Duke Students

This a blog run by Duke students for Duke students and prospective Blue Devils.

[dukestudents]

Moving to Medium

Hi everyone!

From here on out, you can find our student blogs at https://medium.com/@dukestudents. We’ll keep our Tumblr live so you can see old posts, but we’re excited to be moving student stories to Medium. We hope you’ll follow along there, and be sure to follow us on our other social media accounts as well!

- The DukeStudents Team

[dukestudents]

“What do students usually like to do after class?” - Anonymous

Hey!

There are so many different things Duke Students do outside of class!

For example:

▪️ Extracurricular activities

Clubs, volunteering, research, etc.

▪️Sports!

We have gyms both on West and East Campus, as well as a small gym on Central Campus. Some do weight training, group classes, rock climbing in the gym, some enjoy being a part of a sport club. For instance, I do figure skating.

▪️ Breakfast/lunch/dinner with friends

....and then you end up talking for two hours in the Marketplace or West Union.

▪️ Homework, of course.

Studying can also be fun if you get creative with it. Some students like to stay in the library on a quiet floor, some study in the common room in their dorms, others go to coffee shops both on campus and in Durham.

▪️ Exploring the city!

There is a mall calles Southpoint which is great for shopping and there is a cinema too. Durham has a lot of interesting places for different types of people.

▪️ Hanging out in the dorm.

Especially when you’re a freshman, you get a very tight community of people in your dorm so students play ping pong, watch movies, work on projects, cook dinner, etc.

▪️ Attending events on campus.

We have something happening every day!

If there’s anything you would like to know, feel free to ask a question on here!

[dukestudents]

Have you ever wondered how a typical day of a college student goes?

Well, I followed Sam around with a camera for an ENTIRE day and trust me, you don’t want to miss it. 

Subscribe to DukeStudents’ YouTube channel for weekly videos! 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6XR59wkMBW1Aq1WqDmOxA

Is there something in particular you would like us to film and show/talk about? Feel free to message us or ask questions :)

[dukestudents]

Hi guys!

Welcome to our Tumblr page. DukeStudents is a very special place that creates and shares content by Duke Students for prospective students, current students, alumni, families, very curious pets, and pretty much anyone who is interested in our lives, both inside and outside of the classroom!

We have accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube and we would love to have an active Tumblr this year. 

We would like to hear your suggestions! Ideas for blogposts? Questions? Anything you would like to read about or see (more Chapel pics...?) ? Our inbox is open! 

And of course follow us to keep updated about our creative endeavors here this year :) 

[dukestudents]

How Should You Spend Your Summers At Duke?

Photo by Anna Quinn

Lifeguarding is great. So is being a camp counselor, babysitting your neighbor’s kids, or sleeping until three before watching Netflix for the next ten hours or so. But at Duke, there are too many amazing summer opportunities for you to not at least consider venturing outside your binge-watching cave.

There’s something for every type of student. Like travelling? Duke can take you abroad. Want to do something in a local community? There’s something for that. Just want to hang in Durham? They can help you do that, too.

You only get three summers during your time at Duke (four if you do a pre-orientation program - highly recommend!). With so many options, you’ve got to make each one count. See what might be the best option for you by taking this fun quiz.

To see more of Duke’s (endless) summer possibilities, check out this link.

-Samantha Steger 

[dukestudents]

My Duke by Emma Balsam

Why Duke?

Although the question “Why Duke?” has been seen on the application to the college itself, I have thought about it many times since I have been here. Truly, the answer lies in not only what Duke offers me, but every student. Everyone is given the same opportunities here, no matter race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, and more. The programs and connections that Duke offers are incredible and unmatchable when it comes to any other school. You can also always find someone to help you, whether it be a faculty member or a student, when in a time of need. Students are super collaborative and, in all honesty, not cutthroat. Duke students pride themselves on achieving greatness, but collectively. We all want each other to succeed, and I think that’s a big part of the “Duke Difference.”

My Favorite Duke Experience

My favorite Duke experience was when going to my first basketball game here. Though Countdown to Craziness was an amazing night, there’s nothing like watching Duke play against another school (and win)! Basketball season overall, even tenting for the UVA game, was a surreal experience and I cannot wait for seasons to come.

