Sophomore year is when things start to click, and the unknowns become the familiar. Classes feel more purposeful, friendships run deeper, routines develop and campus becomes home. As our four Trinity students return, the series picks back up to follow their next chapter focused on exploring new opportunities, choosing majors and finding momentum. Through stories, photos, videos and social updates, we’ll capture the energy as they lean in, step up — and hit their stride.
“Last year, when I stuck to a good schedule for homework assignments and studying, rather than cramming the night before, it made all aspects of my life manageable.”
When we last spoke with Drew Smith, he was days away from finals — and from a surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Both went well, but the long recovery followed by many months of rehabilitation gave him a new lesson to master: “I really had to learn patience,” he admits. “Because my arm was immobile for a month, all the muscles were like Jello. I had to slowly build all that back, and the self-control and patience I learned have really helped me grow.”
His patience was further tested when he returned to Oregon to convalesce and rehab. The Duke men’s track and field team won its first-ever ACC Outdoor Championship in May, and Smith had to cheer them on from the sidelines (his couch). “I followed the entire meet and kept track of the standings, and when I couldn’t be there with my teammates to encourage them and then celebrate the win — that was tough.”
But he’s looking at this setback as his greatest motivator to get back to work. With only a few months left of physical therapy, he’s on a return-to-throwing protocol with Duke Athletics and is confident he’ll be throwing the javelin when the season starts this spring.
"Every Duke student is cool and has done amazing things, and that's a double-edged sword. You’re surrounded by greatness 24/7, and it's easy for me to forget that I’m also great and have done amazing things."
At Duke, Amylyn DePaz-DePaz has learned that growth often begins in the uncomfortable spaces, like navigating imposter syndrome as a first-generation student. By leaning into opportunities to teach, interpret and serve, she’s finding her voice and imagining a future where she helps others do the same.
This summer, she participated in an eight-week program with Duke Engage, working in Durham Public Schools building and then implementing a STEM curriculum with 1st-5th graders. With her own experience going through the North Carolina Public School system, DePaz-DePaz felt like she was uniquely positioned to communicate to her peers what worked and what didn’t.
Another thing that may have changed her trajectory at Duke this summer? Working as an interpreter at dental clinics through Remote Area Medical, a student-run program that provides free medical and dental care to the underserved in Durham.
“I’m flirting with the idea of declaring Psychology as my major,” she said, “but it’s probably going to be Biology, and then I’m considering dentistry for the first time because of my experience.”
“If there's an event that interests you even a little bit, just go to it. It's easy to think that you know what you want to do, but sometimes you try something new, and you realize how awesome it is, and it can change everything.”
For Tobias Williams, summer meant familiar faces and routines back home. Now that he’s returned to Duke, he’s stepping into a bigger role: helping first-years find their footing while he figures out his own next steps.
After spending the summer back home in Minnesota, working at Dick’s Sporting Goods and as a counselor at a Bible camp, Williams returned to Duke early to be an orientation leader.
“I had such a great group in Project Edge last year that I wanted to pay it forward,” he said. “It’s weird — but cool — how well you get to know a place after one year.”
Since sophomores in Trinity declare their majors second semester of their second year, Williams is narrowing down what he wants to do. While he’s still interested in majoring in Economics, he’s thinking about doing investment banking recruiting, which will give him access to a summer internship in finance.
"When I’m home, I’m missing school, and when I’m at school, I’m missing home. But I also know it’s a privilege to feel that pull in both directions — not everyone can say the same."
While Daniella Freedman is happy to be back on campus, it wasn’t easy to leave her family, including her dogs Bibble and Loki. “When I’m home, I’m missing school, and when I’m at school, I’m missing home,” she admits. “But I also know it’s a privilege to feel that pull in both directions — not everyone can say the same.”
Still focused on an English major, Freedman will be busy with five course credits this fall. Two English courses and a long-form journalism course, with Genetics and Evolution and her final semester of Latin rounding out the schedule. “I’m in Intermediate Latin now, which is very different from elementary. We’re done with all the grammar rules and can focus on full translations. It’s harder, but I can finally apply everything I’ve learned.”
She also feels “pretty much set” on the path she has planned for the year: knocking some basic requirements off the list so she can really focus on English and journalism.
What’s it really like being a student in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences? As Duke welcomes its 100th class, we’re launching a four-year documentary series that chronicles the experiences of student life at Trinity — the good, the bad and the (hopefully) not so ugly. We’ll be telling stories and sharing photos, videos and social media updates as we follow four of our undergrads from move-in day to graduation, and everything in between.
