Logan Beyer: Truman Scholar Builds on Child Development Research

Logan Beyer

Hometown: New Bern, NC
Major: Child Development: A Systems Approach (Program II)
Clubs/organizations: Project BUILD, Duke Special Olympics College
Any other activities you participated in:  I have worked extensively in Durham hospitals and schools, co-taught a house course on “Service and Mentorship,” and conducted research in three distinct, year-long independent projects. 
Post-graduation plans: Working with the American Youth Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., as part of the Truman Scholarship’s Summer Institute, learning more about and helping to shape child policy in the United States. 
Favorite Duke memory or what Duke has meant to me: Being a Duke student comes with some incredible highs - celebrating the accomplishments of friends and classmates, basking in ridiculously beautiful spring days in the gardens, and cheering on ACC tournament and NCAA national championship basketball teams, to name a few. But I think being a student in this place has meant the most to me during the lows - when I didn’t know how I would go on, and my friends carved time out of their always-busy schedules to eat ice cream and cry with me and talk things through. Just a few weeks ago, my dad (a Duke alum) was diagnosed with terminal, metastatic cancer. It’s been, by far, the biggest low of my college experience. But my friends have been here for every tough moment. And back home? My dad’s friends from Duke flew in from all across the country to catch up and to be there for him. It’s helped me to realize the power of this place isn’t necessarily in the endless intellectual pursuits or leadership or research opportunities, but in the people you come to love and that love you in return. More than anything, that is what Duke has meant to me - family. 

Logan Beyer, a Benjamin N. Duke Scholar from New Bern, pursued a self-designed course of study (Program II) which centered on epigenetics and childhood development and was supported by her academic program through her extra-curricular activities.

During her time at Duke, Logan was involved with research at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. Her civic engagement activities include serving as a special education intern with Plantersville Summer Academy in South Carolina where she designed a program for special needs children, assisting the Nutritional Recuperation Program in the Palajunoj Valley, Guatemala, with preparing a data plan for future funding, and volunteering for the Duke and Durham chapters of the Special Olympics.

Logan was among 54 students selected as 2016 Truman Scholars out of a record number of 775 nominations from 305 colleges and universities. Students are selected based on their records of leadership, public service and academic achievement, and their likelihood of becoming public-service leaders and provides funding for graduate study, leadership training and special internship opportunities within the federal government.

“Logan Beyer is just the kind of student Duke is designed for,” said President Richard H. Brodhead. “She has actively combined the resources of the university to deepen her understanding of her personal passion -- children and their development. Using what she is learning at Duke, she is sure to make her mark on a major societal need.”

Read more about Logan Beyer.