Mission Trip by Nurse Captures Latest Duke Time Off Photo Prize

With the July Fourth holiday approaching, share photos of your fun in the Duke Time Off summer campaign

Two women smiling at an airport
Duke Regional Hospital Clinical Nurse Ayana Woodside, right, poses with a flight attendant she befriended at a New York airport before departing on a mission trip to France. Photo courtesy of Ayana Woodside.

As she checked in for her flight from New York to Paris on June 10, Duke Regional Hospital Clinical Nurse Ayana Woodside noticed the accent of a flight attendant on her trip.

“I said ‘Wait! Are you from the Caribbean?” said Woodside, who grew up in the Bahamas. “When she said she was, we just gave each other a hug and chatted for a while.”

Since taking a trip to Spain and Morocco in college, Woodside has developed a deep appreciation for travel and experiencing other cultures. She said moments like connecting with a flight attendant — turning a stranger into a friend — are exactly why.

Duke Regional Hospital Clinical Nurse Ayana Woodside, right, cherishes opportunities to make new friends, like she did with a flight attendant during a recent trip to France. Photo courtesy of Ayana Woodside.

“I just love people,” Woodside said. “I just love being able to travel and see other cultures.”

She shared a photograph of the encounter at the start of a two-week mission trip to France. During the trip, she got to know refugees while helping support worship activities for a church in the French city of Périgueux and explored Paris and Normandy, where she reflected among the graves of World War II soldiers.

Woodside’s photo is the latest winner in Working@Duke’s 2026 Duke Time Off campaign, which highlights how Duke University and Duke University Health System staff and faculty make the most of their time off benefit. Woodside’s winning photo earned her a 24-can cooler courtesy of Duke University Stores.

With the Fourth of July holiday just days away, staff and faculty are invited to share photos of barbecues, beach trips, family gatherings, fireworks or any other moments that capture how they’re enjoying time away from work as part of the annual Duke Time Off campaign.

One Duke-themed prize, courtesy of Duke University Stores, will be given away about once every two weeks throughout the summer. All eligible photos taken and shared between May 20 and Aug. 3, 2026, will be entered to win grand prizes, courtesy of the following Duke entities: 

  • A “Classic Package for Two” ($425 value) at the Washington Duke Inn. The package includes a king or double/double room for one night and full breakfast for two in the Vista Room or room service. Sunday brunch is not eligible.
  • A lemur tour for four at the Duke Lemur Center.
  • Two winners will each receive a pair of tickets to a Duke Arts Presents performance. 
  • A $50 Duke Dining gift card will go to an eligible staff or faculty member on social media who tags Working@Duke in their photo and follows us.

Follow Working@Duke and the Duke Time Off campaign (#DukeTimeOff) on Instagram, Facebook, and X and subscribe to Working@Duke’s YouTube channel. 

Grand prize winners will be announced on Working@Duke in late August.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

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