Hey everyone!
My name is Cyan and I am currently a freshman here at Duke. I’m from New York so I’m a bit far from home, but my experiences at Duke make it worth the travel. What I really love about my school, and part of my decision to come here, had to do with all of the opportunities that are offered. I came here telling myself to take advantage of the resources that I have while I can.
Toward the beginning of the school year, I’d spend time scrolling through our “Official Duke Class of 2020” page to see if any of the activities people have posted about sparked my interest. I stumbled upon a post for an application to the Polished Pebbles program. After reading through what the program was about, it seemed like something that I could benefit from. Coming from a school district made predominantly up of students of color has made attending a PWI a bit of a transition for me. It was also pretty daunting being at a prestigious institution where almost everyone seems to exude “effortless perfection”. Polished Pebbles seemed like an opportunity to help me navigate my four years here as well as gain confidence in myself. And so far, it has done just that.
For starters, the other students within this program are amazing. There are upperclassmen who offer great advice from the perspective of students who have been in my position. There are people my age who are going through similar things as me, such as figuring out a major. And finally there are the powerful adults who make this happen. Kelly and Brittney have taught me so much despite the fact we meet only every so often. They have a genuine interest in cultivating all of their Polished Pebbles. What’s great about experiences like this is that what I’ve learned at our session will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Written by,
Cyan DeVeaux
Polished Pebbles: Duke University 