By: Marcus Ortiz

If you are a student, it should not be hard to remember the last time you dozed off during a lecture. It happens to everyone. Maybe you were still worn out from having a bit too much fun the night before, oftentimes though, it is the fault of the current education system. A student being disengaged during a lecture frequently highlights the faults of the education system we have conjured up rather than a student’s personal habits. The education system we have built is similar to Frankenstein’s creature, random parts that are collected for the sheer necessity to create life, but no regard for the creature’s connection to humanity. We have built up education by slowly adding up parts, not building it from the ground up, disregarding the humanity of education: to liberate through critical thinking.

The current state of the world has given us a unique opportunity to take a thorough look at the education system and try to redesign it from square one. With Open Design focusing on this subject at such a critical time, saying I am excited for what is to come is definitely an understatement. Specifically, I am quite eager to delve into improving equity in education. Growing up as a minority in a financially disadvantaged household, the importance of equity in education has struck quite close to home.

I hope we as a team can encourage the importance of equity in not only Duke’s education system but all. Though I obviously hope our project has an immediate impact on the status quo, if there is anything I learned during the first week, it’s that this process can not and should not be rushed. Therefore, to reflect on expectations, I would be contemptuous if the immediate effects are not groundbreaking, as long as we inspire and set foundations for others to continue working through this very convoluted situation. But to sum it up… I can’t wait for the coming weeks!!!