Africa arrived at Conrod-Wovcha’s school, hoping to interview American students planning to vote in the American election remotely while in Senegal. Conrod-Wovcha agreed to be interviewed; the resulting article and video are available online.
“I discussed the experience of following the U.S. election from abroad and not being able to volunteer for political causes as I normally do during election seasons,” he says.
A few weeks later, Radio Télévision Sénégal (RTS) producer and host Issa Thioro Gueye invited Conrod-Wovcha to be part of the station’s coverage of the American election.
Conrod-Wovcha agreed and brought along a friend, Alex Crouse, a student from Santa Clara University. The students were part of a panel with Senegalese professionals and experts on U.S.-Senegalese relations. Video of the RTS live coverage is available on YouTube.
“It was very interesting to hear their perspectives, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to share my experience and help explain the outcomes and consequences of the U.S. election,” Conrod-Wovcha says. “We were on air from shortly after midnight to nearly 2:45 a.m. It was a late night!”
The media appearances might not have been part of Conrod-Wovcha’s original study-abroad plan, but he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “It was super cool,” he says. “My host family helped me prepare and they were so excited to see me on national television! My whole family back home tuned in, too, to see me live on air. Having the opportunity to speak on RTS was a highlight of my study-abroad experience and something I will never forget.”
Conrod-Wovcha says his entire study-abroad experience in Senegal was memorable. He spent the first seven weeks taking classes, and getting to know Dakar and the local culture. He studied Wolof, the most widely spoken language in the country, while also taking classes in the political and historical context of Senegal, and international development with a focus on how microfinance fosters development.
After the classroom portion of the program, each student completed an internship with a local organization. Conrod-Wovcha worked with a microfinance bank called the Mutuelle D'Epargne et de Credit de la Zone de Yoff. “I primarily worked on a project analyzing their micro-credit portfolio to identify inefficiencies in their lending strategies,” he explains.
Conrod-Wovcha says he is grateful for the support of staff at the Minnesota Studies in International Development’s (MSID) Senegal Program, the off-campus study office at Grinnell, and his advisers, Assistant Professor of French Marion Tricoire and Associate Professor of Political Science Leif Brottem. Conrod-Wovcha says his financial aid carried with him and was applied to the cost of the MSID program.
“It was truly a life-changing experience and a highlight of my college experience,” Conrod-Wovcha says. “The experiences I recount here just scratch the surface in terms of the breadth and depth of opportunities I was afforded in Senegal.”