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“The people I see here come from vastly different backgrounds, and I feel I have something to learn from all of them,” said Kim, a Cary native who plans to study neuroscience.

Around the corner, new roommates Kyle D’Souza and Neel Singh unpacked and got acquainted. D’Souza also spoke of the sense of community he already felt.

“I feel most top schools don’t have a community like this,” said D’Souza, who is from New Jersey. “A lot of places, people don’t want to help each other out, but here, everyone is helpful.”

Before moving in, first-year student, Ryan Merrill, posed for a family photo with her parents Laura and Jon Merrill and her siblings, Riley, 10, and Renly, a 10-weeks-old newborn who spent move-in day cooing and gurgling in a stroller.

Ryan, who plans to major in mechanical engineering, is a second-generation Duke student. Her father, Jon, is a Duke alum who manned the offensive line for the football team and graduated in 1996. The Merrill family rode nearly four hours to Duke from their home in Brevard, North Carolina.

“I’m so excited for her,” said Jon Merrill. “And it gives me a reason to come back for football games!”

These students will be busy. They’ll quickly begin a week of , created three years ago as part of Duke’s new QuadEx living and learning model that focuses on building stronger campus communities.

Divided into 22 groups, students will spend the next week tackling a themed project emphasizing teamwork and collaboration. Students in Project Edge – focused on innovation – will meet with local entrepreneurs. In Project Habitat, students will help build houses with Habitat for Humanity. And the newest group – Project Herd – will build connections between other first-year students and upperclassmen through visits to Duke Lemur Center and Duke Campus Farm, plus downtown and the Eno River.

Come late afternoon, families gathered along Abele Quad for dinner before saying their goodbyes. For Omar Ozalp, picnicking near the Brodhead Center with his parents, his Duke arrival was his first time in the United States since he was five years old – the family arrived from Egypt just a few days before move-in. Omar said he chose Duke for the sports, academics and social life. “You don’t get that (balance) at a lot of places,” he said.

“I can’t wait to see what he does,” added his mother, Heba.

Samuel Katz took pictures at a Blue Devil photo booth with his parents Alex and Sarrie. He said he will miss the beach by his house in Jupiter, Fla., and made sure to bring pictures of his family and friends for his dorm room. A piece of his mother’s advice? “Keep an open mind.” 

It’s vital new Duke students understand the city they now live in, said Stelfanie Williams, Duke’s Vice President for Durham and Community Affairs.

“A key part of a student’s development is to be an engaged member of your community,” Williams said. “And here, the community is both Duke and Durham.”

Two Duke parents who know this particular relationship well are Leonardo and Zweli Williams. Leonardo is Durham’s mayor and Zweli runs a prominent local restaurant. Their son, Izaiah, is a member of this new Duke first-year class.

“We’re big fans of Duke, so having our son go to the greatest university in the world in the greatest city in the world is a dream come true,” Leonardo Williams said.

Izaiah is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and plans to study mechanical engineering and earth and climate science. He too believes it’s important for students to spend time in Durham and get to know it well.

“We’re going to school in this city,” he said, “and we should try to be a part of it and get involved.”