DukeEngage students work in Durham's Communities in Schools program. Photo credit: Elaine Madison

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke students travel the world to fulfill the university's mission of applying knowledge to serve society. Some spend their summers addressing critical needs in countries such as Chile, China and Kenya. But others are hard at work in Duke's own backyard, addressing critical needs in Durham.

Through DukeEngage Durham, nearly 30 Duke students are learning first-hand this summer about local social, economic, cultural and environmental issues. All are pursuing immersive summer internships with 19 non-profit agencies throughout the city.

Duke student Joy Tsai is assisting the Communities in Schools program, which addresses the emotional, social and academic needs of children and families. Her responsibilities include implementing a research-based summer reading program that reverses the two months of reading loss that kids from low-income families experience each summer.

Two other students, Katie Henderson and Chen Huang, are working with the Citizen Science Program. Under the guidance of Duke biology professor Julie Reynolds, they will train Durham nature enthusiasts how to recognize and eliminate invasive plant species that threaten the Eno River ecosystem.

Construction and mentoring are merged for a DukeEngage project with the Durham Affordable Housing Authority. Working with 14 high schoolers and a Southern High School teacher, Duke students Shame Chikoro and Matthew Boyle will help build ramps for elderly residents in the West End community and elsewhere. In the process, they also will encourage local high school students to remain in school and pursue post-secondary education.

The program seeks to help Duke students gain a deeper understanding of the local community while learning to apply some of what they've learned in the classroom.

Says Elaine Madison, the senior advisor for DukeEngage who oversees the Durham-based summer program: "Being an active citizen for a summer is a unique way for DukeEngage students to appreciate Durham not only as a place of diversity, creativity, heritage and culture, but also as a hotbed of social innovation and entrepreneurship."