dukeengage

Finally made it to Washington, DC! I may only be 249 miles from home, but my day-to-day routine looks completely different now. Waking up at noon has turned into 7am alarms. Eight hours on my phone has turned into eight hours at my Civic Nation desk. Spending time with my parents and pets has turned into bonding and reflection with my cohort. As much as I miss home, it feels great to be busy again.

After arriving in D.C. and getting situated, our Site Coordinator Rosalie took us to the iconic National Mall for Andy’s Pizza and group bonding. We got to see the Washington Monument, Reflecting Pool, and WW2 Memorial. The cohort instantly clicked, making me excited to spend the 8 weeks with my DC folks!

Within the first two weeks, we have visited Smithsonian museums, gone on a monument tour, and watched the Congressional Baseball Game. Beyond the touristy things, we have also traveled to flea markets, networking parties, and lots of ice cream shops. We even attended a Jill Biden interview! Overall, my time in the nation’s capital has been amazing. I’m so excited for the many weeks that remain!

Anneonghaseyo! I’ve finally arrived in Seoul, Korea, with my cohort to teach at North Korean refugee and immigrant schools. As someone from a busy city in Asia, Seoul doesn’t feel too unfamiliar to me, aside from the different language. If I had to point out one thing that surprised me, it would be the low prices of food and clothing essentials. The bus and subway system also make it very convenient to get around the city‌.
For the past two weeks, we’ve been teaching students at Banseok and Heavenly Dream School, two schools that serve North Korean refugees. At Banseok, we teach students ranging from middle schoolers to adults. Although all of us teach English, the way we teach varies across our cohort. Instead of relying solely on textbooks and worksheets, we engage students through activities like Jeopardy, breaking down rap songs, and reading and acting out storybooks. After class, we also eat lunch with the students. One of my favorite memories so far was having a samgyeopsal party with the kids while the teachers cooked the meat for us!
‌
At Heavenly Dream School, we teach every evening as one-on-one tutors. Since the students arrived at the school at different times, they all have different English levels, making personalized lesson plans necessary. A big highlight for me was playing Trashketball, where teachers and students work together to answer English-related questions. The energy was high, and it was touching to see the students open up and show such eagerness to learn about our cultures.
One surprising thing I noticed at both schools was the number of Chinese speakers. Since many North Korean refugees escape through China, around 70 to 80% of our students speak Chinese and understand very beginner-level Korean. This made communication challenging at first, especially for our Korean teachers. However, after fun lessons and conversations, many of the students became eager to open up and look past the language barrier. Although it’s been less than two weeks, I already know that I will never get tired of working with them, and I’m so excited to see what’s ahead!

Bonjour à tous! On May 22nd, 2026, we arrived in Saint-Avold – a small town located in northeastern France right on the French-German border. Right after arriving, we could already feel the strong ties between the US and Saint-Avold, a sister city of Fayetteville in NC. Especially as we attended a Memorial Day commemoration at the Lorraine American Cemetery, the largest American cemetery in Europe.

Over the past three weeks, we have visited former coal mines, an old iron production site, and World War II bunkers. These visits have helped us better understand the city’s industrial past and unique German influences, having switched between French and German control several times. After the coal mines closed at the end of last century, boosting the town’s economic activity has been a top priority.

We were also welcomed by the mayor’s office and learned about their vision for the town. Since then, we have met French students from pre-school to college and have been working with local organizations to support workforce integration.

We are so excited to continue exploring the different facets of the town and all its beautiful nature, cozy cafés, and rich history, so stay tuned! À bientôt!

I arrived in Panama on May 24th and since then, we’ve been booked and busy exploring!

Our first trip was to the Panama Canal. We were able to watch the Canal in action with a cruise ship passing by and passengers waving. Our stop directly after was the Canal Administration Building, which was at the top of a hill. We discovered that there was an event going on the next day for the announcement of the Panamanian World Cup team. We were so lucky to attend, and we were interviewed by two different news outlets to talk about why we were here.

We also had a trip to Casco Viejo, the historic district of Panama City, where we were able to learn about its history and see the beautiful buildings, scenery, and ruins from the former settlement. We ended our two days of adventure with Afro-Panamanian cuisine at a tapas-style restaurant. We had a wide variety of food which we all enjoyed.

