Professional School University Scholars

Year of Matriculation: 2020

Pami Ellis

• Hometown: Manila, Philippines
• School of Nursing
• Degree: Doctor of Nursing Practice
• Pami Ellis was born in Manila, Philippines, and spent her formative years serving the underprivileged with her family at a rural vocational school and later in the inner city. After a severe encounter with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever at age 3 with frequent finger pricks for blood tests, she announced she would become a “poke doctor,” so she could help others as she had been helped by the compassionate Filipino nurses who cared for her. Before she started at Duke, Pami earned her bachelor’s in music at Biola University and a BSN from California State University Fullerton in order to pursue her calling for nursing and medical missions. After DUSON, Pami would like to continue to work within the global health care community and empower national leaders within vulnerable populations.

Year of Matriculation: 2021

Sam Lawrence

• School of Law
• Degree: Juris Doctor
• Sam Lawrence is a part of Duke Law School’s JD class of 2024. Before he came to the Triangle area, he was a youth advocate with the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights. Sam went on to earn a Master’s of Social Work at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and received specialized training in the treatment of childhood PTSD as a clinical intern at the Duke Center for Child and Family Health.

Year of Matriculation: 2022

Jonathan Acosta

• Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California
• Divinity School
• Degree: Master of Theological Studies
• School of Law
• Degree: Juris Doctor
• Jonathan Acosta is a dual degree student pursuing a JD at Duke Law School and a MTS at Duke Divinity School. Jonathan graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in History and a minor in Religion. While at USC, he conducted research on Just War Theory and International Law at the University of Cambridge. Jonathan is interested in the intersection of law and religion in the formation of the American legal tradition. At Duke Law, he is involved with the Latin American Law Student Association (LALSA) and the Christian Legal Society. When he is not in school, Jonathan likes to hike, play basketball and explore coffee shops around Durham.

Jessi Aguilar

• Hometown: Waukegan, Illinois
• Fuqua School of Business
• Degree: Master of Business Administration
• Originally from Waukegan, IL, Jessi received his undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Psychology from Bucknell University. His most recent work experience was Ad Sales Coordinator at Univision Communication which gave him the opportunity to work with some of the world’s largest brands to help them execute their Spanish-language campaigns. He found it especially rewarding to use data and storytelling to influence brands to connect with their Hispanic consumers through advertisements. Jessi served as a standardized test coach for ACT, SAT, GRE, and GMAT students for the past five years. Helping his students comprehend a topic they did not understand or felt uncomfortable with is one of his favorite things about coaching.

Mutinta Chilala

• Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
• School of Medicine
• Degree: Master of Health Science – Physician Assistant
• Mutinta Chilala graduated from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor of science in biological sciences.  Mutinta’s passion for medicine began after losing a family member to cancer just prior to moving to the United States from Zambia. As an undergraduate, she accrued over 10,000 hours working as a nursing aide while pursuing her undergraduate and pre-requisite coursework in her journey toward a career as a health care provider. She continues to draws on her commitment to cultural humility in caring for underserved communities as she pursues a career as a physician assistant.

Taylor Dempsey

• Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
• School of Law
• Degree: Juris Doctor
• Taylor Dempsey (they/she) is a Mordecai Scholar in Duke Law’s J.D. Class of 2025. They graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a B.A. in Migration Studies in 2022 as a Torchbearer, College Scholar Baker Scholar, and Chancellor’s Honors Student. In undergrad, Taylor co-founded Students for Migrant Justice and worked on local campaigns fighting against police-ICE collaboration. At Duke, they are a 1L Representative for the Duke Immigrant and Refugee Project, a Research Assistant for the Just Sentencing Project, and a pro bono volunteer for the Clemency Project and Fair Chance Project. They hope to work in criminal defense in the future.

Maria Goodfellow

• Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Sanford School of Public Policy
• Degree: Master of Public Policy
• Maria is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA, where she studied Biology and Anthropology while also competing on the school’s nationally ranked Mock Trial team. After graduating, she served in the Peace Corps from 2016 – 2018 as an Agricultural Extensionist in Paraguay. Upon her return, she continued to work for Peace Corps, first as a Diversity Recruiter in New Mexico and Texas, and then as Special Assistant to the presidentially appointed Associate Director leading Volunteer Recruitment and Selection. Maria is particularly passionate about DEI, financial literacy, and food security.

