Part One: To start off…

 My name is Hubert Tolison Humphrey and I am from Charlotte, North Carolina, where I attended Myers Park High School. At Myers Park, I earned my International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, an article that successfully sealed the chapter of my high school career. In high school, I actively sought to amass a plethora of experiences, which led me to travel across the Atlantic to England and Ireland with People to People Student Ambassadors, as well as to form my own band, HTTP, with a close friend for a one time performance at the MP Battle of the Bands. I still carry with me this enjoyment of new environments and challenges.

 Part Two: Where my heart lies

 While in high school, I discovered my passion for education in the SEED tutorial program, at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. From volunteering, I learned the importance of creating an environment, in which the student derives a personal integrity and self confidence, from their strong effort and quality of work. Equipped with self confidence, the student will not only supersede immediate challenges, but embrace and overcome those future obstacles to their studies. Education is a cause I plan to champion, throughout my Duke career.

 Part Three: Concerning my pact with the blue devil

 I chose Duke for its dynamic nature. With the new leadership of President Brodhead, from Yale University, and Provost Lange, from Harvard, I saw Duke on a trajectory for even greater academic excellence and research innovation. Before I made my decision, I knew I wanted to attend a prestigious university offering a host of new opportunities and Duke superseded all of my criteria. I was impressed by the work in Duke’s research facilities on Brain-Machine Interface that allows signals from the brain’s neurons to operate mechanical limbs. The biggest attractor for me was Duke Engage, which represented to me an opportunity to implement a program of my own design anywhere in the world, with Duke’s funding. Ultimately, Duke represented a full, rich college experience on all fronts: academically, socially, and athletically (it would have been a flaw not to mention the basketball).

 Part Four: A few scattered thoughts on my first semester

 My semester at Duke was truly a growth experience. Initially, I was planning to study in Trinity School of the Arts and Sciences; however, I had a deep desire to develop my problem solving skills coupled with my strong curiosity in nanotech that led me to take pre-requisite courses for Pratt School of Engineering. Quickly, I learned college is hard. Over the semester, I acquired knowledge of computer programming and refined my construction of mathematical arguments. My study habits have matured, in the process of studying for college courses. Opposed to working restlessly until dawn, I have discovered the mornings as a slice of study time, at which I am mentally fresh. The friends I have made thus far have been great. They are all driven and very sociable. Often we participate in study groups relaying different approaches and ideas to the problems brought up in class.

 One night, while sitting in the common room of my dorm, it dawned on me that I was now truly fending for myself, no longer could I rely on my loving mother to wake me up or manage my eating patterns. When this independence finally set upon my conscience, it had a grounding effect making me more alert and reflective of the habits I was forming.

 I allowed myself the first semester to get acclimated to the academic rigor at Duke, before fully diving into extracurricular activities. Currently, I’m a member of Alspaugh House Council, which has kept me busy, in my spare time, brainstorming events for the dorm. For spring semester, I plan to get more involved with service projects and to join a student led engineering initiative (Smart Home, most likely). Overall, first semester has been a lesson on self awareness and I look forward to further growth, in the years to come.

 Part Five: The BN family

 The Benjamin N. Duke Scholarship Program has been central to my Duke experience, in the way that it has provided me with almost a second family of sorts. This sentiment is echoed by my peers in how we refer to all members of the program, as the BN Fam. The four core values of the program are intentionality, imagination, empathy, and community. The last value of community is what the program emphasizes on building, between the scholars.

 During summer registration, the upperclassmen BNs counseled me on the process of book-bagging classes, offering tips such as obtaining professors for math, opposed to teacher assistants, and making sure to add the lab components to my science courses. With BNs in every class, I have found a wealth of wisdom to draw upon, as I adjust to college life.

 Even though I have known my BN class for one semester, I have experienced a closeness to my peers, fostered by random adventures off campus to local shows and restaurants, within Durham. I can recall grabbing a late night snack with a fellow BN, as we crammed for a test the next morning. There is an ambitious energy amidst my peers. If I ever have an idea there are eleven others to actively bounce ideas off. This genuine sense of camaraderie and support is what I have derived as the essence of the BN community.