Service-Learning at Duke University

Drawing New Connections: Comics, Community, and Recovery

Students in the service-learning course "Graphic Ethnography: Comics as Research (ICS 502)" partnered with residents of TROSA: Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers to co-create comics based on personal recovery stories. From battling addiction through video-game metaphors to transforming into butterflies, the comics reveal hard-won journeys of strength, hope, and healing.

These powerful collaborations didn’t just teach students how to conduct research—they taught them how to listen, connect, and draw with care.

“Even if the comics are stick figures,” said Prof. Adam Rosenblatt, “you can always feel the respect.”

Read the full story and see examples of the artwork: https://servicelearning.duke.edu/news/drawing-new-connections-comics-community-and-recovery

Drawing New Connections: Comics, Community, and Recovery Graphic Ethnography: Comics as Research, a service-learning course taught by Professor Adam Rosenblatt, explores comics as both an innovative research method and a medium for authentic human connection. Through a partnership with TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers), students u...

One of the most beloved people at Duke — and it’s easy to see why.

David Malone (center, in the blue shirt) is a longtime educator and the founding director of Duke Service-Learning, a role he held from 2006 to 2022. On the last day of class, his students asked to celebrate outside — singing and dancing on the quad.

As Dean Gary Bennett wrote: “David understands that learning isn’t just about what happens inside four walls, but also about how we show up for each other with compassion, curiosity, creativity, and joy.”

We couldn’t agree more. 💙

Beyond the noise, this is the university I know… On the last day of… | Gary Bennett | 24 comments Beyond the noise, this is the university I know… On the last day of class, David Malone—who embodies the very best of Duke’s undergraduate experience—asked his students how they should spend their final session. Their answer? Let us express ourselves. So this afternoon, David moved the class...

One more congratulations to this year's recipients!

Each year, the Betsy Alden Awards honor outstanding individuals in service-learning—students, faculty, and community partners—who exemplify deep collaboration, reflection, and a commitment to community-rooted learning.

This year’s recipients are:
💫 Faculty: Susie Post-Rust
🌍 Community Partner: Bonnie Wang
🎓 Students: Alexis Mosu and Niki Young

From classrooms to community centers, each of them brings heart, creativity, and dedication to their work. Read more about their powerful contributions here: https://servicelearning.duke.edu/news/2025-betsy-alden-award-recipients-excellence-service-learning

Student Spotlight: Niki Young
School of Medicine, Class of 2025
2025 Alden Student Award Recipient

Niki Young has been a driving force behind Postpartum Partners, an interprofessional service-learning course that combines doula training, medical education, and community partnership to address maternal health disparities.

Reflecting on her experience, Niki wrote:
“I gained empathy and understanding of the tangible ways social factors influence our community’s health. I’ve developed lasting friendships and a new family that made Durham feel like home. Service-learning helped me slow down and reimagine the kind of provider—and person—I want to be.”

Niki’s commitment to care and equity shines through in every step she takes. Learn more about Postpartum Partners here:
https://servicelearning.duke.edu/news/postpartum-partners-training-health-professionals-through-community-centered-care

Student Spotlight: Alexis Mosu
Class of 2026
2025 Alden Student Award Recipient

As a Durham native, Service-Learning Assistant, and Volunteer Coordinator for Root Causes, Alexis Mosu brings both insight and intention to her community work. She facilitates dialogue, supports peers, and ensures community voices are respected and heard.

Her nominator shared:
“She doesn’t just participate—she evolves the conversation. Alexis helps her peers reflect more deeply on their roles and responsibilities in community-engaged learning. She uplifts the values of equity, shared learning, and collective care in every space she enters.”

From distributing fresh produce with to mentoring peers in community-engaged Spanish courses, Alexis has spent five semesters deepening her connection to Durham and shaping a more justice-centered path toward medicine.

