Alumni are an integral part of the Robertson Scholars community, offering valuable contributions that strengthen the program and create meaningful experiences for scholars. Alumni continue to embody the program’s values of purposeful leadership, intellectual curiosity, strength of character, and a collaborative spirit through their work in the world and are encouraged to share their accomplishments, experiences and resources with the broader community as they grow and develop professionally and personally.
Get Involved
Leadership Development
NOLS
RSLP has extended it's partnership with NOLS to offer an alumni-only expedition to gain new wilderness and leadership skills. This year, alumni took part in an alumni-only sea-kayaking excursion in Alaska. The is geared up to become an annual event offered to Robertson Alumni!
The curriculum focuses on the exploration and practice of a sea kayaking skills progression and the NOLS leadership model, time to appreciate the extremes of the local natural environment, and the practice of minimum impact camping and outdoor living skills & camp craft; everyone was encouraged to be their authentic selves as they experienced the grandeur and challenges of living and traveling in the Alaska wilderness.
VIRTUAL HANGOUTS
In order to further facilitate organic relationships between Robertson Scholars and Alumni, the Alumni Council Robertson Hangouts, a series of informal virtual meet-ups centered around specific topics and moderated by notable Alumni. The Scholars and Alumni who participate are able to share ideas and hear new perspectives on topics of shared interest such as professional challenges and political/social issues.
Previous hangout have included the following topics: Bridging political gaps. Being a civil servant during uncertain times. What it's like to work in the Foreign Service for the US Government. Artists as social changemakers. Making space for impact in the workplace. And even an event with our benefactor, Mr. Julian Robertson!
Alumni Council
The Robertson Alumni Council serves as a community-driven programming and advisory body for the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program. The Council supports Robertson alumni community building, contributions, and ongoing leadership development programs, and acts as a sounding board for the Robertson Program’s Staff and leadership. If you have questions related to the Council or have ideas for alumni programming, please e-mail alumni@robertsonscholars.org.
2022-2023 Council
Alumni Council Chair: Trey Walk
Alumni Council Members: Alexis Dennis, Chris Edelman, Georgia Lala, Daniel Lim, Chinmay Pandit, Kat Tan
Trey Walk (Duke 2019) is a Justice Fellow at the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. He supports the organization’s efforts to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S., challenge racial and economic injustice, and protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. In school, Trey studied history, and he continues to be involved with the university as a member of Duke’s Board of Trustees. Trey spent his Robertson summers in the Mississippi Delta; his home state of South Carolina; Cape Town, South Africa; and Washington D.C.
Alexis Dennis, PhD, MPH (UNC 2011) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her research examines how and why structural and social inequality generate racial and ethnic disparities in health and wellbeing across early portions of the life course. Much of her work specifically examines disparities in mental health. She teaches courses in the Sociology of Mental Health, Medical Sociology, and Race and Ethnicity as well. Prior to her current role, Alexis worked on Affordable Care Act implementation in California at the Greenlining Institute as a Health Policy Research Fellow, and researched HIV, reproductive health, and maternal and child health at FHI 360 and the Duke Global Health Institute. Alexis earned her PhD in Sociology and her MPH in Health Behavior from UNC Chapel Hill in 2022 and 2014, respectively. As a Robertson Scholar, she earned her BA in Communication Studies and a Certificate from Duke University in Documentary Studies. Alexis spent her Robertson summers in the Mississippi Delta; Durban, South Africa; and Washington D.C.