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12 Favorite #DukeTimeOff Photos

Duke employees share about 230 images of time away this summer

Samantha Shaltz took this photo of her husband and dog on Kerr Lake for the #DukeTimeOff campaign.

Samantha Shaltz took this photo of her husband and dog on Kerr Lake for the #DukeTimeOff campaign.

From across Duke, Durham and the world, faculty and staff shared a variety of locales during this summer’s #DukeTimeOff photo campaign.

Employees shared about 230 pictures since May 18, showing time away from the office with friends, family and pets. Some were rewarded for participating, receiving Duke-themed beach chairs, travel bags with beach items and grilling supplies.

In addition, two grand prize winners were selected by Working@Duke staff for their entries. Susan Jennings, a staff assistant with Duke’s Academic Council, will receive an overnight stay at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club after sharing a series of images during an Alaskan cruise. Samantha Shaltz, a lab research analyst with Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, will receive lunch at the Washington Duke’s Fairview Dining Room for submitting shots of her time on the water at Kerr Lake.

“Time off allows me to escape from the normal chaos of life, to take a step back and realize how important the little things in life are,” Shaltz noted in submissions.

Below, Working@Duke shares 10 photos from this summer’s campaign. Head over to our Facebook page to see 20 other photos.

Andy Banks, a service operations center analyst with Duke Health Technology Solutions, snapped this photo of the Grand Canyon during downtime at a training session in Las Vegas.

David Bradway, a research scientist in the Biomedical Engineering Department, used his #DukeTimeOff to play dad for his newborn, calling it his “leave of awesome.”

On June 16, Natasha Ellis-Smith, an IT analyst in the Office of Research Informatics, got married at the aquarium at Kure Beach. “This was a very special moment in my life and allowed me to enjoy my family and extended family,” she wrote.

While visiting Virginia Beach, Roxanne Gutierrez, an IT analyst in the Office of Research Informatics, created a “world” from a photo of the beach.

Jenna El Hafez’ son, Cameron, took off for a jump into the pool as “Super Cam” during a family vacation in Kill Devil Hills. “It is important to ‘reset’ at least twice a year for a minimum of 10 days,” said El Hafez, a financial analyst with Duke Health Technology Solutions’ Corporate Finance Office.

“Everyplace we went this summer my family wanted to search for Pokemon,” wrote Celeste Hodges, a web developer in Duke’s Department of Computer Science. “Here's my granddaughter snapping a photo of my son-in-law "catching" one at the Museum of Life and Science, one of our favorite places in Durham.”

Ashley Lunn‎, staff assistant in the Duke Divinity School’s Office of Academic Formation and Programs, spent #DukeTimeOff with her family at her “happy place” – Jamaica.

Susan Jennings played Bananagrams throughout an Alaskan cruise and started off a series of photos that featured her spelling out stops and aspects of her trip. Find all the images on her Instagram page.

“My dog, named Flint, my husband, and I love to kayak together right as the sun comes over the horizon,” wrote Samantha Shaltz, who took the above photo on Kerr Lake. “It’s so peaceful as the water is like glass and you can only hear the birds.”

During a vacation to Australia, Cathy Sciambi, a manager with Duke’s Research Administration offices, went swimming with sharks and spotted a great white shark up close. “So exhilarating!” she wrote.

Alexis Sharp, a clinical research coordinator with the Duke Heart Center, volunteered to help socialize two Arctic Wolf pups. “Talk about rewarding!” she wrote.

As a storm rolled in near Kill Devil Hills, Kyle Skrinak snapped this shot. Luckily, “the storm’s bark was far worse than its bite,” wrote Skrinak, an IT manager with Trinity Technology Services.