The Historic Durham Armory, the hopping location downtown that once featured acts from Duke Ellington to Ella Fitzgerald and was the inspiration for Ernie Barnes’ The Sugar Shack, hosted another lively event this week: A celebration of the 10th cohort of Young Scholars from the Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute. …
Sandra Santillan first encountered the Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute as a high school student at Hillside High School, encouraged by a teacher who recognized her strong writing skills. “I thought I was in trouble,” she says, recalling how her teacher pulled her aside. Instead, the teacher introduced her to…
Sashir Moore-Sloan teaches American History, World History, Women’s Studies, and AP U.S. History at Charles E. Jordan High School, and has taught in Durham schools for more than twenty years. She is also as an adjunct professor in the History Department at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). This summer, she will be an instructor in…
For Akanke Mason-Hogans, returning to the Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute as a co-instructor feels like a natural continuation of a journey that began long before her first day in a classroom. Mason-Hogans, a Durham native and graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, didn’t always know she wanted to…
Jaelyn Nixon didn’t plan on becoming a public policy scholar. She didn’t plan on teaching high school students research methods, either. But then again, her path has never really followed a straight line. What has stayed consistent is her curiosity. “I knew I wanted to study people,” says Nixon, a returning instructor to the Hank…
For Shamia Truitt, teaching is far more than a career, it is a calling rooted in service, creativity, and a steadfast commitment to equity. Throughout her more than two decades in the classroom, Truitt has championed a holistic, student-centered philosophy that honors the complexity of her students’ lives. Today, as a 7th grade teacher at…
Once a student in the Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute, Oyinkan Ajasa has come full circle, returning this summer as a teaching assistant with years of study, community work, and teaching experience at her disposal. “It feels surreal to be back in this space,” Ajasa says. “This program gave me…
Kollin Brown’s journey is one that comes full circle. Once a high school participant in the Cook Center’s Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute, Brown returns this summer—not as a student, but as a teacher’s assistant. It has been 7 years since Brown was an Aaron Young Scholar himself. Now, after…
This weekend, Arielle Solomon will graduate from Duke with a major in Marine Science and Conservations and a minor in Inequality Studies, a combination that displays her appreciation for both animal science and the humanities. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Solomon began her college journey at NYU, where she was studying international relations. “I originally wanted…
When Kelly Padalino was applying to college, her plan was simple: focus on her academics but continue dancing. Her decision to attend Duke set her on a path that combined her love of the arts and public policy, and later, a new understanding of inequality. “I definitely chose Duke because I really wanted to do…