6. Reed was selected to teach a service learning course to undergraduates at Duke focused on grant
writing, fundraising, and educating her peers about the most pressing social issues in the Durham community.
Some of Reed’s service to the Latin American community includes:
Teaching English in Chitre, Panama for elementary students, parents, and school administrators
Working in the ESL department of Watts Elementary school
Teaching at the Durham International Montessori School in the La Casa Spanish Language Immersion Department
7. Some of her favorite courses:
LATAMER 198: Latin American Left Turns: A New
Policy for the 21st Century?
(Professor John French and Alexandre Fortes)
ECON 196: Irrationality in Economics
I LOVED this class because it was with a
renowned behavioral economist and I learned why
we do not behave like the rational, self-
interested, and emotionless actors of economic
models).
NEUROSCI 137: Neuroethics
I got to study how the behavioral and the
neurosciences are changing the way we think
about economics, law, and politics.
ECON 195: Financial Risk Management
8. Some of her most memorable moments
at Duke have been her interactions with
international students. Reed loves
hearing first hand about the historical
events and the political leaders that she
reads about in classes!
She studied abroad in Madrid
and focused on Brazil in all of
her classes related to Latin
America, because “—like the
rest of the world—I am
fascinated with Lula.”
9. Her plans after graduation include driving cross-country with her roommate, helping Dr. Becker
finish working on his new book, studying for the GRE and taking Portuguese classes to prepare for
a Master’s degree in Economics. (Possible graduate programs include: El Colegio de Mexico, UDLA
in Quito, and the Vargas Foundation in Brazil).
Eventually, she would like to work in consulting or investment banking in Latin America.
12. Volunteer Activities
Assisted with research on racial inequality in education at the Civil Rights Center
at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Provided one-on-one tutoring in English through
Gente Aprendiendo Nuevas Oportunidades (GANO)
Volunteer Development Coordinator of Manna Project International,
where she helped prepare volunteers for a spring break service trip to Ecuador
Participated in WISER, where she transcribed interviews on
HIV/AIDS education programs in Kenya
Texture by SophieG* via Flickr
13. Academic Achievements
Member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the Duke Political Science Honor Society
Research Awards: Dean’s Summer Research Fellowship, Mellon Grant from CLACS, and an
ICS travel grant to conduct research in Brazil for her thesis.
Dean’s List with Distinction
Published Work
“Democratization in Chile: An Analysis of the 1988 Plebiscite” Duke Political Science Standard 2011 and
various other publications while at COHA (2011)
Texture by SophieG* via Flickr
14. Katie is part of the Duke International Relations
Association, Duke Moot Court, and the Editorial
Board for Duke Political Science Standard .
Study Abroad
Geneva (summer 2009)
Brazil (summer 2010)
Madrid (fall 2010)
After graduation she will attend Harvard Law School
Texture by Photoluminary.com
Editor's Notes
Please tell us about this picture
Please tell us a little about Professor Becker and how you got involved in this project? Brief description of this chapter? Where is this photo?
Tell us a little about Latin American Left Turns and why you enjoyed this course so much?
How did you become fascinated with Lula? What about this Brazilian president makes him so interested to you?
What is your cross country route? Where taking Portuguese?
Tell us a little about your thesis and how you became interested in this topic?
What is Manna International? What was the project in Ecuador?
COHA tell us about this organization and your role as a research associate
While we only had a small number of undergraduates receiving the certificates, their accomplishments are fantastic.