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Student Blogs

May 26, 2021

Surf Class

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Matthew As I embarked on my Duke Gap Year I promised myself that I would try to learn something and grow as a person from each every experience I chose to undertake, and I have definitely kept true to that goal.  Living for two months in Puerto Pilon, Costa Rica, offered unique and spectacular […]

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May 11, 2021

The Power of a Bike

By: Leslie

By Matthew  How do you get around without a car when nothing is nearby? That is a problem I had to face with four of my friends in a small town in the southwest corner of Costa Rica. The only guaranteed ride was to and from work, and buses definitely did not come on the […]

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January 1, 2021

Adventures in Maui

By: Admin

  By Matthew When I embarked on this Hawaiian journey I hoped it would be filled with amazing experiences and adventure, sunsets, surfing, warm evenings and the maybe even sounds of a ukulele playing in the background.  Looking back, it was nothing like I expected.  Yes, it was spectacular, and of course it was warm, […]

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November 1, 2020

Anatomy of a Farm

By: Admin

By Matthew Ancient Hawaiians would split up land into pie slices starting at the top of the mountain and running all the way to the ocean, and each pie slice would be a town. The slices had enough resources to support all its residences, with hunters up in the mountains, fisherman on the coast, and […]

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October 1, 2020

Problem Solving in Hana

By: Admin

By Matthew I spent the last few months with friends volunteering on a farm located about 7 miles west of the remote town of Hana on the island Maui.  For perspective, while offering undeniably spectacular views, Kaoli is approximately 2 hours from the nearest grocery and hardware stores, accumulates roughly 400 inches in annual rainfall, […]

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September 30, 2020

Why Take A Gap Year

By: Admin

By Matthew   Although I will not be attending classes this year I will never stop learning and nothing, not even another stay-at-home mandate will prevent me from growing intellectually. I’m learning and growing from every experience I’m having this summer.  Everything from navigating social interactions, precarious backcountry situations, catering to guests’ needs and cooking […]

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September 1, 2020

Taking to the Mountains

By: Admin

By Matthew Throughout this month, while I have been searching for concrete plans for the upcoming semester and thinking about what I want out of this year, I have taken to the mountains. Connectivity to nature has been a foundational pillar to my upbringing in Aspen Colorado. It has been preached and practiced by everyone […]

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