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Service Learning

Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit (DCUS)

Volunteer

Durham, North Carolina

The China Leadership Summit invites leading experts to speak on topics of importance to Sino-U.S. relations and create a platform for students from across the United States and all over the world to exchange perspectives on these issues, connect with speakers, and network with one another. 

  • Relation to GC Focus: With a bustling population of 1.86 billion and growing, China’s trajectory in the progression of modern infrastructure has ramifying impacts on how the rest of the world will respond. In 2019, China approved 26 infrastructure projects with a total expected investment of 981.7 billion yuan (US$142 billion) in an effort to counter its slowing economic growth. As the world’s most populous country, China may be the pioneering force in how urban infrastructure will take shape within the next few years. As a volunteer of China Leadership Summit 2020, it is amazing to listen and learn from the invited speakers, gauge their responses to the urban infrastructure problem, and see what they have to say about topic relating to Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability.
  • Timeline: February 29, 2020
  • Supervisor: N/A
  • Total Hours: 5 hours

HackDuke

Volunteer

Durham, North Carolina

HackDuke is a weekend in which both Duke and non-Duke students gather in a premier hackathon for tech and social good. Of the five tracks (Health & Wellness, Education, Inequality, Energy & Environment, and Nonprofit), hackers were challenged to devise a solution to a prevalent problem within their category.

  • Relation to GC Focus: Much like the five categories that HackDuke addressed, the NAE Grand Challenges share a significant overlap in advancing these issues. By being a part of this event and working to contribute to its overall success, I was happy to see other students worldwide who were just as eager to tackle on these matters with their mastery and expertise in coding.
  • Timeline: November 2, 2019
  • Supervisor: N/A
  • Total Hours: 3 hours

Habitat for Humanity

Volunteer

Durham, North Carolina

Habitat for Humanity is an organization that specializes in constructing sustainable and affordable houses for families across the U.S. and in approximately 70 other countries. By building homes for numerous families, Habitat promotes values of transformative development and prioritizes shelter for all people.

  • Relation to GC Focus: Especially in a time where populations are growing, and housing becomes increasingly more difficult to afford and maintain, Habitat showcases an admirable effort in assisting people who need it. While I only played a small role in the construction of this build, it was fascinating to see how volunteers as a whole were contributing to the embodiment of a home.
  • Timeline: October 19, 2019
  • Supervisor: N/A
  • Total Hours: 3 hours
The completed home we helped build for the Bryant family!

ScienceDays

Volunteer

Durham, North Carolina

ScienceDays is a mentoring program to foster scientific curiosity in elementary school students by engaging them in hands-on learning opportunities beyond the ordinary classroom experience. The program aims to create a national network of enthusiastic high school and college mentors who are dedicated to making a difference in their communities through promoting science education. As an occasional volunteer here, I work with the students at E.K. Powe Elementary School to demonstrate fun and simple scientific experiments, and spark an interest of STEM within them.

  • Relation to GC Focus: One of the Grand Challenges includes advancing personalized learning. By introducing these preliminary concepts to elementary school students and guiding them through the understanding of certain concepts, we are able to instill in them a desire to learn more about the world around them. Since the experiments change each week, we engage with local students by covering a broad range of topics including but not limited to static electricity, building bridges, and DNA structures.
  • Timeline: January 2019 – May 2019
  • Supervisor: N/A
  • Total Hours: 10 hours

Red Cross Blood Drive

Volunteer

Durham, North Carolina

“Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States.” Their fundamental principles include Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity, and Universality. Even as a high school student, I enjoyed volunteering with my local Red Cross chapter to give back to my community and others around the world.

  • Relation to GC Focus: The Red Cross efforts to advance disaster-mitigation and improve the quality of human life aligns with the Grand Challenges to nourish and enrich tools for civilization.
  • Timeline: September 16 & 19, 2019
  • Supervisor: N/A
  • Total Hours: 5 hours