The Moment I Knew I Picked the Right School

I applied to Duke in the Early Decision pool, so I was pretty set on coming to this school for a while. However, I do remember when it hit me that Duke was the right school for me and worthy of my Early Decision commitment. I was touring Duke’s campus in June of 2016, the end of my junior year, when I was informed of the Duke Engage program. The idea of being able to go almost anywhere in the world and give back to humanity for absolutely no cost at all is a dream come true. No other school offers that kind of opportunity, and I am blessed to go to a university that provides such an incredible program.  

-Emma Balsam Duke 2021 

[dukestudents]

“Why I Chose Duke” By Anya Bali

When I was a high school senior, my “Why [insert school name here]?” essay was easiest for Duke. I was by no means decided—I applied regular decision and wasn’t quite sure what I was going to study in undergrad. Despite that, something about Duke seemed to click for me. The university was dedicated to “knowledge in the service of society” and developing global citizens, and I spent most of my weeks volunteering and wanted nothing more than to study abroad. I didn’t know all that Duke had to offer, and I had no idea I’d end up there a year from writing that essay, but I knew that it was a place where my interests and values fit.

Flash forward three years to my current status as a second-semester junior, and I can’t help but laugh when I think about that application. I found it recently while cleaning up old files on my computer, and was happily surprised to see that the things I shared in my “Why Duke” essay are all things I’ve done. I wanted to volunteer, explore Durham, study abroad, and take advantage of Duke’s professors and academic resources. Over the last three years, those wishes have turned into researching side-by-side with graduate students and PhDs, volunteering in Durham, NC and Durham, UK through DukeEngage, taking unique classes (like a writing class on gender in Disney films and analyzing the psychology of business), and studying in Spain for an entire semester. I’ve been able to turn my interdisciplinary interests into an academic curriculum that has launched my professional future—something I didn’t find elsewhere.

Feeling ~famous~ during my Bass Connections research on the economic and psychological impacts of flooding on South Carolina communities.

The Duke in Madrid program changed my life, no question about it.

More than anything, the people here have answered “Why Duke?” every single day. The people moving into the room across the hall from me my freshman year have been my best friends ever since. I come from a small town, but now know people from every corner of the globe. I learn from faculty members who have served as mentors and coaches, and get monthly smoothies with Duke staff who are both my advisors and my friends. College is challenging in many ways no matter where you go. I’ve been lucky to face those challenges with Duke people by my side.

To all of the prospective students reading this, I hope you find community, intellectual engagement, and the opportunity to grow and challenge yourself no matter where you decide to spend your next four years. I can tell you that I and many others have found all of that at Duke—and that no matter how hard finals are or how crazy life gets, we wouldn’t trade it for anything. Congratulations on your admission to the Class of 2022, and I hope to see you on campus this fall as a member of the Blue Devil family.

-Anya Bali

[dukestudents]

DukeStudents 2018 Photo of the Year Contest Finalists

Click here to vote for the Photo of the Year!  

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The Other Duke Groups, Part 4: Finding Your Group

Flickr

The first few weeks of college can be overwhelming. You’re navigating campus, going to class for the first time, and going through a mad dash to find your future best friends. On top of that, you have about ten thousand clubs screaming at you on the lawn as they try to get you to sign up for their listserv (which you probably do, and for the rest of your college experience you get emails from the Association of Women Surgeons even though the thought of blood makes you cringe).

Duke’s no different. From fun, stress-free activities to research projects that lead to careers, the range of opportunities in Duke Groups are endless. With over 400 clubs, it may seem like you’ll never find out where you belong.

But worry no more! Finding your place is than you think. And with this quiz, it’s even easier. Answer a few questions to see just a *small* glimpse of the endless options that are out there.

Note: There are way more organizations at Duke than could ever fit into a simple quiz. Feel free to take this seriously, or feel free to laugh and share with your friends so they can make fun of how wrong your answer is. (Then check out this link to see all the other cool groups that you could join instead.)

