Trisha Santanam '26 Finding Home in Literature and Music

Trisha Santanam is a senior majoring in English with a minor in Music. Her academic interests focus on literature, music and questions of identity, diaspora and belonging. In addition to serving as a Trinity Ambassador, Santanam is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow researching how diasporic experiences can be heard through music and literature, as well as a member of the Bass Connections Archives and Creative Process team studying the archives of a feminist record collector and writer. 

On campus, she serves on the Undergraduate Research Support Student Advisory Council, contributes to The Archive literary magazine and participates in Chamber Music and the Duke Flute Studio. She also works in the Editorial, Design and Production department at Duke University Press. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in English. 

With commencement on the horizon, we asked Santanam 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? 

Taking Professor Taylor Black’s FOCUS course on The Southern Grotesque during my first semester confirmed my love of literary studies and introduced me to the possibility of pursuing a Ph.D. in English. His mentorship has shaped my academic path in profound ways. 

Over the past four years, I’ve watched how Taylor approaches scholarship with curiosity, humility and care. His classes encouraged exploration and helped me see the rich connections between music and literature that now guide my research. Because of that early experience, I discovered both my academic interests and the kind of scholar I hope to become. 

What advice would you give to your firstyear self — or to an incoming firstyear at Duke? 

Give yourself permission to change. Some students arrive with a clear plan while others feel uncertain, but either way things rarely unfold exactly as expected. 

It’s freeing to allow yourself to explore without feeling pressure to match a preconceived idea of whom you should be. It’s okay to leave a club, drop a class or shift directions. You often learn what truly matters to you by discovering what doesn’t. The goal is to understand who you are and shape your life in ways that reflect that. 

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

I’m most grateful for the chance to spend time in an academic community that encouraged curiosity and experimentation. The English department gave me space to explore ideas, take intellectual risks and follow unexpected paths in my research. 

I’m also deeply thankful for the professors and fellow students who shared their time, knowledge and enthusiasm. As I move on to pursue a Ph.D. in English, I hope to carry that spirit of openness with me and continue asking questions, even when the answers feel uncertain.