Students from Durham succeed

It is troubling that many Duke professors assume that their children must have peers from the same background in order to receive a quality education-this assumption is simply not true. As a 1998 graduate of the Durham Public Schools who went on to Harvard for my undergraduate education, I can proudly say that my classmates in Durham were bright, motivated students; they were the sons and daughters of secretaries, nurses, landscapers and an occasional professor. Perhaps most important were the extraordinary teachers I had, many of whom still teach in the Durham Public Schools. Of course, I am hardly surprised that the article expresses this view; because I am white, most Duke students who I have met simply assume I went to Durham Academy. I could not be prouder to say, "NO."

Sarah Reckhow