Duke Delta Sigma Pi

Duke Datathon is in action!

***Starring: Simon Song***
Q: How have you changed since coming to Duke?
A: As a senior, I’m more comfortable doing my own thing--really there’s no FOMO. I enjoy just taking care of myself, and hanging out with friends. I worry a lot less.

It’s also really strange when you go back home because your realize that whoever in high school isn’t your age anymore, all of your friends from back then are gone and doing their own thing.

Unlike Michael, my email has shot to 4,000, but that’s fine because Ellen Herd is still bae.

Q: Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years?
A: New York. Peaking in financial independence. Drafted to the NBA. [laughter] Spending time with people. Going on some weekend or week long voyages. Like every month, I’d get out one weekend. To rejuvenate, reinvigorate myself. I really want to pick up more cultures and find inspiration for changing up my routine.

Q: What’s your fondest memory at Duke?
A: At the time, I didn’t know it would be my favorite memory. I had just met Ellen on the second day and definitely didn’t have the best first impression of her because of just the mood that I was in then, but that moment was actually pretty significant because it really made me realize that friendships pivot a lot from the first encounters.
In the span of those two days alone, I made some pretty lifelong friends. I met Akshat on that second day as well. And since then, college has been non-stop chaotic.

Our RA busted us once, but I’m definitely not complaining.
In my opinion, this university as a whole also has really helped me have an amazing time here at Duke. It has actually been really tolerant and was there for my safety. From those first two days alone, you were immediately swallowed in this Duke bubble, where the police officers were really there for your safety. And you definitely don’t have to look over your shoulder for certain things.

Damn, I also have another moment that I just remembered. My junior year in the fall, I packed way too many people--we were two or three times over the safety level defined by the fire department standard--into my central apartment. Again, I didn’t anticipate that this would be a “favorite memory” situation at the time--but upon reflection, I realize I was surrounded by a ton of close friends and soon-to-be close friends. One thing I do remember from that night though, was looking forward to an incredible year.

Also, Ellen gave me a tie that night.

Q: Who is someone you’re very close to within DSP?
A: Easily this answer belongs to Akshat. The summer before Duke started--Akshat was one of those people who posted on the Class of 2017 page--with his Myers Briggs test result. My friend thought he was really weird when he posted it. I took the test too though, and I actually think it was pretty ballsy that he posted to a bunch of strangers.

Then, when I moved in freshman year, I realized he was in my dorm. Initially, we were all in a big group chatting among each other. I really didn’t expect we would continue to be so close after that night.

We’ve been nothing but close though.

Last summer, I moved in with Akshat, and he’s just seen me in a ton of small moments. He know my habits. How I hate cleaning the bathroom. And he’s just seen me as a person, in the most dimensions out of anyone I know.

Q: What does DSP mean to you?
A: It’s served as a form of validation. When we were freshman, none of us imagine that DSP would ever become a thing, but today DSP is a huge part of Duke’s campus, and it’s living proof that four years of college haven’t just gone by for nothing.

In four years, you can really do something. You can really build an organization.
And it’s incredibly rewarding to see all that built up effort and energy materialize.

***Starring: Akshat Podar***

Q: How have you changed since coming to Duke?
A: I’ve changed in so many ways. It’s impossible for me to note them all. But, one major way I’ve changed is that I now strive to tailor my actions according to certain values I truly identify with. Two of those values are 1) my desire to mentor other individuals in my life and 2) my ability to empathize with them. These verbs-- “to mentor” and “empathize”--truly guide my life and through them, I hope to make an impact in the world. As such, I want to stay as true to them as possible. If someone reaches out to me, I want to commit to these actions because only then are you truly able to understand another person’s perspective. Over time, all these small steps will then aggregate into a larger and impactful picture.

Q: Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years?
A: I want to be a leader in some shape or form. For me, being a leader fits into my whole thing about making an impact. I really want to inspire those around me. And this desire is really depicted by how I gauge my own success by seeing how much I contributed to the successes of others. So, for the next five years, I want to be in an environment where I have extremely passionate and ambitious people around me who are also working to fulfill and on their own paths to success. I want those same people reflected in my friend groups and networks!

Q: What’s your fondest memory at Duke?
A: My fondest memory was the Championship Game Night. That night, to be surrounded in that atmosphere--I’ve never experienced anything like it before. You had this huge sense of community, of camaraderie. In that moment, nothing mattered. Who you were, what your background was, no one cared. Instead, you were sucked into this experience of sharing common success, a pinnacle moment that everyone had wanted to achieve so desperately together. This euphoria, coming from such a collective community, really epitomized why I loved Duke.

Q: Who is someone you’re very close to within DSP?
A: This question was difficult for so many reasons. Over the years, I’ve formed so many great friendships. This is still a question that I don’t even know if I can answer because there are so many people who I am close to within this organization. From my senior class alone, there’s Ellen, Simon, Michael, Ethan...In the junior class, there’s Greg, Andrew, Christina, and you! Christina and Greg were even a part of my FAC group, so literally they’ve been there since first day. From the sophomore class, there’s Ben, Chris, Qusai, Raymond, Shreya…. The list really goes on and on. As much as I’d like to pick a specific name, I would like to think that I am there for everyone as much as possible, and DSP has really been a catalyst in allowing me to form such close relationships over my Duke career.

Q: What does DSP mean to you?
A: In three letters, DSP means you can accomplish anything. We started off as a small organization filled with a lot of doubt. However, we had a certain vision, and we wanted to manifest it. We wanted to recruited the best people, the best talent, and form the best community.

Today, DSP has shown me--and I do believe--that if you truly are passionate about your vision, you can make your vision a reality. You can do anything. So, to me, DSP represents my passion, and my vision to make an impact.

photo creds: Michelle Li

Thank you for coming out to Book Club! We hope to read more books with you all in the future!