Terry Schuster: Seeing Duke in a New Light

For two years, Terry Schuster lived in Wayne Manor, a residence hall in the shadow of Duke Chapel. Day after day, on his way to class or a meeting or a meal, he'd pass campus visitors taking pictures and exclaiming over the Gothic glory of West Campus.

"But I never really saw it," he says. "Until recently I never appreciated that it really is beautiful. You look at people and places differently when you realize you won't be seeing them much longer."

This Sunday, Schuster, class speaker for commencement exercises in Wallace Wade Stadium, will explore this theme with fellow members of the Class of 2003. He expects many of them have had their own "Aha!" moments lately.

Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and a member of the Class Speaker selection committee, says Schuster's speech combines humor and nostalgia "to help us reflect on the Duke experience while also enabling us to think about what lies ahead."

"Traditionally, graduation speeches talk about heading out into the 'real world,'" says Schuster, an English major from Fort Worth, Texas. "But the truth of this moment isn't just about where we're headed and what we're gaining, it's also about looking back at what we're losing."

A look back at Schuster's own collegiate years shows a young man determined to meet new challenges, in the classroom and beyond.

Melissa Malouf, associate professor in the Department of English, was his academic adviser. "Terry is a wonderful student to witness," says Malouf, who taught him in creative writing and advanced fiction courses. "He's one of those ideal students who sees education as a process, not a product, and who wants to be challenged and changed by that process."

Schuster has made the most of his academic opportunities. "Freshman year, I asked every senior I knew to tell me about their favorite professor and their favorite courses," he recalls. "I sought out those courses, and it was the best thing I ever did."

Among those top teachers were sculpture professor William Noland; Thomas Ferraro in contemporary literature and literary theory; and Charlotte Pierce-Baker, in African and African American Studies and Women's Studies. He credits Pierce-Baker with encouraging him to take an active role in campus initiatives to prevent sexual violence.

His contributions included chairing a men's committee for Sexual Assault Prevention Week activities this spring. "More than 400 men volunteered to help with the campaign and over 900 signed a pledge not to commit sexual violence and not to keep silent about it," he says. "That was three times as many who pledged as last year."

Schuster also helped organize all-male discussion groups to talk about ethical sex. One session drew 70 participants. "Getting that many guys together to talk about ethical sex is amazing," he says.

A wide range of other activities rounded out Schuster's undergraduate years. His training as a student EMT medic prepared him to treat trauma patients en route to the emergency room. He led college students on a weeklong hiking and backpacking trip and taught mountain climbing and backcountry survival skills. He also instructed students at the Durham School of the Arts in writing and photography and tutored in local elementary schools.

The mental and physical discipline of martial arts provided one of his biggest challenges. Starting with a required physical education course his freshman year, he became a black belt tournament fighter, winning trophies in several regional competitions.

Schuster trained for the past four years with Jessie Bowen, a ninth-degree Grand Master who has taught karate and worked with varsity athletes at Duke for more than a decade. "When I first met Terry, he was like most students starting out -- undisciplined and unformed. But I saw his dedication and his qi, his projected energy. He earned his black belt in three years, faster than any Duke student I've ever taught."

Schuster's post-college plans include returning to Texas, to live in Austin and to possibly pursue opportunities as a writer.

For him, graduating is "about memories, idealism and sunlight on the Chapel tower. It's about holding on to people, while letting them go."