“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”
I came across this quote while re-reading the Harry Potter series this past year, and it has stuck with me ever since. I wasn’t born into the most stable home environment, and most people who knew the whole story probably wouldn’t have expected much from me. But, with the knowledge that there is always MORE —more to learn, more to experience, more people to meet, more places to go—I slowly but surely became the person I am today. Even better? I’m still growing every single day.
Hey y’all! My name is Zoe and I’m from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Being given the opportunity to join such an empowered and beautiful community like Baldwin has been the highlight of my college experience thus far. As I continue to meet and connect with the other 71 members of our Baldwin family and learn about the goals and achievements of our alumni, I have hope for the future of not just our nation but the world.
So, what is there to know about me? Aside from a love for sports movies, country music, my cats Cooper and Reggie, all the amazing people I’ve met at Duke, and Strawberry Sour Patch Kids there really isn’t much. I love almost anything music related and running is one of my favorite hobbies. I started in 5th grade and it has been my way of escaping ever since. I have a blog called The Zoe Files where I give college advice, promote mental and physical health, and encourage as much self-love as possible (just a weekly reminder that it’s okay to be human) and writing my posts is always the highlight of my week. I am also very passionate about the movement to end human trafficking and hope to do more for advocacy in the next four years and beyond. I really don’t know what I want to do or “be” after college, but as of right now I plan to major in Public Policy and possibly minor in education or finance. I am always so torn in what I want for the future, but I have found peace in the fact that Duke is the perfect place to figure it out.
Overall, I am most definitely a work in progress (which is totally okay), and my hope is that I can continue to use everything I experience to become an even better version of myself; never forgetting that little whisper of “more” that has carried me this far. If I have to leave you with something, it’s to never lose sight of the incredible things you can do with your potential, because you are far more capable than you will probably ever realize yourself.
I’m not really sure how to end this, so hopefully how I end all of my blog posts will work just fine,
XOXO,
Zoe