We were also able to go into Curundú, where our community partner, Asociación Deportiva Curundú (ADC) @‌adcurundu is located. We visited the Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena baseball field, the Rockero Alcázar Curundú boxing gym where we received a tour by one of the owners, and we were able to learn more about Curundú from the founders of ADC, Andrés and Cesar. Over the first two weeks, we started forming connections with the kids and helped with practices which definitely showed us that our soccer skills were rusty.

My favorite part was when we took the kids from ADC on a field trip to Portobelo, a coastal city that is home to one of the oldest (not functional) ports in Panama, Port Santiago. We were able to have a chance to speak and interact with the kids as well as learn the history of the majorly Afro-Panamanian city. We viewed museums and even had a Congo Dance Workshop led by the locals that I ended up getting convinced to do by one of the younger ADC kids and it was honestly an unforgettable experience.

We’re not even halfway through our trip, but we’ve explored, seen, and learned so much. I can’t wait to update you on what we end up doing in the coming weeks! ¡Hasta luego!

Hey! I’m Emma Eisenhauer from Boston, MA, and I’m a rising sophomore studying Biomedical Engineering at Duke. This summer, I was supposed to travel to Uganda to collaborate with Makerere University students to build medical devices together. Due to safety concerns, travel this year was cancelled, unfortunately.
After much logistical planning and problem solving, the program was pivoted to Durham. So, I’m still living with my Duke engineering group, and we’re collaborating virtually in the Foundry with Ugandan students to build medical solutions.
I chose this program because it combines two things I care deeply about: engineering for global health and the intersection of culture and innovation. Before starting at Duke, I took a gap year and traveled to 17 countries, exploring how people around the world create meaningful solutions within different cultural and resource constraints. Those experiences completely changed the way I think about engineering and the role it can play in improving healthcare access.
Outside of these things, I love hiking, surfing, backpacking, and playing soccer. Even virtually this summer, I’m still excited to immerse myself in Ugandan culture, make meaningful connections across time-zones, and share the experience throughout the summer!

Hello!! I’m Virginia Caballero, a rising sophomore from Maryland and Spain, and I’m currently thinking about studying Economics and Public Policy at Duke. This summer I’ll be part of DukeEngage France in Saint-Avold.

I chose the program because I wanted the chance to keep improving my French while spending time in a region with such an interesting mix of history and cultural influence. I’m also really excited to spend the summer in a smaller town because I think it’ll make everything feel a lot more immersive and personal.

I love traveling and spending time outdoors, and right now I’m most looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing some of the local traditions and holidays, which I’ve heard are super fun!

Hi! I’m Cecilia, a DukeEngage Social Media Ambassador. I am from Beijing, China, but I have also lived in Argentina, Mexico, and Turkey before coming to Duke. I am planning to study mathematics and linguistics, with a minor in German.

I am so excited to be part of DukeEngage France this summer! I chose this program because I love experiencing life in different places around the world, building connections with local people, and learning about new cultures and ways of life, which is exactly what we will be doing in a small town called Saint-Avold, situated in Northeastern France near the German border.

Something about me is that I love learning different languages, dancing, reading, and hiking or biking in nature.

I am really looking forward to discovering the town of Saint-Avold! Especially its unique culture, history, and food, as well as meeting people from our partner organization and getting closer with my DukeEngage group.

Hey everyone! My name is Reese Ritter, and I am from Rolesville, North Carolina. I’m a rising sophomore interested in studying Economics and Public Policy. I am so excited to join the DukeEngage Social Media Ambassadorship and share my experiences over the summer.

I am participating in the “Democracy in Peril: Paths to Renewal” DukeEngage program in Washington, D.C. I chose this program because I wanted to get involved in American politics amidst all the turmoil we see in our country today. I will be working with the All in Initiative of Civic Nation, which works to improve nonpartisan civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation on campuses nationwide.

I love spending my free time engaging in the Arts scene at Duke. I perform with the Duke Pitchforks a Capella group, as well as in Hoof ‘n’ Horn musicals. Images of performing “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” with the Pitchforks (where other groups members can be seen mourning the loss of grandma) and Hairspray with Hoof ‘n’ Horn are included in this post.

I cannot wait to get to Washington, D.C. this summer! I am excited to work with @‌civicnation, partnering with colleges and universities that hope to increase voter registration and political participation on their campuses. I also look forward to celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence in the capital city.
.ritter