Spring Break, Summer Opportunites, and Semester Programming! Oh My!
For those of you in Durham, we survived Snowpocalypse 2016 or Snowniño as my house has been referring to the winter precipitation we received this weekend. It is hard to imagine the warmer months of spring and summer when there is still snow on the ground. But DEADLINES for both spring and summer undergraduate opportunities at Kenan are quickly approaching. I have been fortunate enough to have participated in a majority of these programs during my undergraduate career. After reading about the other programs I have not participated in, and talking to the faculty and staff who are making these opportunities possible, make me want to go back to school to take advantage of these awesome programs.
Deadlines:
January 29, 2016
Alternative Spring Break will be heading to Tucson, Arizona and Mexico to immerse into different migration issues related to the US-Mexican border.
This trip will be a new experience for me, as I have not previously thought about migration issues through a domestic lens as critically as I have migration issues in other countries. To prepare I have been reading up on the organizations that we will be visiting and working with. The more I read about the groups the more I want to spend a whole year with them. While a week is a short time period, I’m positive we will be able to learn a lot and be able to share our experiences with others.
February 5, 2016
Kenan Summer Fellows allows freshmen and sophomore undergraduates the opportunity to craft a summer project specific to their individual ethical interests and inquiries and research their topic. (Up to $5,000 summer stipend and $500 for advisors)
The summer of 2013 I utilized this fellowship to travel to Washington, D.C., New York City, and South Korea to research the ethics of international adoption. Although this summer was the most challenging thing I have ever done and pushed me way beyond my comfort zone, I gained so much insight on myself and helped me recognize capabilities I did not know I posed.
Pathways of Change is a NEW summer program, which will pair three undergraduates with a business and human rights partner organization (see website for partner list) for a summer-mentored experience. ($5,000 stipend)
This is definitely one of the opportunities I wish I was a student again. I first was introduced to the idea of corporate social responsibility my first year of college on a field trip to NYC after meeting Christine Bader. After reading Bader’s book [When Girl Meets Oil] The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist and Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry’s this summer I was intrigued by the possible growth corporations can achieve by focusing on their human rights impact.
February 15, 2016
Members of the Duke Community who incorporate ethics into their work and are able to share their work with the Duke/Durham community can apply for a Kenan Campus Grant. (Up to $500)
Also, here is a list of some of the events that Kenan is sponsoring this semester:
Every other Wednesday: January 27-March 23, 2016
Film Series is free and open to the public! Chef’s Table, Wall-E, Black Gold, The Hundred-Foot Journey, and Chef will be screened in the Griffith Film Theater in the Duke Bryan Center Student Union at 7pm.
February 1, 2016
Do Lunch with Father Greg Boyle. Undergraduates are welcome to sign-up for a catered lunch with “Father G” to hear about his work at the largest and most successful gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.
If you are looking for your new book to read, Father Boyle’s book Tattoos on the Heart: Stories of Hope and Compassion is an excellent.
February 17, 2016
What is Good Art? Exhibit Opening will be at 5pm. Come check out fellow peers’ works of art and vote for your favorite piece. The theme of this year’s competition is food and culture.
February 27, 2016
Recipes with Resettled Refugees will be a cooking class open to 20 (max) participants. Hosted in an off-campus kitchen, resettled refugees will teach students how to prepare traditional dishes and share the meal prepared. (Transportation provided)
Yesterday as I was talking with the girls I have been a mentor to since sophomore year, it truly sunk in that this is my last semester at Duke (for the foreseeable future). I think that with a semester that is so jam-packed with such neat programs it is hard to look beyond to summer. While I have slight tunnel vision honed into this semester, please try to think about all the neat spring and summer plans you could make through Kenan!
