Senior English Major, Trisha Santanam

The memories I have of my time here almost four years ago are slightly fuzzy, but my first semester in the English Department remains clear—mostly because it touched me so deeply. – Trisha Santanam, ’26  

Every so often, someone comes along who leaves a trail of inspiration wherever they go. For the past four years, Trisha Santanam has been that beacon for the Duke English Department. From her very first day on campus, she poured her energy into the English major, launching creative student engagement efforts and becoming both a passionate advocate and a welcoming presence throughout the Allen Building. Her steadfast dedication and brilliant mind have truly stood out. Trisha has amassed an impressive array of accolades: Phi Beta Kappa, Dean’s List, Distinction English Mellon May Undergraduate Fellowship, researching how diasporic experiences can be heard through music and literature, 2025 Faculty Scholar, Duke English Critical Essay Prize, a member of the Bass Connections Archives and Creative Process team studying the archives of a feminist record collector and writer, and the Louis J. Budd Award for Outstanding Work in American Literature. She is one of Trinity Class of 2026 featured seniors. 

"I think of Trisha Santanam as the embodied spirit of the Duke English major. From her remarkable passion to her contagious intellectual excitement, she has brought her unique sparkle to her classes, departmental events, and the very halls of the Allen building. With her creativity, imagination, and intense commitment, I know her years at Duke are only the beginning of a remarkable career that I look forward to following with joy and pride." 
- Professor Priscilla Wald

"She is among the English majors whose “heroism is in the calipers that hold their soft casing open -- in their eyes, and their ready surprise, and this won’t stop la migra but neither will it collude." - Prof. Tsitsi Jaji, Duke English.

Recently, Trisha Santanam joined Duke English Professor Taylor Black for a lively Q&A about life as an English major at Duke, sharing insights and personal experiences. During the conversation, Trisha spoke about a pivotal moment in her academic journey: realizing that music and literature could be approached in conversation with one another, expanding her understanding of "text" in literary studies. She also encouraged students to remain open to new forms of learning and collaboration, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and building supportive communities within the department.

What would graduating Trisha say to incoming first-year Trisha?

"I don’t know if I would tell my incoming, first-year self-much, because I feel like trial and error is so necessary as you figure out what you want to do and the kind of person you want to be in the world. Perhaps I would tell her to continue prioritizing authentic relationships and to focus on doing things that she loves without worrying too much about the end result."

Why English?

Can you recall a moment in an English class when you changed your way of thinking?

"So much of the way I think about the world and about music and literature is because of a course on “Southern Music and Literature” that I took in the spring semester of my freshman year with Taylor Black and Sophia Enriquez (Music). A few weeks into the course, I read an article Taylor wrote called “Folk and Blues Methods in American Literature and Criticism.” The piece explored the resonances between music and literature, calling for a method of interpretation that is closer to listening than reading. It had never occurred to me to expand my notion of the “text” in literary studies to encompass music."

Duke English Course taken:

"Some teachers have had the benefit of Trisha’s presence in twelve classes; I consider myself truly lucky to have had her in one. She’s so brilliant—and such a cornerstone of this department—that her graduation is going to leave a chasm on Allen’s third floor." 
- Professor Michael D’Alassandro, Duke English

English Courses Taken by Santanam:

• Southern Grotesque (Fall 2022)
• Introduction to Poetry (Fall 2022)
• American Cults (Spring 2023)
• Southern Music and Literature (Spring 2023)
• Homosexualities (Fall 2023)
• Let’s Write a Shakespeare Play (Fall 2023)
• African Diaspora Literature (Spring 2024)
• Black Composition and Poetry (Spring 2024)
• Bob Dylan (Spring 2024)
• What was Heterosexuality? (Fall 2024)
• Environment in Law, Literature, and Science (Fall 2024)
• Philosophy of Modern Song (Spring 2025)
• American Crime Literature (Spring 2025)
• Writing for the Public (Spring 2025)
• Women, Witchcraft, and Medicine (Fall 2025)
• War-Hole (Fall 2025)
• Renaissance Theatre (Fall 2025)

"Trisha has thoroughly shaped my time at Duke. I first met her in one of Professor Black's graduate seminars in 2022. Though she was then only in her first-year as an undergraduate, Trisha very bravely showed up to observe our discussions on Flannery O'Connor and Toni Morrison. She brought the same intrepid energy into one of my own courses last fall, elevating our discussions and, above all, creating a warm community. What's so rare about Trisha is that she is both exceedingly bright and exceedingly kind, forming deep connections everywhere she goes. It's been an honor to learn alongside her over the past few years." - Lizzie Apple, Duke English PhD Candidate

Trisha Santanam has served as a vibrant ambassador for Duke English and the university. Her influence extends well beyond faculty and staff, inspiring her peers and shaping the department’s culture.