Blog and quiz by Samantha Steger 

[dukestudents]

The Other Duke Groups, Part 3: ReMind

 (Photo by Ozi Boms)

 One word: aesthetic. On this website, it’s the first thing you’ll notice. Crisp and intriguing words like incandescent and spectrum hover next to pictures full of light and life and color. You catch the first few lines of each story beneath the photo: some about stars, some about football, another about the “particular aroma of burning books” in the library walls. Scroll to the bottom and you’ll find this mantra, the same on every page: Your university. Your time. Your experience.

 So what is this website, full of stories and pictures and perfect fonts? It’s Re Mind, yet another one of Duke’s hidden gems.

In this series on Duke’s lesser known groups, we’ve gotten to know two groups so far: Coven Magazine and Krav Maga, an Israeli martial arts club. This week, we’re shifting the focus toward something a little calmer than weekly battles on the mat: a multimedia publication dedicated to creating a sense of authenticity on Duke’s campus.

 Through their digital publication, Re Mind is addressing something that we’re all too familiar with: feigned perfection. Duke sophomores Rachel Lau and Michelle Liu started Re Mind to publish pieces that counter the image that dominates social media - one where students defined by the social groups that they picture themselves with. Once the two connected last summer and realized how similarly they felt, they realized others must feel the same.

 Recently, I had the chance to hear from Lau, who told me all about the amazing way that Re Mind is shifting this all-too-perfect narrative through their online publication. Here’s what she had to say.

(Photo by Sophia Liu)

What makes Remind different from other publications at Duke?

Re Mind accepts all types of narrative (whether it’s drawn, written, or photographic). We also accept all submissions and works. We don’t limit our contributors that they can or can not write about a certain topic, but rather provide inspiration to our contributors. People will share the stories that they want to share. We’re also not funded/supported by Duke, making us 100% student-run and funded.

What's been the hardest part about getting Remind started?

Probably funding, and getting people to buy into a new publication (as with any start-up). Our only cost right now is our website; everything else - from creative production to advertisements - are all student-created. Michelle and I were very lucky to get support from such an amazing core group of Re Mind team members, including Chloe McGlynn, Sophia Liu, Matt Wisner, Nima Mohammadi, Zuzu Tang, Michael Tan, and Hannah Chen and Lizzy Collins, who most recently joined our core team.

What have been some of your most successful moments?

Some of our successful moments have been through our partnerships with Duke-affiliated organizations and national organizations. Our partnership with Thrive Global (a branch of the Huffington Post) has been very rewarding for both writers and the Re Mind team. Our collaborative program, Re Mind X, has been a really great way for garnering these success as we partner with Duke orgs such as Cantos, DuWell, and the You@Duke research cohort.

What do you like best about Remind as a publication?

What I like most about Re Mind is that it’s very relaxed. Michelle and I worked to create an internal infrastructure for the organization that would be relaxed, but very effective. I also just really appreciate how difficult it gets to really define Re Mind as a presence on Duke’s campus, simply because we have little-to-no restrictions on what we post or where we are going with Re Mind. Re Mind is kind of abstract in that way, which is what I really appreciate.

Though you're a new organization, how has the group begun to impact your experience at Duke?

Freshman year can be really isolating for a lot of people, simply because a lot of Duke’s social culture is built upon this notion of the “Duke student”. This preconceived notion that there were people who were square and those that weren’t became suffocating, and Re Mind’s humanizing ability has really opened my eyes to a community that cares about this experience. Also, just being able to let people share their stories in a raw and authentic way is more than enough to make a positive impact on my experience at Duke.

                                                             ***

(Photo by Rachel Lau)

 Even Lau’s comments don’t do Re Mind enough justice; scrolling through their website is like taking a breath of fresh air. I never thought I could find myself relating to a piece about professional football or staring for a solid two minutes at a picture of Chinatown, but here I am.

This just goes to show how life at Duke is about so much more than what we see on social media. It’s about having passions, like studying stars or listening to Train. It’s about strolling through Brightleaf at one in the morning. And through the pieces that they publish, Re Mind is finally showing us this side to Duke - the side that’s been overlooked for too long.

 (Photo by Ozi Boms)

 Interested in getting involved? Re Mind is always looking for people who share a similar passion for authenticity. Reach out to [email protected].

 -Samantha Steger

[dukestudents]

Tenting Diaries

Didn’t get the chance to tent? Here’s a look at all of the fun!  

