Meet the Students – Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute

Abby Birrell
Global Health and International Comparative Studies ’17

“DukeImmerse is a great opportunity to spend a semester on a single topic. Being a Native myself, I love learning more about the indigenous people of all of the Americas and what rights they have or do not have. I hope that this semester will teach me what I can do for the indigenous communities in the Americas and in other places around the world.” View Abby’s Project!

Diego Quezada
Public Policy ’15

“As the son of an Italian mother and a Dominican father, immigration has shaped who I am today. I have sought to study this issue in depth in my Duke experience, taking two courses on immigration policy history, participating in the DukeEngage in Tucson, Arizona, and completing my public policy internship at the Center for American Progress’ immigration team. DI served as a natural next step, increasing depth in my knowledge of immigration and exposure to new topics like indigenous peoples.” View Diego’s Project!

Lesley Orellana
Public Policy ’16

“I applied to DukeImmerse because it’s a great way to learn beyond a classroom setting. Human rights issues are all around us in local, national and international settings, which is hard to completely grasp while sitting in a classroom. DukeImmerse gives an unique opportunity to do all of that while being able to connect with faculty in a more personal and interactive way.” View Lesley’s Project!

Bre Jordan
Public Policy and Linguistics ’16

I chose to do the DukeImmerse in Chile program because I wanted to take advantage of one of the various mechanisms Duke has in place to enrich your learning experience. This program moves learning out of the classroom and the real life experiences greatly enhance your understanding of classroom material. I have a strong interest in human rights and the impact policy and societal structures have on identity and culture. View Bre’s Project!

Gloria Dabek
Public Policy ’17

“I joined DukeImmerse to better experience and understand human rights. While I have worked with human rights in regards to human trafficking through my job, I was not familiar with indigenous human rights. The trip to Chile sounded amazing as well.”

Leslie Niiro
 Psychology ’16

“This DukeImmerse seems like an incredible experiment in experiential learning. I don’t think this kind of intense discussion about human rights pops up often, and we (the eight of us) are going to be living it. It’s risky. We don’t really know where this semester is going…but…it’s exciting.” View Leslie’s Project!

Devon Case
International Comparative Studies ’17

“I joined DukeImmerse because after Duke I hope to spend my life involved in some sort of work surrounding human rights. I believe that this program will help me better differentiate which direction I want to focus my interests in human rights. Immerse is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited for the semester.”

Dustin L. Hadfield
 Public Policy and Psychology, Education Minor ’17

“I know what it’s like to be deprived of my identity; as an LGBTQ-identifying individual, I have spent (and still spend) a significant portion of my life trying to fit who I am into the mold society dictates. I chose to become a part of the DukeImmerse: Rights and Identities in the Americas program because I want broaden my perspective on a variety of past and present identity issues and to inherit and forge the tools to be able to fight for the rights and identities of others.” View Dustin’s Project!