As Ray Eddy, Trinity '92 and Grad '94, dodges raging fires and massive boulders each day, spectators might be surprised to learn the stunt man was an economics and mathematics double major at Duke.
As one of several speakers at Monday's Sophomore Smart Moves Day, Eddy described his transformation from businessman to on-stage daredevil and encouraged students to find careers they love, even if they defy norms.
"If a geeky, little math guy can be Indiana Jones, then you guys can do whatever," he said. The star of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., was part of a string of presentations that kicked off a week-long series designed for second-year students.
Eddy and several of Monday's other speakers are featured among 23 graduates from various universities in the book "Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads: Finding a Path to Your Perfect Career," which was published in May.
Sheila Curran, director of the career center, co-authored the book with Suzanne Greenwald, an educational advisor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Curran said Sophomore Smart Moves Day, like the book, was designed to urge students to take early advantage of the plethora of opportunities offered at the University.
"We're trying to encourage students not to put themselves into boxes," Curran said. "The kind of education you get at Duke allows you to explore a wide variety of career fields."
During the presentation, which was moderated by Curran, Eddy described the long list of career fields he has already tackled, including consulting, teaching, student affairs, running his own business, performing as a stuntman and, most recently, acting.
Eddy noted that students face many obstacles in career selection. He mentioned his own parents' negative reaction when he decided to give up his lucrative consulting job and noted his anxiety in revealing the ambition he harbored for many years of becoming a stuntman.
"It's kind of scary to let people know what you want to do when it's not normal," Eddy said. He encouraged students to take advantage of all of the University's resources in order to find their passions. "Get involved in anything you might possibly want to do.... Have joy in your life and joy in your work and not in the paycheck."
Sophomore Smart Moves Day marked the first major event sponsored by the Second Year Coalition. The group of faculty, students and staff was designed to provide resources to sophomores as they make the transition from their first year and begin to face major decisions, said Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residence life, who heads the organization.
The coalition approached the Junior Panhellenic Council, which helped organize the activities, said sophomore Ruthie Chen, a member of Junior Panhel.
"We're very pleased with the program that was put together," Gonzalez said, noting, however, that he would like to see a greater number of students in attendance at future events. Members of the coalition estimated that 75 sophomores attended the various presentations. Those students who came praised the initiative.
"It's really good that they're trying to get the information out there, so there is one source for students to go to," said sophomore Lindsay Adkin, a member of the coalition.
Sophomore Michelle Culp said she attended Eddy's presentation because she was motivated by Curran's and Greenwald's book. "A lot of sophomores have the idea that you have to decide everything right now," Culp said. "You don't have to absolutely have all the answers right from the start."
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