“It is one thing to say you want to do something and another to act on it,” said Allison Falls, a first-year student who said the work of the Black Lives Movement and the COVID-19 pandemic exposed long-established racial injustices that solidified her desire to work in the healthcare field. Falls is one of 16 first and second-year students selected for the 2020 Scholars Fellowship, a new year-long program sponsored by The Purpose Project at Duke that explores and engages the challenges of racial justice work that the events of 2020 have cast in such sharp relief.
Throughout the course of the year, the 16 scholars will participate in an 8-week intensive preparatory seminar series to gain foundational insights into the landscape of racial justice and into students’ location within that space; immerse themselves in a community-based project for racial justice through Duke Engage; and will participate in a fall course that builds upon and expands the spring and summer experiences to critically reimagine the future of work for racial justice.
“We are thrilled to launch this new fellowship and to work with students who are eager to think critically about race and its impact on the world in which we live,” said A.J. Walton, associate director of The Purpose Project, who co-directs the program with Ada Gregory, the associate director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics. “In engaging with each other and with practitioners and organizations doing racial justice work, we believe students’ sense of purpose and possibilities will deepen and, in that, will lead them to work towards a different kind of future, while at Duke and long after.”
Alexia Jackson
Alexia Jackson is a first-year student from Centennial, Colorado, intending on majoring in Political Science and Public Policy. On-campus she is involved in the American Futures Institute, where she leads projects centered around elections and democracy, and is a member of Business Oriented Women.
Allison Falls
Allison Falls is a first-year student from Richlands, North Carolina, intending to major in Biology. She is passionate about the cross-section of medicine and racial justice. She is involved with Duke LIFE, the Cardea Fellows Program for students pursuing a health-related career, and Camp Kesem, a group that supports children through and beyond their parent's cancer.
Anisha Reddy
Anisha Reddy is a first-year student from Charlotte, North Carolina. She's planning to major in Public Policy with a minor in Sociology. She's passionate about community organizing and grassroots voter outreach efforts, as well as reforming our criminal justice system. At Duke, Anisha is a staff reporter for The Chronicle and a member of the Duke International Relations Association.
Antwaine Ellison
Antwaine Ellison is a first-year student from Newark, New Jersey, intending to major in Psychology and GSF (Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies). He’s passionate about Black and LGBTQIA+ youth receiving mental health services. He is also a Cardea Fellow, where he takes coursework to prepare him for his future profession.
Ashley Shaaf
Ashley Shaaf is a first-year student from Hillsdale, New Jersey. She intends to major in Computer Science and minor in Medical Sociology. She is passionate about strengthening STEM education in underrepresented communities and closing the racial and gender gap within the field of Computer Science. At Duke, Ashley is a member of the SPIRE Fellows and Women in Tech.
Derek Deng
Derek Deng is a first-year student from Los Angeles, California, majoring in Public Policy and Visual and Media Studies. On campus, he’s a staff columnist at The Chronicle, and is involved in Blue Devils United and Duke Impact Investing Group.
Gabrielle Battle
Gabrielle Battle is a second-year student from Oakland, California, majoring in Public Policy. She is deeply passionate about racial justice and has worked to advocate for marginalized communities, both in her hometown and at Duke. On campus, she is involved in the Black Student Alliance's Advocacy and Caucasus Committee, and she recently served on the Presidential Council on Black Affairs. She also serves as a research assistant for the Last Child Project at the Kenan Institute, as well as a research assistant at the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School.
Mackenzie Culp
Mackenzie Culp is a first-year student from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She intends to major in sociology in order to pursue her interest in the study of racial and gender hierarchies, as well as Spanish and Portuguese. At Duke, Mackenzie is a member of The American Experience FOCUS cluster, the Black Student Alliance, DukeLIFE, and the David M. Rubenstein Scholars Program and hopes to become involved with more student organizations in less abnormal semesters.
Quinn Smith
Quinn Smith is a second-year student majoring in public policy from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Aspiring to create change through storytelling, Quinn grapples with telling hard truths concerning Native American history, existence, and identity. His current project with Duke Gardens will transform the popular attraction into a space that tells indigenous stories. Quinn is a documentarian, filmmaker, writer for The Wellian Magazine, and violinist in the Duke Symphony.
Swetha Rajagopal
Swetha Rajagopal is a second-year student from Chandler, Arizona, who intends to double major in Biology and Global Health. She is passionate about delving into the issues of racial injustice present within the areas of housing, education, and healthcare. At Duke, Swetha is a DSG Senator on the Durham and Community Affairs Committee, and she was previously a Kenan Ethics in Place Fellow, in which she worked to expand access to healthcare for undocumented immigrants in Arizona.
Tessa Delgo
Tessa Delgo is a second-year student from Dunedin, Florida. She intends on double majoring in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology. At Duke, she is an editor for the Recess, the Arts & Culture section of The Chronicle, and works with the Community Empowerment Fund.
Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace is a second-year student from Apex, North Carolina, studying "Constructions of Race and Racial Attitudes in America" through Program II. He is interested in how he can leverage different mediums, from documentary to data, to investigate racial disparities and advocate for social justice. On campus, he serves as a co-chair of The Chronicle's Community Editorial Board and produces podcasts for Hear at Duke.
Eric Gim
Eric Gim is a current sophomore from Fullerton, California. He is intending to major in Economics with a Concentration in Finance, with a double minor in Political Science and Korean. He's passionate about the intersection between racial and economic inequality—especially in its role in influencing access to educational opportunities for marginalized communities. At Duke, Eric is an intern with the Nasher Museum of Art as well as a representative in Quad Council.
Matt Mohn
Matt Mohn is a first-year student from Houston, TX intending to major in Public Policy with a certificate in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He is passionate about the ways that people’s lived experiences shape the way that communities vote and evolve. At home in Texas, he contributes to anti-gerrymandering campaigns but on campus he is a member of DIRA and Duke Debate.
Celine Wei
Celine Wei is a second-year student from Colleyville, Texas, planning on majoring in Literature and minoring in Sociology. She is involved with the Asian American Studies Working Group and Asian Students Association, as well as an opinion columnist for the Chronicle and a Huang Fellow. In addition, she works with Durham Beyond Policing and is passionate about abolitionist and anti-imperialist organizing.
Funded by a grant from The Duke Endowment, The Purpose Project at Duke is a multi-year, campus-wide initiative focused on integrating a focus on character, purpose, and vocation into undergraduate, graduate, and professional education. The initiative is hosted by the Kenan Institute for Ethics in collaboration with the Divinity School and the Office of Undergraduate Education.