[dukestudents]

The Other Duke Groups, Part 2: Krav Maga

A Hidden Gem

Krav Maga. No, it’s not a type of crab - which, if you’re like me, you might have pictured when you first heard the name. Krav Maga is actually another one of Duke’s diamonds in the rough: a small, niche group buried deep under layers of the university’s mass of well-known clubs.

When I heard about this group two weeks ago, I knew it’d be the perfect story to include in “The Other Duke Groups,” a series following some of the lesser-known clubs at Duke. Last time, I got to know Coven, an online female-empowering publication run by Duke students. Today, we’ll get to know Krav Maga - an amazing group on campus that has absolutely nothing to do with seafood.

The Basics

What is Krav Maga, you might ask? Krav Maga is an Israeli based self-defense and fighting system, originally developed in Israel for use in the Israeli Defence Force. It teaches participants how to fight in realistic situations using simple and effective techniques. According to club leader and Duke sophomore Allyn Belusko, Krav Maga isn’t “flashy;” rather, it’s practical and aggressive.

 Belusko, who began practicing Krav Maga in her sophomore year of high school, was thrilled to discover that Duke practiced the defense art - it even impacted her decision to enroll. She joined as a freshman, and now is president. It’s greatly impacted her experience at Duke, and she’s now trying to encourage others on campus to get involved.

 The best part of Krav Maga, according to her, is the relationships that the art builds between members. “There's really a sense of unity in class as you all learn how to protect yourself and others,” Belusko remarks. The practice involves partners attacking each other, pushing each other to the ground, and placing one another in vulnerable positions. It requires an immense amount of trust between participants, something that brings members closer together.

 But more than just building trust, it builds confidence. Belusko remarked on how before practicing self-defense, many people think of bodies in terms of appearance. Krav Maga changes that. It helps those who practice consider their bodies “in terms of what they can do” - not how they look.

 Krav Maga isn’t easy, though. A typical practice consists of flipping, hitting, and choking - no easy feat for some. At each practice, coach Cassie Rhodes from Krav Maga Raleigh comes to campus and spends an hour and a half teaching students to flip, hit, choke and more - no easy feat for some. Each session is likely to leave even the most athletic of students wheezing. But as Belusko points out, this degree of exhaustion mimics real life: attackers don’t stop just because their victim is worn out.

 I had the opportunity to ask Joshua Chin, a freshman who served in the Singapore Armed Forces for two years before coming to Duke, about his experience with Krav Maga. Here’s what he had to say.

_______________________________________________________________________

 1. Why did you join Krav Maga?

I wanted to develop self-defense skills through a functional and efficient martial art, and Krav Maga in particular was especially relevant in the law enforcement/military context as it was originally developed in Israel for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).

 2. Did you have any experience doing Krav Maga before?

 I had learned other types of martial arts/fighting disciplines such as taekwondo and boxing before, and a similar hand-to-hand combat style within the Singapore Army. However, these all differ from Krav Maga, which remains the most effective and direct that I’ve experienced so far.

 3. What's the hardest thing     about Krav Maga?

 We make it realistic for each other, and when we train chokes, or practice punches, it is always directed at someone else, just like it would be in real life. Coming back from practice with a few split knuckles or scratches on the neck are pretty normal and evidence that you trained hard!

4. What's the easiest?

Channeling aggression into our moves is something that becomes gradually easier, together with everyone else, and going all out in training is something that becomes really fun and a great stress reliever on Wednesday nights.

5. What effect has the group     had on your experience at Duke?

 Somehow punching each other for a couple of hours each week really builds bonds, and we are slowly growing into a community that looks out for each other in and out of training. I look forward to training sessions and am glad to be part of Krav Maga!

(The Krav Maga Logo)

 ______________________________________________________________________

Getting Involved

 Interested in boosting your confidence, building relationships, or just taking out some frustration on the mat? Get involved! Don’t worry - you don’t need to be a former officer in the Singapore Armed Forces like Josh to join Krav Maga.

 The club meets Wednesdays at 7:30pm in the combatives room of Wilson Gym. If you’re interested in joining, just shoot Allyn an email at [email protected], and begin your journey down the widely unexplored road of Israeli Martial Arts.

