Unforgettable New York City Adventure Yields Duke Time Off's Latest Winning Photo

Eligible photos taken and shared throughout the campaign between May 20 and Aug. 3, 2026, will be entered to win grand prizes

A man at a subway station
Derwin Cordell had fun while waiting for a subway ride during a recent trip to New York. Photo courtesy of Derwin Cordell.

Still buzzing over the Jay-Z concert they’d just witnessed and the frenetic energy of a summer night in New York City, Derwin Cordell and his wife Felicia found themselves on an empty subway platform, well after midnight, with a 20-minute wait between them and the train they needed.

“We were just hanging around in there and we decided to take a picture,” said Cordell, who posed for a fun snapshot. “We were just having a good time.”

Cordell, a Duke Health Technology Solutions Device Support Analyst II based at Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital, 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.

Derwin Cordell traveled to New York City earlier this month to see Jay-Z perform at Yankee Stadium. Photo courtesy of Derwin Cordell.

“I really love the PTO and how it accrues with Duke,” Cordell said. “It gives you plenty of time to take off and do these kinds of things.”

The trip in July was a whirlwind as the pair began driving to the northeast on a Thursday evening after work. After an overnight stop in Maryland, they made it to Manhattan Friday afternoon.

After getting some help from locals navigating the subway route to the concert venue, Yankee Stadium, the couple got to enjoy the first night of a three-night residency for Cordell’s favorite artist. With appearances from his wife and fellow superstar Beyoncé, and one-time rival Nas, Jay-Z played classics from his 1996 album “Reasonable Doubt.”

“The show was so great, it was awesome,” Cordell said. “He had such stage presence. It had me standing up the whole time.”

Cordell’s winning photo earned him a 24-can cooler courtesy of Duke University Stores.

As the Duke Time Off campaign hits the home stretch, staff and faculty are encouraged to share photos of summer fun near and far and any other moments that capture how they’re enjoying time away from work.

One Duke-themed prize, courtesy of Duke University Stores, has been given away about once every two weeks throughout the summer. All eligible photos taken and shared between May 20 and 12 p.m. on 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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