Kia ora! My name is Mercy.
I aspire to live with a heart full of gratitude and love, and I really appreciate how the Baldwin community supports and inspires this.
My parents are US American but I grew up mostly in Aotearoa New Zealand, so I identify as a third-culture kid. Sometimes I find it hard not to have a clear ‘home’, but I’m very grateful for the connections I have to both places. I have 5 siblings and really enjoy spending time with my family.
Some of the things I’m committed to are:
- Being spiritually active and curious. Currently for me this means taking time to pray and meditate, read spiritually-oriented texts, and talk to people about their spiritual beliefs and practises. Since coming to Duke some of the ways I have nurtured this include long garden walks with friends, being involved in various Christian communities, and taking a couple courses about world religions and philosophies.
- Living adventurously. This is better shown in practice than explained in words but if you ever want to talk for a while, ask me about my favourite adventures or what I currently have on my bucket list. Or propose a run or bike or swim or spontaneous adventure of some sort. I’m probably keen :)
- Working towards a more equitable future. I don’t know what I want to ‘do’ after university, or even fully what I want to focus on while still at uni. But I do know that I am committed to using my opportunities and privilege to improve people’s lives. I’m studying Mechanical Engineering so maybe that will be involved. The most meaningful work I’ve done so far was a couple months volunteering with the Mother Teresa Sisters so I’m excited about service-oriented work. I’ve also really enjoyed taking human geography classes about international ‘development’ so that’s one of my current interests.
I love running into the ocean and journaling with friends :)