We are four weeks into an eight-week program. We are officially half way through. It's hard to believe. It also makes me wonder how the relationships we have formed while we've been here will continue to develop and persist after the conclusion of the program.
If you think about it, all of the students in DukeEngage are kind of just thrown together because of a commonality between them -- much like the students in The Breakfast Club. Though, admittedly, our commonality is extremely cooler than theirs. Much like the students in The Breakfast Club, we all get along with each other, hang out with each other, and include each other in opportunities to do things together. I think this has helped foster a sense of community between everyone in the program, and has created friendships between people that otherwise may have not have come to be. Despite these similarities to The Breakfast Club, DukeEngage offers qualities that set it apart -- presenting the opportunity to create longer-lasting friendships. For starters, DukeEngage is longer than a Saturday spent in detention. Under the surface, our commonality is stronger than theirs. Sure, on the surface, it's that we are all in DukeEngage, but we are also all here for the same reason. We are here to do service and to help non-profit organizations in Seattle. We are all experiencing new things, some of them together for the first time. This also, I believe, will allow our friendships to outlast those in The Breakfast Club.
Our relationships with each other are not the only ones we are forming during our time here. We also have relationships with our community partners. These relationships are just as important to maintain once our time here is over. This is again similar to The Breakfast Club situation. All of us in DukeEngage were placed with a non-profit, which without the program, probably would not have happened. It is important that we take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts. If any of us are interested in joining the non-profit sector after graduation, this connection could be crucial to finding the perfect fit for a job. Or perhaps, there might even be an opening at the same organization that would fit you, allowing you to come back to your current organization. In order to take advantage of these opportunities, and many more that I'm sure I'm not even aware of at this point, we must make the relationships we form here more meaningful than those in The Breakfast Club.
Again, these are not the only relationships we will gain through the DukeEngage experience. We also have the relationships with our Alumni partners. When we met them, they were all eager to meet us and help us out in any way that they could. This is also a very valuable resource for us – if we keep this relationship maintained after our time in Seattle. Our Alumni partners have both Duke and Seattle connections for us, as well as other secret ones we know nothing about! I’m whistling the same tune when I say that these relationships need to be formed in a way that will be lasting and meaningful.
So, these relationships need to be more meaningful than those in The Breakfast Club, but how? What do I mean by that?
What I mean by that is be proactive. Take the responsibility to keep up these relationships.
What I mean by that is be curious. Inquire about how they are doing and what they have been up to.
What I mean by that is be open. Allow yourself to contribute to these new relationships.
Let's be more legendary than The Breakfast Club, DukeEngage Seattle.
Martha Dawson
Duke Student '16
If you think about it, all of the students in DukeEngage are kind of just thrown together because of a commonality between them -- much like the students in The Breakfast Club. Though, admittedly, our commonality is extremely cooler than theirs. Much like the students in The Breakfast Club, we all get along with each other, hang out with each other, and include each other in opportunities to do things together. I think this has helped foster a sense of community between everyone in the program, and has created friendships between people that otherwise may have not have come to be. Despite these similarities to The Breakfast Club, DukeEngage offers qualities that set it apart -- presenting the opportunity to create longer-lasting friendships. For starters, DukeEngage is longer than a Saturday spent in detention. Under the surface, our commonality is stronger than theirs. Sure, on the surface, it's that we are all in DukeEngage, but we are also all here for the same reason. We are here to do service and to help non-profit organizations in Seattle. We are all experiencing new things, some of them together for the first time. This also, I believe, will allow our friendships to outlast those in The Breakfast Club.
Our relationships with each other are not the only ones we are forming during our time here. We also have relationships with our community partners. These relationships are just as important to maintain once our time here is over. This is again similar to The Breakfast Club situation. All of us in DukeEngage were placed with a non-profit, which without the program, probably would not have happened. It is important that we take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts. If any of us are interested in joining the non-profit sector after graduation, this connection could be crucial to finding the perfect fit for a job. Or perhaps, there might even be an opening at the same organization that would fit you, allowing you to come back to your current organization. In order to take advantage of these opportunities, and many more that I'm sure I'm not even aware of at this point, we must make the relationships we form here more meaningful than those in The Breakfast Club.
Again, these are not the only relationships we will gain through the DukeEngage experience. We also have the relationships with our Alumni partners. When we met them, they were all eager to meet us and help us out in any way that they could. This is also a very valuable resource for us – if we keep this relationship maintained after our time in Seattle. Our Alumni partners have both Duke and Seattle connections for us, as well as other secret ones we know nothing about! I’m whistling the same tune when I say that these relationships need to be formed in a way that will be lasting and meaningful.
So, these relationships need to be more meaningful than those in The Breakfast Club, but how? What do I mean by that?
What I mean by that is be proactive. Take the responsibility to keep up these relationships.
What I mean by that is be curious. Inquire about how they are doing and what they have been up to.
What I mean by that is be open. Allow yourself to contribute to these new relationships.
Let's be more legendary than The Breakfast Club, DukeEngage Seattle.
Martha Dawson
Duke Student '16