Meet Lucila Houttuijn Bloemendaal, also known as Luci, an incoming Randolph dorm resident. This interview is part of a summer blog series profiling one Class of 2018 member from each of the 14 East Campus dorms. Look out for the rest of the blogs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays leading up to Orientation Week.
Hometown: Living in Houston, Texas. "I was born in New Orleans but my mother is from Argentina and my father is from the Netherlands, so I never really considered myself from Louisiana."
Major: Biology with ecology concentration and Earth and Ocean Sciences.
Summer plans: "This is my first summer relaxing so I've been exploring Houston, and visitng my sister in Boston."
Favorite type of weather: "Hot and humid, when it's either sunny or rainy."
Favorite book or literary work: "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Guilty pleasure: Video games.
Favorite video game: "The Legend of Zelda."
Impression from first visit to Duke: "I remember visiting the gardens and seeing a professor walking his — that image stuck."
What she will add to the Randolph community: "I hope to create a general atmosphere of cheeriness and support for each other."
What she hopes to try at Duke: "Music groups… and I'll explore different activities and things I like."
What she's nervous about at Duke: "How challenging the classes will be… but I'm excited to be able to take challenging courses because that makes it more interesting.
If she could be famous for one thing, what it would be: "For conservation and protection of animals."
Weirdest thing she plans to pack: A stapler shaped like a fish.
Essential dorm decorating item: "Glow in the dark stars for my ceiling."
Any last thoughts: "I hope we all have an enjoyable and successful four years at Duke. I'm sure it will be fun."
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