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Orientation Lessons From Goats

Orientation project team spends a day at Spring Haven Goat Farm

The new experiential learning program during orientation had members of the Class of 2026 visiting interesting places and doing cool things. For the Project Discover team, that meant the fabulous experience of holding a sleeping young goat in your arms at Spring Haven Goat Farm.

In this video, the students on the team share their adventures with baby and young goats as they start their Duke experiences.

“It’s all about discovering Duke and Durham and its hidden gems,” said junior Dhar Varia, program leader for Project Discover, one of Duke’s 19 experiential orientation programs for first-year students. “The farm is less than 20 minutes from West Campus, but this is not a place where Duke students would know about.

“Playing with baby goats is very serotonin-inducing. Everyone had the time of their lives.”