With my Duke Engage experience coming to an end in the next couple of weeks, I think my biggest takeaway from participating in this program has been the benefit of knowing that my work is having an impact on the community of students who will hopefully participate in our coursework in the future. Reflecting on my work and discussing it with other students has definitely helped me to recognize the importance of analyzing your intentions and the impact of your actions in a work environment. While Duke Engage has looked very different from what I had imagined when I applied last fall, I’ve still had a fulfilling experience through the work that I’ve done and the people I’ve met. Even though this is my last week of having a structured discussion section with other students, I’m staying on my project for a few more weeks to help finish filming and editing the video modules of our lessons. In order to stay engaged without a student discussion group, I’ll continue to ask myself many of the questions that we talk about in these discussion meetings, and continue to research how I can best benefit the community of students who will participate in our health curriculum in the future. I’ll likely encounter obstacles, such as questioning my role as a Duke student in teaching others, but I think the best way to continue my work is to make sure to reflect what I’m doing and what it means for others, especially the next generation of students interested in science and possibly a career in healthcare. I also have a team of determined students from Duke and Emory who are also continuing on this project, which has been and will continue to be a great support system this summer. Overall, I’m really happy with the work I’ve accomplished through Duke Engage, and I feel that it’s been a really fulfilling and rewarding experience, even with all of the changes this summer.