Lindsay Frankfort, ’26, collaborated with Trisha during their sophomore year as part of the Creative Process Bass Connections team. Frankfort remembers Trisha as a remarkably caring archivist, creative writer, and dedicated researcher. She noted that Trisha’s contributions to the Bass Connections team were always thorough, marked by curiosity and compassion, making her popular among peers and professors alike. 

"My friend, who is also an English major and I even call her the queen of the English department… She is not only an outstanding student but a truly wonderful person. It's no coincidence that she is beloved by professors and peers alike." - Lindsay Frankfort, ‘26

Trisha Santanam’s legacy in the Duke English Department shines through her role as co-founder and lead organizer of the Triangle Undergraduate Literary Conference (TULC). She helped shape the conference’s vision, brought together faculty and student leaders from neighboring universities, and ensured the event opened doors for emerging writers. Thanks to her leadership over the past two years, TULC has brought together students from Duke, NCCU, UNC, and NC State, offering underclassmen a rare platform to share their voices.

"Trisha and I first met during Project Arts… We quickly became friends, and I've been very lucky to have worked with her since then -- from first conceptualizing TULC on the porch of Biddle, to co-teaching our house course on poetry and death underneath Perkins, to "unearthing" a "new" Shakespeare comedy in Allen 318. Her expansive and generous approach to all forms of creative expression has helped me become a better student of literature, and I'm excited to see how her ideas shape literary thinking in the future, both near and far!" - Tyler King, ‘25

Building a Sense of Community

The Duke Undergraduate Lounge would not be the welcoming environment it is today if it were not for Santanam's foresight in meeting with the Duke English staff and administration to suggest ways to better utilize the space and make it more comfortable for students.

What was the undergrad lounge like before you started hanging out there? What do you want to tell future students about how they should maintain that space? 

During my freshman year, there was no undergrad lounge. It’s funny—I remember having class in Allen 326, and I would always peek down the hall into this mysterious room. The lights were mostly off, but the sun would spill through the windows, and I had this persistent itch to just sit inside and study in what seemed like the most peaceful little nook of Allen. It was as if the Department could hear my innermost thoughts, because it became a lounge for undergrads when all the students returned the next year. That first year, few students used the undergrad lounge. It was disappointing, as it was meant to be an opportunity to get to know more English majors and minors. The following year, the English Department ambassadors worked with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) to revamp the space, getting new furniture and providing alternatives to garish fluorescent lights. The lounge soon became a space where students not only stopped in for a few minutes while waiting for class or a meeting, but where they actually hung out and got to familiarize themselves with faces in the department. It was lovely to have the lounge to create a sense of community, providing them with an opportunity to meet other English students beyond taking classes together or meeting at a department event.I will always have good memories of all the faces that have trickled in and out of the space. I’ve spent many an hour in the lounge, listening to records (thanks to Taylor for the great record player and for sharing his collection so generously), killing time before class, acting in Macbeth during the Halloween party with Priscilla, Mesha, and Savannah, hearing about essay prompts in courses I’m not taking, and making friends with hopeful English majors/minors. In other words, the lounge was a space for me to simply linger. In the future, I hope that Duke English students will continue to see the space as a place to loiter for a variety of purposes, whether that be practical (like doing homework) or simply for pleasure (like listening to records or doodling on the fridge door). 

In the Fall of 2026, Trisha will embark on her next adventure at Columbia University, where she will pursue a PhD in English and Comparative Literature, with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century musical and literary texts. Her love for literature and music has been central to her studies, and she has explored how the two can be intertwined. Jamal Michel, with The John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, interviewed her last year to learn about Santanam’s research into how the two genres are creating new forms of communication.

I am insanely grateful to Lisa, Kekka, Michelle, and Quantá for dealing with my endless emails and schemes over these years. I would not have had the same experience at Duke if it were not for meeting Quantá during my freshman year—I can’t thank him enough for introducing me to so many other people in the Department and for including me in so many of his projects. I’ve also been lucky to get to know some wonderful graduate students who I view as role models and who made me feel welcomed in a variety of academic spaces, such as Lizzie Apple, Maryn Gardner, Katie Carithers, Spencer George, and Abby Rogers. And, of course, I feel fortunate to have been surrounded by English majors/minors who helped me think about the humanities in new ways. Whether we’re teaching house courses together, planning the literary conference, working on a group research project, or simply talking about a book for fun, I have had such fun collaborating with my peers (too many to name!) in Duke English and have learned so much from their approaches to literature and life, more broadly.  

Take A Way

"I am biased, of course, but I do think we have the most generous and attentive faculty. My understanding of literature is the combination of so many professors from whom I’ve learned formally and informally—especially Taylor Black, Mike D’Alessandro, Tsitsi Jaji, Ranji Khanna, JP Gritton, Marianna Torgovnick, Tom Ferraro, Priscilla Wald, Julianne Werlin, and Jarvis McInnis— and I’ll continue to carry their ways of thinking with me into all academic communities I am part of." 
- Trisha Santanam, ‘26