DukeEngage | Duke Center for Civic Engagement

photo by Eric Van Danen

Senior Duke student Ying-Ying Lu pursued an independent project in Beijing which drew upon her academic interests and background.  Below, she explains what inspired her to pursue this particular project and how she will be channeling her experience back into her life at Duke.

1.  What drew you to this particular project?

The summer after my freshman year, when I volunteered with Dream Corps International in Beijing, was the first time I stepped foot in a migrant worker community in China. That experience opened up a whole new world to me, and I returned to the same community during the summer of 2008 to complete an oral history research project with local children and their parents. The families' stories fascinated me. This year, I knew I wanted to pursue a project that would benefit an organization that supports migrant workers in China, an issue that I have come to care deeply about.

2.  What excited you about working with your community partner?

They are doing some incredible work in Beijing. In partnering with the Cultural Development Center, I worked specifically with the Migrant Women's Club, a branch of the organization that supports women close to my own age who have left their rural hometowns to travel to Beijing in search of work. Oftentimes, these women find themselves caught in cycle of low-paying jobs and a harsh reality that is far divorced from their idealized images of the city. They lack the technical skills, resources, and legal protections to address these challenges. The Migrant Women's Club offers legal aid, a domestic workers support network, a writing workshop, and psychological consultations. The group's programming is run entirely by migrant women themselves! I think this final characteristic bodes well for the organization's potential for sustained, deep impact.

3.  What benefit ultimately do you hope your service will have for your community partner and your host community?

The Center has hosted only a few foreign volunteers in the past.  Going in, I hoped that my language and documentary skills would prove beneficial where needed, and that I would be able to use my outsider's perspective to find creative ways to revise or expand programming. On a personal level, I hoped to forge deep, genuine, and lasting connections with at least a few of the women who are being served by my organization, and to influence them in a positive direction.

4.  How do you hope to put into action what you learned through your DukeEngage experience now back again at Duke? 

I co-teach a house course at Duke entitled "Understanding China," through which I can share my experiences and reflections with a group of peers in an academic setting. Additionally, I plan to continue taking classes related to China and to further explore the topic of migrant labor through independent research with faculty. After graduation, I hope to either attend graduate school in China or spend some time working with an organization in China that deals with migrant issues.
 

DukeEngage is featuring students this year who have participated in both group programs and independent projects.  Check back regularly to view the latest student profile.  

photo by Eric Van Danen

Rollin Say ventured to Brazil this summer to explore an interest in telemedicine within the context of service to communities in need.  Below, he describes what compelled him to design this unique project and what he hoped to gain from it.

1.  What drew you to this particular project?

Telemedicine is an exciting and developing method to provide health care access to remote and rural populations. My interest in medicine and global health drew me to this project, as I see telemedicine as a potentially powerful tool to extend health care to people in need.

2.  What excited you about working with your community partner?

The Edumed Institute and the director, Dr. Renato Sabbatini, are well-established leaders in the field of telemedicine. They have succesfully implemented a number of projects in the past.  I was very excited to be working with such an experienced team.

3.  What benefit do you hope your service will have for your community partner and your host community?

I entered my project hoping to contribute in as many ways as I could to help with the implementation of this project in the Amazon state of Rondonia. I believe my education and set of skills allowed me to learn quickly and to provide valuable service to my community partner and host community.

4.  How do you hope to put into action what you learned through your DukeEngage experience once back at Duke?

I plan on maintaining a strong tie with my community partner. I hope to continue working with telemedicine in the future, whether through further service in the field or research.

DukeEngage is featuring 18 students over the course of the summer participating in both group programs and independent projects.  Check back weekly to view the latest student profile.