You can read her story here: https://servicelearning.duke.edu/news/rooted-service-alexis-mosu-reflects-community-identity-and-power-saying-yes

Loving this post and photo from Duke Global Duke Global Health Institute - DGHI 😍😍😍

After decades of teaching, mentoring, and global service, Dr. Dennis Clements is retiring—leaving behind a legacy rooted in curiosity, compassion, and community engagement.

From early experiences in Okinawa and Uganda to building a clinic in Honduras and co-teaching global health capstone service-learning courses at Duke, Dennis has helped generations of students connect classroom learning with real-world impact.

"I've always loved doing medicine as a way to find out about people—how people live and who they are," he once shared. "I came to appreciate that people were the same all over the world except for the fact that they were born in a different place."

Thank you, Dennis, for reminding us that to teach well is to care deeply—and to build reciprocal relationships wherever we go.

📖 Read the full story: https://servicelearning.duke.edu/news/heart-students-vision-world-honoring-dr-dennis-clements

Community Partner Spotlight: Bonnie Wang
Mandarin Teacher & Assistant Director of DEE, Durham Academy
2025 Alden Community Partner Award Recipient

For over a decade, Bonnie Wang has been a joyful and justice-centered partner to Duke’s Chinese program, co-creating projects that build bridges between language, culture, and sustainability.

Professor Yan Liu wrote:
“Bonnie has a gift for helping students feel at ease while challenging them to think bigger—about justice, identity, and how we show up for one another. Whether she’s co-leading conversations on anti-Asian racism or building a sustainability dialogue between Durham and Taiwan, Bonnie creates learning spaces that are both brave and deeply welcoming.”

Read more about Bonnie and her decade-long partnership with Duke: https://servicelearning.duke.edu/news/decade-connection-learning-language-and-community

Thank you, Bonnie, for showing us how to lead with courage, creativity, and care.

Faculty Spotlight: Susie Post-Rust
Lecturer, Center for Documentary Studies
2025 Alden Faculty Award Recipient

Through Small Town USA: Local Collaborations, Susie Post-Rust has spent over 15 years helping Duke students build meaningful relationships with local communities through photography and storytelling.

Student nominator Dhruv Rungta shared:
“So many students I know who've taken a class with Susie speak about it as one of their most meaningful Duke experiences. People leave with a stronger sense of empathy, a clearer idea of how to work alongside communities (not just study them), and concrete skills in communication and storytelling. Many students have gone on to win awards—from Benensons, international grants, even an Emmy—but just as many walk away with something quieter but just as lasting: a relationship with a community partner they care about and a better understanding of how to move through the world with care and curiosity.”

We’re grateful for Professor Post-Rust’s ability to lead with presence, humility, and heart.

✨ Introducing the 2025 Betsy Alden Award Recipients! ✨

Each year, the Betsy Alden Awards honor outstanding individuals in service-learning—students, faculty, and community partners—who exemplify deep collaboration, reflection, and a commitment to community-rooted learning.

This year’s recipients are:
Faculty: Susie Post-Rust
Community Partner: Bonnie Wang
Students: Alexis Mosu and Niki Young

From classrooms to community centers, each of them brings heart, creativity, and dedication to their work. Join us in celebrating their powerful contributions!

👏 Congrats to Duke student Chloe Decker, who was recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for outstanding contributions to increasing student voter engagement in the 2024 Election. Chloe joins an inspiring list of student leaders across North Carolina who are helping shape the future of democracy.

Big news! Our very own service-learning faculty member Adam Rosenblatt has been appointed Director of the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute! 👏

Known for his deep commitment to community-engaged teaching and justice-rooted scholarship, Adam brings a powerful blend of compassion, creativity, and critical inquiry to everything he does—from classrooms to cemeteries to comics.
We’re so excited to see how his leadership will help shape the future of human rights at Duke and beyond.

🗞️ Read more: https://fhi.duke.edu/news/adam-rosenblatt-appointed-director-duke-human-rights-center