✈️ Moving to a new city can be a whole lot easier when you’re plugged in to the local Duke community. It's a good thing #DukeisEverywhere! 😈 Duke Welcome Parties provide a fun and personal way to introduce relocating alumni to all that Duke has to offer in their new hometown. In October of 2017, Duke alumni around the world gathered to welcome new Blue Devils to their cities - from Durham to San Francisco to Beijing.
Let the party begin in sunny Florida ☀️😎🌴 Blue Devils gathered at the Vagabond Hotel in Miami and the Shooters Waterfront (how appropriate 😉) in Ft. Lauderdale. Did you know? Over 2,000 Duke alumni are building a community of impact in Duke South Florida. Thanks to Alina Pastiu JD '02 in Miami and Tadena Simpson '05 in Ft. Lauderdale for making these awesome events happen.
Next stop: Washington, D.C. Shout out to the event coordinator John Nelson '11! Alumni in the D.C. area had a chance to win great door prizes like a signed Christian Laettner Washington Wizards jersey and other fun Duke items! 🏀⛹️
Across the country in California, alumni gathered in San Francisco, Mountain View, Orange County, and San Diego. Thanks to Preston Dodd '90, Erik Wong '96, Alex Nichols '10, and Rob Collopy '14 for your hard work. In SF, alumni took over Spark Social, an outdoor food truck rodeo 🚚🍕and in San Diego, Blue Devils gathered at Steins Beer Garden 🍻. Down in SoCal, Orange County alumni took to the Aqua Lounge @ Island Hotel. With valet. Okay, we see you Duke OC 👀💁🍸
Back in Durham, Blue Devils headed over to one of the Bull City's newest boutique hotels, Unscripted, which was developed by Greg Hills ’76 🏨. Drinks, snacks, and even a bull pool float? 🐂💦 Nice work organizing, Zach Prager '12!
Not too far down the road, Blue Devils in Raleigh gathered at North Street Beer Station 🍺 and Duke Triad got together at an urban eatery with a fireplace lounge in Winston-Salem 🔥🍷. Shout out to event coordinators Zach Prager '12 (again 😈) and Lauren West-Livingston '12!
The Duke Club of Colorado welcomed newcomers to the Mile High City with complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. As a FAC Board member, Mansoor Safi '15 once welcome first-years to Duke; now, he's welcoming new Blue Devils to Colorado. Thanks, Mansoor, for showcasing what the #ForeverDuke spirit is all about! 😈
DYK? There are over 15,000 Duke alumni in the tri-state area. That's a lot of Blue Devils in the Big 🍎🏙. Alumni gathered to welcome newcomers in a NYC lounge and bar. Thanks to the dedication and efforts of DAA Board member Margaret Skoglund ’10 and DukeNY Board member Lauren Busch ’14, DukeNY had a fantastic professional photographer. The photos below are courtesy of Selena Moshell 📸.
Not too far away in the Garden State, Duke alumni in New Jersey shared some brews over great conversation at Cricket Hill Brewery 🍻✨. Thanks to Mike Schwartz '06 for making this Duke Welcome party happen!
Back on the west coast, Bruce Ripley MF'89 gathered Blue Devils together in Portland. Delicious 🍷 from one of the Pearl's most welcoming spaces, Thelonious Wines, made this both a classy and unforgettable evening. Nice tie, Bruce! 👔
There are over 4,000 Duke alumni in the Delaware Valley -- and a few more were recently welcomed to this community! Thanks to Sarah Bender '16 for bringing Blue Devils together in Philly.
Duke truly is everywhere 🌏. Outside the U.S., there were Duke Welcome parties in Singapore, Moscow, Paris, Barcelona, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing.
Thanks to everyone who coordinated and attended these wonderful events. Have photos to share with us? Tag us on social media @DukeAlumni and use the hashtags #DukeWelcome #ForeverDuke. And while you're at it, make sure to follow us too 😈 Visit alumni.duke.edu to check out more events happening near you!