Jax Nalley

Class of 2025
Majors in Public Policy Studies and Romance Studies; Minor in Political Science

I am a junior from Springdale, Arkansas majoring in Public Policy and Romance Studies. On campus, I am involved in Duke Student Government, Chapel Scholars and the Transformative Ideas LLC, as well as a research group focused on the unconstitutionality of the death penalty. Last summer, I worked as a client advocate at the Orleans Public Defenders' Office in New Orleans, which has led me to want to pursue a career in public interest law as well as given me a deep interest in the rural-urban divide and how it manifests in public policy. Outside of my involvements, I have recently become addicted to pickleball (best social sport ever) and folk country music (Tyler Childers, I love you).

Favorite Class: My favorite class at Duke so far has been "Liberty and Equality: Ancient and Modern Perspectives" taught by Dr. Jed Atkins. The course tore apart many of my preconceived notions about the universality of concepts like freedom, social equity, and modern democracy, and it taught me unique language to explain the importance of these concepts. With liberal democracy under attack in many parts of the US, I have found myself returning to the perspectives gained in this course more than any other I've taken.