Connecting the Many Cultures of Duke

Name: J’nai AdamsPosition: Program coordinator, Duke Center for Multicultural AffairsYears at Duke: 1What I do at Duke: I put on programming related to multicultural education and community engagement. After that, I advise a lot of student organizations (to include the Center for Race Relations and Mi Gente). I also advise students one-on-one and discuss issues related to communites of color. I show physical support by going to some of my students’ functions. Leadership development is something that I try to enhance as an adviser/supervisor because you want to empower students to lead and create change. I’m not a micromanager. I will let students fail to a degree, because sometimes you learn from failure. If I had $5 million, I would: Pay off my student debt. After that, I would buy my parents a new home and all of us brand new cars. My first ever job: I was 17 and an intern in the Health Behavior and Administration department at UNC-Charlotte. I participated in the math and science pre-college program. As a rising junior or senior (in high school), you could apply to this internship. I had to do science fair competitions and study adolescent asthma. My dream job: Probably Dr. Zoila Airall’s job (She is Duke’s assistant vice president of Campus Life for Student Affairs). I have to go back and get my Ph.D. before that happens and gain a lot more work experience. She’s at a high enough level of influence but still connected to students, and she oversees the identity centers, which is where I’d want to be.The best advice I ever received: You can’t take it personally. I think that applies to every aspect of life – personally and professionally.  What I love about Duke: The students are why I do what I do. You just see students transform before your eyes and explore and question their identities. I feed off of their energy, they drive why I’m in this field.If I could have one superpower, it would be: To speak every language no matter where I go. Something most people don’t know about me: I have a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo. I received it when I was 15. I remember moves but not a lot of my patterns. I competed a lot locally and regionally and also went to nationals and placed.An interesting/memorable day at work for me: As an adviser of Mi Gente, I watched the student organization get on the Orientation Week calendar this year and have a Latino/Latin American & Ally welcome reception. They had a nice turnout of students that came. Knowing the work that my students put into getting on the Orientation Week calendar, I was just so proud that it happened. A Book I like: I can’t decide. I like anything from the Harlem Renaissance. In undergrad, I was an English/political science double major. My focus was African-American lit, so I was able to really explore books/films from that era.