Sadaf Sadruddin Sutaria

• Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan
• Nicholas School of the Environment
• Degree: Master of Environmental Management
• Sadaf Sutaria is a graduate student from Pakistan, pursuing Masters in Environmental Management at the Nicholas School of the Environment. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Central Asia, Tajikistan, and has experience working in the environmental sector in different regions including South and Central Asia, Africa and North America. Sadaf is interested in working at the intersection of international development and environmental issues with a strong interest in ocean policy and marine conservation. She is keen to utilize her on-ground experiences with communities to make a difference at higher policy forums.

Year of Matriculation: 2023

Damon Daniels

• Hometown: New York, New York
• Sanford School of Public Policy
• Degree: Master of Public Policy
• Damon L. Daniels (he/him/his) was raised in New Jersey and North Carolina, and has spent his adult life in Harlem, New York. He has served in a variety of roles throughout his professional journey, beginning in public education and youth development before branching into experiences within media, policy advocacy and policy research. Damon’s interests involve utilizing real-world, on-the-ground public policy tools, practices and applications to explore questions around political economy, policy decision-making and design, economic stratification and social mobility, and determinants of well-being within and across communities. Damon holds dual undergraduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and graduate degrees from Mercy College and New York University.

John “Harper” Hornaday

• School of Nursing
• Degree: Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Harper arrived at DUSON by way of a winding path: high school English teacher, wine importer, and nurse aide. He plans to be a psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner with a focus in pediatrics. His nursing interests include international work and exploring global perspectives, health equity, crisis intervention, and nursing innovation and entrepreneurship. Harper loves traveling, eating — and traveling to eat–, cooking, and spending time with his husband, pets and plants.

Gabrielle House

• Hometown: Waco, Texas
• Fuqua School of Business
• Degree: Master of Business Administration
• Gabrielle is a lifelong advocate for college access and educational equity. After undergrad, she joined AdviseTX as a College Advisor and AmeriCorps member. Although she “accidentally” fell into education, her passion for empowering students motivated her to dedicate the next decade to expanding college access. During this time, Gabrielle held various counseling roles across the Greater Houston area; most recently, she served as a Director at EMERGE Fellowship, an education non-profit that supports hundreds of underrepresented, high-achieving students in matriculating to selective colleges. Beyond the generational impact she created through EMERGE, her work inspired her to pursue her MBA, which she hopes to leverage in expanding opportunities for marginalized communities. She enjoys spending time with her family, mentoring youth, and traveling.

Jonathan Joyner

• Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
• Nicholas School of the Environment
• Degree: Master of Environmental Management
• Fuqua School of Business
• Master of Business Administration
• Jonathan Joyner is a MEM/MBA candidate studying for a future career in renewable energy development. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 2017 with a BA in international studies and completed a Fulbright Research Scholarship in Sri Lanka from 2017-18. Jonathan served as an Infantry Officer in the US Army from 2018-23 and most recently he worked at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors and collects coins.

Kate Redden

• Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
• Divinity School
• Degree: Master of Theological Studies
• Kate Redden is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Theological Studies degree at Duke. Her academic background is in psychology and political science, and during her undergraduate career she had the opportunity to employ qualitative and quantitative research methods in both fields. As she worked for organizations such as the CDC, NIOSH, and NICHD, she also completed an internship in international human rights. She hopes to combine her previous experiences with her current degree program to aid the integration of the Christian church with principles of psychology and human rights. In her free time, she loves playing with her two-year-old border collie and checking out local coffee shops.

Judith Rosales Valdes

• Hometown: Siler City, North Carolina
• School of Medicine
• Degree: Master of Health Science – Physician Assistant
• Judith Rosales Valdes graduated from Davidson College in 2017.  She completed a bachelor of science in neuroscience, whilst working multiple jobs to put herself through school as a first-generation college student. Since graduating from college, she worked for several years as a researcher in a neuroscience lab followed by a transition to patient care with roles as a bilingual scribe and medical assistant for a combined two years. She has volunteered an additional 500+ hours in a free medical clinic and has a clear passion for underserved populations, which she attributes to her own experiences after immigrating to the United States.

Nicholas Welch

• Hometown: Palo Alto, California
• School of Law
• Degree: Juris Doctor
• Nicholas Welch is a USP representative from Duke Law School. He graduated from Stanford in 2022 with a BA in East Asian Studies; he also studied at National Taiwan University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His work experience includes: editor for a China tech news outlet called ChinaTalk; open-source China analyst for the State Department; staffer for Senator Romney; RA to a military and foreign affairs professor; intern for various NGOs serving populations in Taiwan, Thailand, and North Korea; and The Stanford Daily’s head copy editor. Nicholas is a concert pianist and organist; his repertoire includes Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and all four Chopin Ballades.