[dukestudents]

Advice from the one and only...

The best advice I can give to Duke students is to think hard about what you love and follow that as a career. Of course, that's easy to say, but not always easy to do. If you major in a field that you hate but will likely lead to a high-paying job, you may end up with a nice house and car but a sad life.

The ideal, of course, is to find a good job that you love and that pays well.

I was lucky while a student at Duke. I knew from the start that I wanted to be either a journalist or lawyer. I enjoyed writing for The Chronicle during my four years at Duke, and realized that writing is what I loved most. Ironically, I spent much of my newspaper career around lawyers when I covered trials, and got to see up-close what they go through. Most of the time, it's not like a TV show. Much of the work is tedious, and not all attorneys made a lot of money (although many do).

So in a way, I had the best of both worlds. I got to cover murder trials that were sometimes more dramatic than a John Grisham novel, then turn it into a readable story and still meet my deadline. That forced me to write clearly, concisely, and accurately, because if you make a mistake, it's there for the whole world to see.

I know several Duke students who have changed their majors at the start of their junior year. That can be scary, but I think it's the right thing to do if you realize you're on the wrong track. If you hate your classes and the prospect of a job that you'll dread, I suggest thinking hard about changing course and doing what will be fulfilling. If you're not sure what that is, talking to a career counselor might help.

In addition, I suggest that students not spread themselves too thin with extracurriculars, especially if that's hurting your grades or health. Better to get enough sleep or hit the gym.

Finally, having authentic friends is important, especially those who care about your problems and will listen to you. Duke is a great place to find friends. I know that from personal experience, and so does my golden retriever, Nugget.

-Keith Upchurch 

[dukestudents]

Duke, from a local student’s prospective

As most students go home for the Thanksgiving break, ordering flights, packing their suitcases, talking about the change in climate (whether it be for better or worse), I, a local kid, grab a backpack with a few changes of clothes and a toothbrush, and wait for my mom to pick me up. Raleigh, North Carolina is only a thirty-minute drive from Durham, so, I have discovered that my college 

experience may be different than a majority of Duke students. For starters, whether I want to or not, I am going to see my parents more than almost all of you, out-of-staters. Close proximity coupled with my dad being an alumnus means that they’re always looking for an excuse to see the beautiful, gothic castles that we call home for the school year. I did not want this feeling of suffocation to be my college experience. In my senior year of high school, I wanted to go to school in California - the land of dreams. However, when my parents expressed their distaste for that idea given such the distance, Duke became a clear and wonderful choice. This being said, still yearning for a sense of independence and personal growth, I made a pact to myself that I would not let my parents’ unadulterated love for Duke, and me, obviously, define how I live my four years on campus.

Most people are probably surprised to find out that I only talk to my parents once or twice a week, and when I do, it is almost never over the phone. I only behave this way because all six members of my family live in the same city. Because of this, it is relatively easy for everyone to get together for birthdays, special celebrations, and random moments where my parents “just happen to be driving through Durham.” If I didn’t try to distance myself, at least a little bit, then I would never be able to escape from under my family’s sphere of influence. I understand that those of you who live far away may misinterpret my interactions with my family as being ungrateful, but the grass is always greener on the other side… the other side of the state border line in this case.  

Perhaps one of the more unique aspects of being a local student is the belief that I am incapable of enduring the full college experience. I find that empathizing with my homesick friends and peers is difficult for me. This is not to say that I desire to experience the sadness that is often associated with homesickness, but rather to simply point out that I will never experience it. If I want to go home, no matter what the reason may be, I can do exactly that, and do it easily and cheaply. While my fellow classmates can bond with one another through their longing for New York bagels or California beaches, I can’t interject, as I have everything I am already to which I know.

If you’re a local student and you’re reading this, I would love to see your responses! How do you feel like you balance being so close to home and maintaining any level of independence? Has it been easy for you? Hard?

(The short yet beautiful road to Duke from Raleigh)

 -Reed Margolis

[dukestudents]

The Other Duke Groups, Part 1: Coven

Hey Duke Students! While your minds may all be on final exams (and all the work you have yet to do), I’m here to direct your attention to something new.

