Karina Lu '26: Learning to Think Across Disciplines

Karina Lu is a senior from Seattle, Washington majoring in History with a concentration in Law & Governance and a minor in French. During her time at Duke, she competed in the American Moot Court Association Nationals, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, received a Fulbright Scholarship, and published research with the Duke Center for Firearms Law and the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law. Her senior thesis, “Embodying the Revolution: Female SentDown Youth on the Yunnan Frontier, 1969–1980,” explores grassroots history. After graduation, she will work as a legal analyst at a complex litigation law firm in Chicago. Lu has also been involved in the Duke History Union; Duke Students for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (DS4TRHT); and Duke Ballroom. She studied abroad with Duke in Paris and Duke in Aix en Provence through the Mac Anderson Foreign Language Scholarship. 

As the academic year draws to a close, we asked Lu to reflect on her time at Duke, the experiences that shaped her, and the lessons she hopes to carry forward after graduation. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

Is there a moment, experience, class or person at Duke that changed you? 

During my first year, I met an upper-level student through Moot Court who became an important mentor. She helped me navigate moments of doubt about my abilities and identity, and showed me what a strong female role model could look like. 

Her influence showed up in small but meaningful ways. She introduced me to professors and communities, encouraged me to keep improving my writing and pushed me to step outside my comfort zone. When I felt overwhelmed, she reminded me to slow down and breathe. Through our friendship, I began to move past feelings of imposter syndrome. Today she is in law school, and although we talk less often, her impact continues to shape how I try to support others. 

Is there a part of yourself that you discovered or reclaimed during your time at Duke? 

At Duke, I discovered how much I enjoy combining art and movement through dance. I had always wanted to learn but worried about my lack of coordination. During my first year, I joined a dance group and began learning ballroom styles with the support of coaches and friends. 

Dance quickly became an important community for me. The connections formed through movement and nonverbal communication felt unique and collaborative. By my junior year, I was able to co-choreograph and perform a Viennese Waltz for the 50th Anniversary of the Duke Viennese Waltz Ball, which was an especially meaningful experience. 

As you prepare to graduate, what are you most grateful for from your time at Duke? 

I’m most grateful for the way Duke encouraged interdisciplinary thinking. I arrived as a humanities student and will leave as one, but my experiences here showed me how ideas move across fields. 

Through Bass Connections, I researched historical precedents for environmental protections in space and presented that work at Duke Space Symposium alongside economists, engineers, lawyers and scientists. It was a moment that helped me see how historical thinking can contribute to conversations far beyond the discipline. 

Duke taught me that meaningful problems require collaboration across fields, cultures and perspectives. That openness to different ways of thinking is something I will carry with me long after graduation.