Admissions
D-E Profiles

Erika Ogino '16

I started D-E my sophomore year. I live in River Edge, NJ, but I was born in Thailand and I grew up in the Netherlands, the Philippines, and France. I have a sister, Marie ’20, attending D-E in the ninth grade.
 
My favorite classes have been my French classes with Madame Tal and Senior Honors Focus. Madame Tal's French classes were unlike any other French class I have ever taken because she taught us vocabulary by immersing the students in French culture and current events. This year, Madame Tal and I worked together to develop and Independent Study program where I would work as a Teaching Assistant. Senior Honors Focus has by far been the most challenging course I have taken at Dwight-Englewood. My thesis paper was on Blood-Based Biomarkers for the Intervention of Alzheimer's Disease. For the spring semester of the course, students are required to perform fieldwork to complement their research. With the help of the Alumni office, I was able to receive an internship at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain. I was able to look at the influence of physical activity on Alzheimer's Disease incidence in racially diverse populations.
 
My favorite activity has always been Model UN. From my first year at D-E, I have been a dedicated member of the D-E MUN. I have had the pleasure of serving as a Secretary General of the club for the past two years. It's been wonderful to see the club grow exponentially in the past couple years and I hope that the club will continue to thrive at D-E. 
A typical day during my senior year was very different from a typical day during my other years at D-E. During senior year, half of my days would usually be STEM-oriented with my AP Physics or College Linear Algebra courses and the other half of my day would be filled with AP Art History and AP English. During my free times, you would either find me working on my senior focus project or being a TA in Madame Tal's classroom. My lunches were always filled with clubs. After school, I would either be at track practice or at the Taub Institute working on my focus project.
 
Throughout my high school career, I have been involved in activities related to nuclear disarmament (I volunteered at the NGO on Disarmament, Peace, and Security), and for my senior year, I wanted to be able to bring my disarmament awareness work to school. My hope is to engage my peers both on and beyond the D-E campus to become more knowledgeable, proactive, and responsible for the issues that affect us all. I was able to invite a Hibakusha (a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombs), Ms. Shigeko Sasamori, to speak to the Upper School students.  I felt that with nuclear disarmament, political and diplomatic considerations clouded and complicated the issue. If we could just see the humanitarian considerations, the issue would be much simpler. I think that Ms. Sasamori really highlighted how our lives are more valuable than war, and how we must take care of each other and the planet.
 
As for next year, I will be attending Dartmouth College where I plan to continue my research on Alzheimer's Disease and my nuclear disarmament awareness work. Senior year has been the highlight of my D-E school experience. I have felt that my contributions and accomplishments this year have had the most impact. Additionally, during the weeks leading up to graduation, I really saw the Class of 2016 come together for our various senior activities and traditions. 
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Mailing Address: 315 East Palisade Avenue Englewood, NJ 07631
gps: 81 Lincoln Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-9500 Email: d-e@d-e.org
Located in Englewood, New Jersey, Dwight-Englewood is a greater New York City area private school with a rigorous college prep curriculum for boys and girls in preschool through grade 12.