It’s no secret that Duke has an insane amount of organizations and clubs. If you’re not in them, chances are you’re at least on a listserv or two (or three, and for the life of you, you can’t figure out how to get off it). But what about the groups you may not know of?

           In the coming series, I’ll be conducting interviews with members of some of the groups that you might not have ever heard of, or groups that are so niche you may never have crossed paths. You’ll meet tea connoisseurs, kazoo conductors, and today, two Duke students with their own blossoming digital media publication.

(Coven’s team)

             Coven  is an online platform that is working to empower women through the literature that they publish. In addition to the magazine, Coven cultivates small and large “covens” that bring women together to offer encouragement, resources, and wisdom. Their events, which range from coffee chats to full-fledged ‘Witch Fests’, “aim to galvanize the incredible women who know that true success is somewhere at the intersection of ambition and reality.”

I got the chance to hear from the publication’s two founders - sophomores Alexandra Davis and Caroline Brockett - who filled me in on all the incredible work that they’ve already accomplished.

While you’ll read all about Coven in the interview below, the most impressive part about Davis and Brockett’s publication is the message they put across about collegiate life. As any college student - particularly a Duke one - can confirm, there is no shortage of pressures to be faced with on the daily. Coven is deconstructing the myth of effortless perfection. They do this by uniting readers through empowering pieces, eye-opening photography, and most importantly, by fostering a community of support among college women.

           Read on to hear directly from the the two amazing founders themselves.

(first: Alexandra Davis, second: Caroline Brockett)

What is Coven?

Coven is a digital media publication that publishes literature by, for, and about college women. To all the college women who have been there, Coven is for you. We provide our readers with minutes of empowerment on the C1, during lectures, or post-Shooters.  

Our content combats unrealistic collegiate expectations, or the idea that everyone seems to and “should” have the perfect life, academics, and body. Life isn’t perfect nor is anyone, so these expectations do nothing but add to the anxieties of college life, especially as with women. Instead, Coven romanticizes the real. Today, we have a small but brilliant coven of editors, creatives, and social influencers working to build something that's never been built before.  

In addition to the magazine, we cultivate small and large “covens” that bring women together to offer encouragement, resources, and wisdom. Our events--whether coffee chats or full-fledged Witch Fests--aim to galvanize the incredible women who know that true success is somewhere at the intersection of ambition and reality.

What inspired Coven’s beginning?  

Alexandra: I spent more time on Amazon Prime strategizing party outfits than I did on Thesaurus.com freshman year. And that terrified me. When I started thinking about the possibility of Coven a year or so ago, I wanted college women to have their own, unique manual on How to Be Their Badass Selves, not what social media told them they should be. I wanted to provide my Duke friends with a place to make the best of the beautiful pain and cringe-worthy awkwardness of being a college girl.  

In discussions with high school peers over Thanksgiving break, friends were all-too-quick to recount their dejected college experiences, too. But as I returned from break, I became demotivated by Duke’s atmosphere of effortless perfection. Being a Duke student was already a full-time job. Social, physical, and academic pressures just compounded my stress. I needed to separate myself from this inhibiting environment to make a meaningful difference. Thus, The Coven was born in a semester off, and I continue to run it back at Duke today.  

Caroline: Freshman year of college was a year of many firsts for me, especially as it pertained to failure. I had never experienced it on so many levels before: academically, socially, and so on. Though it felt crushing at times during these moments, I was lucky to have a team of successful women behind me that could speak and assimilate to my experiences, providing me with the encouragement and confidence I needed to pick myself up by the bootstraps and persevere. It was these times of trial that helped me see what The Coven can mean to people and grow to be. I believe it has the potential to serve as a secondary support system, like a virtual mother/sister/friend to make you laugh, ponder in awe and feel quite alright by the end of it all. The Coven showcases real women with their real lives, not just the glamorized fairytales of those who simply ‘have it all.’ The Coven is authentic, inspiring, and it was exactly what I and so many other women were looking for.

How is Coven redefining what it means to be a media organization?

