“Give yourself grace.”
I stay inspired by calling my parents and sisters. I call my family. They are really good at keeping me on task and in line with my goals. I love them, they’re the best parts of me. I also stay inspired through prayer. One thing that my aunt got me into is watching sermons. I watch #girlpower sermons, and they never fail to keep me in check.
During pBUILD, we do an identity activity where everyone stands by a sign they resonate with the most when a question is proposed. The question I remember vividly is “What do you worry about on a daily basis?”. I stood at “Immigrant Status.” Although my immigrant status has recently changed, it still stands as something that separated me from others that look like me and continues to separate me.
On campus, I am involved with a lot of committee work for the university. I’ve served on search committees, currently work with Student Affairs, sing in Amandla chorus, and tutor for America Reads and America Counts. I am also a part of Duke and Duchesses and a Project BUILD crew leader.
In my free time, I like to read cheesy romance novels. I watch Jamaican YouTubers because they make me feel close to home. I eat a lot in my free time. Recently, I’ve been bingeing 90 Day Fiance. I also just started watching 7 Deadly Sins and I love it!
I am double majoring in Cultural Anthropology and Public Policy with a minor in Education. These interests are not at all related, but that’s why I like that I have DUU. It’s completely separate!
I like meeting new people, making connections, and bettering the university for everyone. With COVID, it brings a sort of community that we’ve lost and that Duke is used to.
During my Freshman Year, I was a DLCer, matched with DUU’s Non-Programming Committee, and was involved in planning the cohort’s event, Throwback Thursday. I served as the Vice President of Administration my Sophomore Year, through which I took meeting minutes, sent lots of emails, created the blast, and hosted a variety of GBMs. Most recently, as Vice President of External Affairs, I reached out to many other campus groups, served as an alumni liaison, and planned events.
I was first exposed to DUU through BUILD when I heard one of my crew leaders, Catherine Oliver speak so lovingly about it. I looked into it more, and I thought it would be a great opportunity! When the DLC (now the FIP program) applications came out and I saw “leadership cohort”, the over-achiever in me applied. I was fortunate to have gotten in and was placed with the Non-Programming committee. That’s where I’ve been ever since!
