Literature exists without boundaries. Recognizing the limitlessness of language, the English Department Ambassadors are dedicated to showing Duke students the powerful manner in which studying English grants us access to a heightened understanding of our own selves and timeless truths of the human psyche. The English Department Ambassadors serve as liaisons for the greater Duke student body and the English Department, hosting campus outreach events to facilitate dialogue between current students, welcome new majors, and encourage prospective Duke students to explore the humanities.
Sophia Berg
sophia.berg@duke.edu
Sophia Berg is a sophomore from Gilbert, AZ majoring in English with an interest in Political Science and Classics. Her favorite English course so far is The Legend of King Arthur taught by Dr. April Henry. Sophia believes that the English major serves to instruct on every facet of any potential career, from the development of essential writing techniques to the adoption of strong voice and choice rhetoric. After graduation, Sophia intends to attend law school with the hopes of pursuing a career in civil litigation. She hopes that the skills that she will acquire over her English major education will ensure a strong understanding of writing and research that will prepare her for a successful legal education.
On a given Friday night, Sophia can be found relaxing with a good book or some friends, and loves a good coffee chat or autumn stroll. Sophia is happy to answer any questions concerning English, Duke, or anything else that comes to mind!
Gabriella Carter
gabriella.carter@duke.edu
Gabriella Carter is a senior from Martinsburg, West Virginia, majoring in Sociology and English with a certificate in Child Policy Research. She believes that studying English is invaluable, enhancing critical thinking skills and fostering empathy. The transformative experience of being an English major has deepened her appreciation for literature’s dual nature as both entertainment and social commentary, a potent mirror capturing the essence of a cultural era while simultaneously challenging societal norms and pushing for progress. This journey has equipped her with valuable analytical and communication skills, applicable in both personal, academic, and professional settings, while cultivating a lifelong love for learning and storytelling.
Her favorite courses have been Victorian Literature with Dr. Kathy Psomiades and Speculative Black Film and Fiction with Carolin Benack. You can find Gabi sitting somewhere cozy with a good book and a warm, yummy beverage, writing poetry for and designing volumes published by The Muse Magazine, or working on her two theses in Bostock! She is always happy to discuss the merits of the English major, the social power of genre fiction, the nuances of fantasy epics, and anything else involving books and pop culture!
Lily Egol
lily.egol@duke.edu
Lily Egol is a junior from Holmdel, NJ, pursuing an English major with minors in Music and French. She loves studying English because it enables her to participate in an incredible tradition of communicating complex ideas and experiences through writing. Every English course she has taken at Duke (highlights include Jane Austen, Shakespeare: On Nature, and Inventing Childhood in 18th and 19th Century Literature) has provided compelling, inspiring insights into the human condition and the power of the written word. Lily is especially interested in exploring women’s stories: just as she loves to incorporate works by women composers into her classical piano repertoire (she is preparing a recital entitled “Four Seasons of Women Composers” to take place during this year’s Women’s History Month), she hopes to study the works of recently rediscovered women writers. She is currently working on an independent study entitled “Galls, Grace, & Grief: Women in Shakespeare, Revisited,” a collection of poetic monologues exploring the voices of some of Shakespeare’s women characters. Lily believes in the interconnectedness of literature and the arts and brings an interdisciplinary approach to her studies. You might have seen her onstage as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the Theater Studies Fall 2023 production of Twelfth Night, or at numerous Hoof ’n’ Horn musical theater events. She writes for The Muse feminist literary magazine, volunteers with Ballet & Books, and researches for Project Vox. She looks forward to continuing her exploration of the multifaceted, ever-expanding history of English literature, while also cultivating her own unique voice as a writer and artist.
Natalie Farris
natalie.farris@duke.edu
Natalie Farris is a senior from Afton, Virginia, studying English, Spanish, and the medical sciences. Reading and writing has long been her greatest passion, as it provides an intimate window into the endless subtleties of human nature. American “Southern Gothic” and Russian literature from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are her favorites, but she is currently trying to branch out by reading more contemporary books (recommendations welcome). Studying English alongside other seemingly disparate topics has taught her that every discipline can trace back to literature, which tackles the big questions: “Who are we? Why do we do what we do?” Natalie has loved all of her English classes and professors so far, one of her most memorable classes (and professors) being “Drink the Koolaid,” taught by Professor Black. Feel free to reach out with questions about English, combining a prehealth track with a humanities degree, or absolutely anything else!
Natalia Harnisch
natalia.harnisch@duke.edu
Natalia Harnisch is a sophomore from a suburb of Chicago called River Forest and is planning on double majoring in English and International Comparative Studies. Her favorite short story is Edgar Allen Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher”, and she enjoys writing poetry, as she sees it as a beautiful way to express oneself. She is loving her Spanish Global Humanities course taught by Professor Mulligan, in which she has been able to explore the complex philosophical, metaphorical, and symbolistic writing of such authors as Silvina Ocampo, Julio Cortázar, and Jorge Luis Borges.
Natalia sees English, in terms of writing and literature, as one of the most valuable art forms, and is excited for the English courses that await her at Duke. She has a love of all art forms, as she also does photography, music, dance, and painting. She is of Hispanic heritage and hopes to combine her love of literature and writing in both Spanish and English to become an immigration lawyer and help minorities fight for their rights.
Tyler King
tyler.king401@duke.edu
Tyler King is a senior from Houston, TX majoring in English and Biomedical Engineering. His primary critical focus is the formal structure of lyric poetry, and he is especially interested in thinking about the use of myth and received forms in contemporary poetry. For Tyler, the study of literature gives us unique insights into how our society and culture operates. He believes that the humanistic understandings that come through studying English are vital, no matter what field one works in.
Some Tyler’s favorite courses in the department include Theory of Poetry with Prof. Werlin, Double Consciousness with Prof. Jaji, and Milton with Prof. Aers. Feel free to ask Tyler anything about the English major, working across the humanities and sciences, and the connections between creative and critical approaches to literature!
Trisha Santanam
trisha.santanam@duke.edu
Trisha Santanam is a junior from Greensboro, NC, majoring in English and minoring in Music. Being an English major has allowed Trisha to explore literature written by and about people who have been historically underrepresented and marginalized. She believes that studying English teaches us to be more articulate in our judgments of what it means to be human-- imperfect, messy, kind-- and to be more attentive to our ethical responsibilities in the journey of self-knowledge. Trisha’s favorite English course so far has been Southern Accents taught by Dr. Taylor Black and Dr. Sophia Enríquez.
On any given evening, you can find her practicing flute duets in Biddle, lounging in the gardens with a book, or on the hunt for Durham’s best sweet treat. Trisha is happy to answer questions about English, Creative Writing, or life at Duke, in general.
Arielle Stern
arielle.stern@duke.edu
Arielle Stern is a senior majoring in English and French with a minor in Creative Writing. Her primary area of interest is the critical study of poetry, especially examined through the lens of continental philosophy (where her work in English and French intersects). Some of her favorite courses have been single-author studies with Prof. Donahue, Weil-Beauvoir-Murdoch with Prof. Moi, and Theory of Poetry with Prof. Werlin. For Arielle, studying poetry is an exercise in making sense of the unknown and obscure aspects of experience and parsing through them to make meaning. Through the process of reading literature, she believes one can learn to more closely and carefully read the world, a task that has both aesthetic and ethical stakes.
When not in class, you may find Arielle running the American Tobacco Trail, playing with her black cat Franklin, writing poetry of her own… or reading for her thesis, of course! Ask Arielle about anything English-related from creative workshops and major requirements to independent studies and graduate courses.
See Past English Department Ambassadors