Project Citizen
Polis: Center for Politics serves as the Campus Partner for Project Citizen, an Experiential Orientation program designed to give students the skills to be informed, active, and compassionate citizens within Duke campus and our local, national, and global communities.
With a special focus on discourse, finding common ground, and gaining exposure to different systems of change, this project helps students answer the question, “What does it mean to be a model citizen?”
3 Years ● 257 Alumni
Student Program Directors
- 2024: Rhiannon Camarillo & Yadira Paz-Martinez
- 2023: Kaitlyn Lewars & Yadira Paz-Martinez
- 2022: Alexa Goble & Kaitlyn Lewars
Hear from our students!
Project Citizen 2024
Project Citizen took incoming first-year students to Washington, DC for a third year. Activities included a photo scavenger hunt, seeking out significant sights that demonstrate the city’s democratic values. Following in the tradition of previous years, students were able to meet and mingle with Duke alumni and hear how Duke impacted their professional and personal journey and their values related to being upstanding and engaged citizens.
The Office of Public Engagement hosted the students at the White House Executive Office Building for a morning speaker session and Q&A involving several members of White House staff from a variety of offices including the Office of the Chief of Staff, the National Security Council, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The students were also joined by Daleep Singh, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, for a conversation about pursuing a career in public service, and working at the nexus of global economic and security issues. Lastly, the first-years visited several key exhibits at the National Museum of African American History and Culture highlighting the struggles of American citizenship and democracy as told through the lens of African Americans.
Durham programming included a Durham and Duke tour. Students met with Council Member Javiera Caballero at City Hall and with various student organizations, faculty, and administrators, on campus to learn more about what their new home has to offer. Lastly, Polis Director Abdullah Antepli facilitated a presidential debate to foster civil discourse across differences.
Project Citizen 2023
Incoming first-year students spent three days in Durham and three days in Washington, DC during the second annual Project Citizen.
Durham programming included a tour of their new city and campus, dinner with various faculty and administrators, and level setting for the next four years.
Programming included an alumni panel featuring Sofia Girvin (PPS '22), John Harwood ('78), Jasmine Masand (MPP '21), Arturo Reyes (PPS '18), and Jaquell Sneed-Adams (MPP '23). The alumni discussed their decisions to attend Duke University, their experiences on campus, and their reflections since graduation. The panelists also gave recommendations in how to get involved in politics, citizenship, and democracy on campus and beyond.
Students also participated in an immersive and collaborative debate hosted by Braver Angels, ACTA and BridgeUSA to foster ideological diversity and civil discourse on college campuses.
On the last day in D.C., students were able to tour the U.S. Capitol or visit one of three museums including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Project Citizen 2022
2022 marked the first Project Citizen experiential orientation program. Over 100 incoming first-year Duke students were given a unique opportunity to build new connections and to develop skills to become more active, global, and compassionate citizens through programming in Durham and Washington, DC.
During the D.C. programming, students had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Capitol Building, Oxfam headquarters, Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, and the Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Students also attended the musical American Prophet, directed by Duke alum Charles Randolph Wright. The musical chronicles the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass, a human rights leader and abolitionist, as well as an author, orator, and statesman. After the play, students were able to talk directly with Randolph-Wright and the cast.