 First and foremost, we are a community. Today, the only nod premier publications give their readers is a haphazard “Letters to the Editor” afterthought. Coven’s readers aren’t just integral parts of our publication, but they are the publication. Their experiences are our featured stories, and their feedback enhances each article in order to make the stories on the website as multidimensional as possible. We don’t just accept written and visual stories, but we also use the comments and social postings that content inspires  to build out our issues. In order for our content to always be inspiring, they always need to be holistic representations of what being a college women can be.  

Just this weekend, our friends were so early to an event that we drove aimlessly around its radius, in full costume, until we came across an old gas station. By the time we had cleaned the store out of its Hot Cheetos, the owner asked to take photos of us. About 15 questionable poses later, we were half convinced that the only reason the store owner asked for photos in the first place was for someone to come and see if we were OK. We had made ourselves so late to the event--and had so much fun doing it--that we even questioned going. Those are the genuine feelings, stories, and cringe-worthy moments that we want to share through Coven. Whether accepting submitted photos, stories, or even recreating social media comments, we want to turn your cringe-worthy moments--the sheer embarrassment of earliness--into the empowerment of your own, personal gas station photoshoot.

What have been some of your biggest successes as an organization?

We have an online presence, but we also have in person meet ups to facilitate discussion and connections between collegiate women--our boss witches! Some of our best successes haven’t necessarily meant our “biggest,” but the most inspiring for our readers.  

For example, we sent a group of our Coven Correspondents to attend Her Conference, a multi-day career development conference for college women in New York. There, they were able to privately speak with two of the Keynote speakers, actress Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away with Murder) and actress, writer, and producer Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars). We offer these “Witch Fests,” as we call them, in order to inspire our readers to further envision and lead lives they love. In the past, Witch Fests have ranged from Her Conference to the Museum of Ice Cream in Los Angeles to a cozy home in Joshua Tree. These events are just another way that we foster an empowering community for our readers.  

What have been some challenges?  

You can’t have two full-time jobs. One of the biggest challenges has been trying to run the publication as sophomores in college. (*Alexandra speaking) Obviously, I figured that out when I decided to take the semester off to found and begin running the publication. But, ultimately, there’s no equivalent to a Duke education, or the resources they can provide us.

(*Caroline speaking) As a sophomore majoring in Psychology, there is a lot that I don’t know about how to run small logistics. I know Alexandra will agree with me on that too. While there is so much that we both don’t know, there is an incredible wealth of knowledge in the people surrounding us. From mentors on Duke’s campus to our parents to older friends, we have been lucky to have a great reception from many who are willing to help with their areas of expertise. So while there have been a plentiful amount of road bumps, blocks, and detours, it has been a fantastic learning experience in which we both come out every day having learned something new. Overcoming the challenges we encounter is what makes us tougher and stronger, so I wouldn’t change it for the world.  

What do you hope for Coven in the future?

There are a lot of things that Alexandra and I hope to see in Coven’s future. I deeply believe that our mission of empowerment, equality, and authenticity, can continue to expand Coven to different dorm rooms nationwide. It is our hope that Coven can inspire a change, and bring this to different collegiate women, one by one. Effortless perfection is something that has the ability to pervade an entire culture and place an incredible amount of stress and anxiety on the individual, especially when on campuses. Because of this, we at The Coven find it inspiring to see smaller Duke publications subsequently write stories on this topic as well, trying to combat this unrealistic standard.  

Is Coven looking for others to get involved? If so, how?  

The Coven team is always looking for new and inspiring talent. We have an option to submit on our website, but those who are interested in working us longer term are always welcome to reach out to us by email or social media with their thoughts or talents. We have room for collegiate women interested in virtually all fields, from marketing to graphic design to poetry to finance (just to name a few). I always encourage anyone who is passionate and driven to put their effort into this work to reach out to us! We love everyone on board with us now, and would be thrilled to further expand our team.

                                                            ***

                   All in all, Coven is the perfect example of a group started by Duke Students that deserves far more attention. Since learning about the publication, Coven has quickly become my newest C1 distraction, and I don’t doubt that it might become yours, too.

Useful Links:

Website: https://thecovenmag.com/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coven.mag/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecovenmag/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecovenmag/  

-Samantha Steger

[dukestudents]

Fall for Duke

-Joseph Hsiung

[dukestudents]

What are you thankful for? #GratiDuke